a/n: Hey guys!
Ok, I know it's been a while. And I'm really sorry! But this past month has been an absolute shithole for me where all of my problems and things that I've been trying to avoid caught up with me and promptly dragged my soul into a spiral of doom and despair. And then I had school finals, and tried to run for the past month with a daily four hours of sleep. Not good. There was no time to update this story, and my entire internet writing career kind of suffered this past month as a result of everything happening to me in real life.
However, now I think I've managed to surpass, and will be taking care of the majority of the problems I've been having this past month and can return to constant updates again. I apologize for the long wait that y'all had for this chapter, but hopefully the writing makes up for it. I think I will have to make updates bi-weekly now, but we'll see how it goes in the new year! I also hope that everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that you were able to spend it happily, and with your loved ones.
Long author's note aside, enjoy the chapter! warnings: mild violence and near-death experiences.
Chapter Eleven
Neji, Menma, and Suigetsu (the stallion) rode hard over the next day, barely pausing to rest or eat; Neji wanted to get a good head start between himself and the palace guard, as he assumed that the moment Shikamaru had woken up, he would alert Hiashi. At last, as dawn began to break over the horizon, the party of three arrived at the entrance to an ominous-looking forest.
"Oh my," Neji murmured as Suigetsu stumbled wearily to a stop at the forest's edge. "Well, that looks a bit frightening."
It does. Give the poor horse some rest, and then we'll continue on Menma commanded. I want to stretch my wings before going in to that place.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Neji murmured as he slid off of the saddle and took Suigetsu's reins by hand. "Come on, boy. Let's get some food and water in to you," Neji murmured as he led the stallion over to a small creek by a grassy hill. While Suigetsu gulped down mouthfuls of water like his life depended on it, Neji rubbed down his sides with a towel and stroked his back soothingly. "I've really pushed you hard, huh boy?" he murmured gently. "I'm sorry—just a little more now, and then you can go back home at your own pace."
How do you know that he'll go back home on his own?
He's a smart animal. He'll know the way.
That's not what I meant. Menma launched himself out of Neji's hood and started soaring in circles above his head. I mean, what if he decides to stay with you?
He won't. His first loyalty is to Uncle, Neji dismissed Menma's concern. It looks like it's going to start storming soon.
We'd better arrive at the beast's home before then.
Well, I suppose it won't matter too much, because the beast will probably eat him along with me, Neji snorted.
Poor thing.
Neji smiled at the happiness he felt resonating from Menma as the small swallow executed swoops and turns in midair. It all felt strangely surreal, in this small bubble of peace and quiet; Neji couldn't bring himself to imagine everyone back home worrying about him, couldn't bring himself to imagine the palace guard bearing down on him, couldn't bring himself to think about his fate if he crossed through the forest…
Several hours later, Neji woke to Menma shrieking in his ear. "Bloody hell!" He batted Menma away from his face. "What was that for?"
It's time for you to wake up. We need to get moving.
Neji blinked, and then pushed himself up off the ground; he hadn't even realized that he'd been sleeping. "You're right." He glanced anxiously up at the sky, and then started in dismay when he spotted a solitary snowflake float down. "It's starting to snow." He grabbed up his scarf and gloves on the ground, and hurriedly approached Suigetsu as he yanked them on. "Hey, boy, it's time to get going again." He saddled Suigetsu up and hopped on his back, pulling his hood over his scarf and face; Menma flew in to the hood and huddled by his neck as well. Neji dug the compass out of his cloak, and found that when he faced the forest, the ruby glowed red.
"Looks like we're really going in there, huh?" Neji murmured as he nudged Suigetsu in to a gentle trot. "I hope nothing nasty lives there." Suigetsu plodded steadily among the trees as Neji glanced about nervously; there didn't seem to be a beaten path through the wood, but the trees were paced relatively far apart, so Neji didn't have to worry about ducking too often.
Snow started falling through the dense branches of the wood, and Neji pulled his storm cloak tightly around himself. "I wonder how much farther we have to go?" he murmured, his breath coming out in white puffs of condensed water. He startled when a white rabbit ran directly across Suigetsu's path. "Huh? I wonder what that was…"
It was a rabbit.
"I know that!" Neji snapped.
Keep your voice down, Menma cautioned.
Why? Neji asked mentally.
Something isn't right with this forest. The sooner we're out of here, the happier I'll be.
They continued to journey onwards in silence, occasionally stopping to reorient themselves to the compass. This time, Neji didn't try and push Suigetsu; the trees would make running difficult, and visibility was also fading quickly as they entered deeper and deeper in to the forest. Now, the trees grew so close together that Neji had to hop off of Suigetsu's side and carefully lead him over tree roots, and guide his head under tree branches. The only upside to the denser forest was that there was less snow falling throught he trees, but in their stead small piles of snow kept sliding off the pine branches, and Neji's clothing was steadily become soaked.
However, Neji refused to stop moving forward. He didn't know how long he had to reach the beast before his uncle's life was taken, and he didn't want to take any chances. Even as his teeth chattered, and his body shivered and ached from the cold, he persevered onwards until they finally came out of the forest to a broad field. The snow was coming down heavily now, but at the far end of the field, Neji let out a sigh of relief when he caught sight of tall, iron gates and a high stone wall. Just to make sure that he wasn't seeing things, he pulled out the ring from under his cloak, and was relieved to see that the ring was still glowing. Wearily, he hoisted himself on to Suigetsu's back, and nudged the great stallion in to a slow trot.
Neji, are you sure you can make it? This field looks long, and those gates are undoubtedly farther away than they seem.
Neji shivered in the saddle, and huddled down on himself; he felt alarms going off in the back of his brain when he tried to wiggle his toes, and realized that he couldn't feel anything there. I'll be fine. We have to get there.
Menma huddled up to Neji's neck, and then tucked himself under Neji's scarf, trying to get as close to Neji's skin as possible. Menma's small body created a small patch of warmth against Neji's neck, but the rest of his body was still cold and aching.
Neji! Promise me you won't fall asleep!
"I promise," Neji said blearily. He knew the dangers of falling asleep in the cold—once you lost consciousness, you were sure to freeze to death. "I promise."
Keep your voice down. We're not out of danger yet.
We're not? Neji thought wearily. Then, his mind registered the noise of wolves howling over the field. Oh shit. We're not. Neji sat up straight as a burst of adrenaline worked its way through his system, and he kicked Suigetsu's sides to bring him up to a steady gallop. Shit. Nothing was in the forest, but here out in the open, of course there are wolves.
Neji, if we die out here, it's been an honor to be bonded to you.
We're not going to die! Neji thought fiercely, even though he knew that Menma could feel the fear radiating from his body; no doubt, the wolf pack could smell it too. He strained his eyes, and felt a sudden spike of fear when he saw a white wolf running parallel to him on his left. Oh god—Menma, I'm scared.
I know. Just think about reaching those gates. By now, Neji was halfway across the field, but Suigetsu was tired, and Neji wasn't sure how much longer they could keep up their pace.
Then, Suigetsu whinnied sharply, and tore off across the field—he'd noticed the wolves too. Neji chanced a glance over his shoulder, and screamed when he saw a great white wolf nipping fiercely at Suigetsu's hind legs.
Their combined terror drove Suigetsu to new speeds, and in what felt like nearly no time at all, they were nearing the iron gates. Neji's heart fell when he saw the crowd of wolves at both side of the entrance, which hung wide open. Neji vaguely wondered why the wolves weren't entering the mansion grounds, but then forced himself to concentrate on the situation. How the hell are we going to get through that?
I don't know, because we're about to go straight through them, Menma thought seriously. Hang on tight, dear heart.
Neji blinked, and then buried his face in Suigetsu's soft mane as they thundered straight in to the gauntlet between the wolf pack. He screamed and lashed out on either sides when the wolves leapt straight at Suigetsu; the front half of the pack missed Suigetsu as he all-out ran through their ranks, and crashed in to each other in midair. However, the back half of the pack attacked viciously, and Neji gasped when he noticed the blood running down Suigetsu's side, and then cried out in pain when a wolf clawed at his leg.
His eyes teared up in desperation when Suigetsu had to stop running as the wolves latched on to his great legs and began to tear at him.
"HELP US!" Neji screamed—the iron gates couldn't be more than ten feet away, but they were beset by the wolves. "HELP US!" he screamed again. "YOU WANTED ME—WELL HERE I AM! LET ME IN!"
Neji opened his mouth to shout again, but then screamed in pain and began to beat at a wolf's muzzle as it reared back in an attempt to bite him; he succeeded and it fell back, but was replaced by another white wolf.
Suddenly, there was a great roar, and a hulking mass of brown fur barreled out of the castle gates and began to attack the wolves. Suddenly, all the wolves were whimpering, and then turning tail to vanish back in to the snowy field, leaving Neji on his wounded horse, clutching at his bleeding leg.
The great beast roared one final time, scaring off any remaining wolves before turning to Neji. However, Neji never had a chance to see its face—Suigetsu collapsed beneath him, his powerful legs finally giving out from underneath them, and both stallion and human passed out from terror and exhaustion.
XXX
Neji woke to the sound of a crackling fire, and to the feeling of a soft cotton quilt around his body. "Mmmm," he groaned quietly. It felt too good to be real—was he dreaming? He remembered feeling cold and achy before, but this felt so much nicer…
Something moved closer to his face, and then a soft feather brushed against his cheek. Neji opened his eyes sleepily, and was greeted with the welcome sight of his beloved familiar.
Menma?
Neji. Neji had never felt such relief resonate down from his bond with Menma before. Thank the gods you're awake.
What happened? Neji felt too comfortable and warm to move.
The beast came out and scared the wolves off. Then, he carried you and Suigetsu in to the castle grounds. He healed both you and Suigetsu—Suigetsu is in the stables. The beast carried you up to this room and healed your leg and then let you fall asleep on this couch.
The beast. Neji shut his eyes as he slowly forced himself to come out of his little bubble of comfort and remember what his objectives in coming here had been. He…he cared for me?
He did, Menma confirmed. I don't understand what his motives are.
I thought it would be a life for a life, Neji mused. He thought about what Menma had said, and with a start, realized that he could feel his feet, and that his leg was no longer hurting, despite having been clawed by the wolves. Neji yawned, and then sat up, pushing the blanket off of his torso. I suppose it won't be that way, though.
Neji… Menma hopped on to Neji's lap as Neji shifted around so that his back rested against the back of the couch. I love you.
I love you too, Menma.
I nearly lost you. Menma nuzzled in to Neji's cupped hands.
But I'm fine now, Neji assured his familiar. Don't cry.
It was too late—two small tears trickled out of Menma's beady eyes. "Oh dearest heart," Neji murmured softly, gently petting Menma's wings. "It's alright now. It's alright."
But it's not. You came here to die, Neji. I don't want you to die!
Neji couldn't say anything to that. Instead, he gently removed himself from Menma's pain, and looked around the room he was in. A merry fire crackled in the hearth, and in front of the small couch he'd been resting on was a quaint coffee table, on which a rose in a vase had been placed.
"Look Menma, another rose." Neji observed the simple red bloom, and then reached out to touch its soft petals with his fingers. "Do you think that the beast grows roses?"
He must have a greenhouse somewhere. Menma had recovered his composure, but Neji could still feel the pain and anxiety resonating down the bonds between their souls.
Neji released the rose, and gently set Menma on the table before reaching down and rolling up his pant leg. He was mildly relieved to realize that he was still wearing his traveling clothes minus his cloak, hood, scarf and gloves. He felt uncomfortable at the thought of the beast touching him.
He let out an exclamation when he saw that both his legs were completely unmarked with no scars to show for the damage they had taken. Frowning, he unrolled his pants so that they covered his legs once more. Do you think that the beast is a powerful sorcerer?
He must be—your legs aren't scarred, and your wounds were deep. Menma fluttered around in anxiety. I wonder what he wants of us.
You mean of me, Neji said drily. I doubt that he wants anything of you.
Whatever he wants of you, he'll have to go through me first Menma said with an air of determination.
Neji smiled at the show of spirit from his small sparrow. "I love you Menma."
I love you too, Neji.
A deep voice spoke from the doorway. "Am I interrupting something?"
Neji gasped and instantly scooped Menma up to his chest, curling up on the couch in a defensive position.
The beast moved slowly in to the room, almost as if he were approaching a frightened animal. "I do not mean to harm you."
Neji didn't say anything and simply curled deeper in to the couch cushions. Suddenly, despite the fact that he had felt so brave and determined to spare his uncle's life back at the castle, he was full of fear of the beast. The beast was terrifying, and suddenly Neji remembered the fury with which it had attacked the white wolves at the gates; he remembered blood dripping from the beast's great paws, and snow catching on his barbaric pelt, and he remembered a flash of cold fury that shone from the beast's glowing red eyes.
The beast spread his paws slowly, as if to show that he was unarmed, but Neji caught a flash of firelight on a set of sharp claws. "Neji, I promise you that I will not harm you."
"W-why should I trust you?" Neji asked stuttered.
"I healed your wounds," the beast said patiently. "Why would I heal you if I wanted to harm you?"
"Then what do you want with me?" Neji asked, crushing his fear and insecurities in the pit of stomach; he had to find out his fate. He ignored the indignant chirp that came from his cupped hands, and cradled Menma close to his chest.
"I wish for you to live with me," the beast rumbled gently. "That is all I wish of you, Neji Hyuga."
Neji flinched, and then felt despair setting in. "You…you wish for me to live with you? Forever? Never to leave this place again?"
"I'm afraid so," the beast said quietly. "You see, your uncle tried to steal something very precious of mine. Your stay here is my retribution for his actions."
Neji remained silent, his mind and his heart processing the information. He had expected to die in this place, not to live without ever seeing his family again…and his heart began to ache deeply. He wasn't prepared for this.
The beast seemed to take Neji's silence as acceptance of his fate. "Neji, once again, I promise you that you shall never come to harm by my hands, nor by any hand of this castle's occupants," he said seriously. "You shall be treated as a member of this house now, and you must tell me if anything is not to your liking."
At last, Neji found his voice again. "W-well, if I am to be imprisoned here for the rest of my life," he stuttered over the sentence, "May I at least know my jailer's name?" He pointedly ignored the beast's wince at the word 'jailer'.
"My name is Itachi," the beast said quietly. "I hope that someday, during your life here, you will not look at me as your jailer."
"And how should I look at you? As my friend?" Neji asked bitterly.
Itachi remained silent.
Neji sighed, and cast his eyes down to the floor. "You healed my wounds, and Menma says that you also healed my horse," he said after a moment. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Itachi said simply. "Your horse is being cared for in the stables."
Neji cautiously uncurled himself from the sofa cushions, and then slowly began to relax when the beast—no, Itachi, made no move towards him. "Are you the only person who lives here?"
"No. There are other people who live here, but they are invisible. You can hear them when they wish to be heard, but otherwise, it will seem very much as if we are the only two people here. Speaking of invisibility, may I look at the ring that I gave you for a moment?"
Neji blinked, and then set Menma down on the table before swiftly drawing the chain with the two rings on it over his head from beneath his shirt. He unclipped the necklace, and then pulled off the invisibility ring before slowly standing up, testing the strength of his legs. His legs felt normal, as if they hadn't been hurt at all. He forced himself to move towards Itachi, and found his fear decreasing as he observed Itachi's body language; Itachi was relaxed, and his arms and legs remained firmly by his sides. Neji was slowly beginning to believe Itachi's claim that he would not come to harm by his hand. "Here," Neji said as he offered the ring to Itachi.
Itachi held out his palm, and Neji dropped the ring in to it. He couldn't help but shiver slightly when he caught sight of Itachi's long claws.
Neji jolted when Itachi spoke. "Again, I will remind you Neji Hyuga—you shall never come to harm by my hand."
Neji flushed in embarrassment when he realized that Itachi had noticed his shiver. "No, I believe you. It's just that…well, you are a little bit frightening," Neji smiled weakly. "I apologize for my lack of composure."
"There is no need to apologize. I can understand your fear; I experience it every time I look in the mirror," Itachi said somewhat absently as he ran his other hand over the ring.
Neji blinked in awkward confusion. Was that a joke? He thought to Menma.
…I don't know. Do beasts joke?
"It was a joke, you know," Itachi said, his mouth tilting upwards in a smile. Neji tried to control himself when he caught sight of a mouthful of sharp, shiny teeth.
"Oh," was all he said. "I…I wasn't sure."
"Well, now you know." Itachi offered the ring back to him. "Would you like this ring back? I turned it back in to a normal ring—it wouldn't do to have you wandering around invisibly around here, you know."
Neji blinked, and then accepted the ring once more; after all, how else was he supposed to refuse? It would be strange to say 'no thanks' to such a statement. Neji found himself wondering at how odd the beast was; he behaved almost as if he were a human, but his appearance completely belied his demeanor.
"Now, before I show you to your rooms, I must inform you of a set of conditions that you must obey in this castle."
"I am your prisoner; I must do as you wish."
"You are a member of this household," Itachi corrected him. "You must learn how to live here, but I do hope that these rules are not too constricting. The first rule is that you are not to leave your rooms at night; it is dangerous."
"I thought that you said that the only people who lived in this castle are dangerous?"
"Allow me to rephrase that. I become dangerous at night," Itachi smiled darkly. "You've seen how vicious I can become. Remember that when you wish to go on a night adventure."
Neji gulped.
"Secondly, we shall dine together every night."
"A curious condition," Neji tilted his head to the side.
"A beast can grow lonely," Itachi said simply. "And I doubt that you will seek me out of your own will."
"That is understandable," Neji said drily.
"Thirdly…" Itachi paused, and then looked over at the table where Menma was resting. He snapped his fingers, and suddenly Menma was encased in a glowing ball of light.
Neji gasped. "What are you doing to him?" Unthinkingly, he ran in front of the table to shield Menma.
"I'm not hurting him," Itachi said calmly. "Simply, for this condition, I fear that I cannot trust your human nature, as the third condition is more of a bargain between the two of us. There is a section of rooms in this mansion called 'The West Wing'. You will stay out of that area. If I find out that you have entered any of those rooms, I will have to punish you by hurting your familiar."
"You would hurt my Menma?" Neji asked in horror.
"No, I will only touch…Menma, you said? I will only touch Menma if you make a move to enter those forbidden rooms. If you choose not to follow any of the other two conditions that I have set for you, then I promise to punish only you, and not your familiar," Itachi said patiently. "I wish I did not have to do this, but as I said—I simply can't trust the inherent curiosity of human nature. It is the nature of your race to take and find out everything they don't know. "
"I'll do as you say," Neji said instantly.
You will find that your bond to Menma is still open, and that you two can interact as you normally do. All I have done is place him in a nontangible barrier that will inform me of his location," Itachi informed him. "I do not seek to harm neither you nor your familiar."
"I thank you for your intentions," Neji said somewhat icily.
Itachi just laughed. "I knew you had spirit, little Hyuga."
Neji glared. "How do you know my last name, anyways?"
"I have my ways." Itachi raised a hairy eyebrow when Neji's glare intensified. "What, you weren't expecting me to give up all my secrets, were you?"
"How you know my surname is hardly all of your secrets."
Itachi just smiled and shook his head. "Would you like me to show you up to your rooms? There are still several hours before dinner, and I'm sure there are other things you would like to do with your time."
Neji hesitated for a moment before responding. "I would appreciate it," he said somewhat stiffly. After all, if he was going to be living with Itachi for an unforeseeable eternity, it probably wouldn't pay to be nasty to him all the time.
Itachi smiled, and began to move towards the door. "You'll find that the mansion has a lot of stairs. On this floor is the parlor we were just in, as well as several other sitting rooms." Menma fluttered off the table and on to Neji's shoulder as Itachi led Neji down the hallway and began to climb up a spiral staircase. "You should find all of your possessions in your room. Please let me know if anything is missing," Itachi bowed before a wooden door. "This is your room. Please let any of the servants, or me, know if anything dissatisfies you."
"Thank you for your hospitality."
"I will call you down for dinner in a few hours." With that, Itachi left the way that they'd come, and Neji waited for his tall figure to vanish on the staircase before cautiously opening the door to his room.
a/n: And so we finally meet the Itachi that will be the main focus of the story! He is not the same as Sasuke's familiar, the phoenix. I apologize if that is confusing, and comment to let me know and see if I can clear it up for you! Thank you to everyone for supporting and subscribing to this work, it really means a lot! The next update will probably be on the week of January 13th, but we'll wait and see. Hopefully it'll be earlier! Anyways, really, thank you for reading and please comment to let me know what you think of this chapter and future predictions for the story. We're a little less than halfway through now, so yeah…lots more action left to go through! Thanks for reading~ (Sorry for the rambling.)