Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto (duh), just Sorano and a few OCs. The title of this chapter comes from the quote by Carl Sandburg, "I tell you the past is a bucket of ashes."
Enjoy!
Bucket of Ashes
Chapter 14
Neji spent half of the evening scanning faces, remembering names, and making a list of suspects. He would compare with the others later but he knew the man they were looking for hadn't been present. Isamu Daijiro was a shrewd man who kept a close eye on his subordinates. The leak was lower in the chain of command, but smart enough to keep his identity secret. They were going to have to catch him in the act, as he first suspected.
So he spent the other half of the evening watching the piece of heaven that had fallen to grace the humble presence of men. Even his eyes lingered longer than necessary on the gentle curves accentuated by Sorano's kimono and the charming way tendrils of white would dance around her face when she tilted her head just so. Her ethereal appearance was memorizing and her performance flawless. Men and women alike gravitated to her pleasant smiles and genteel laughter. The serene demeanor she presented was irresistible and well practiced, but he wasn't fooled for a minute.
Her eyes kept flickering about as if seeking an escape. It was the only hint of her growing distress and he had to admire her continued poise. Sorano had no intention of behaving out of character for the sake of the mission and if that meant enjoying the obvious attentions of the Daimyo, so be it, whether he liked it or not.
He was definitely not liking it.
At the moment she was smiling brilliantly at one of the visiting dignitaries while valiantly resisting the urge to lean away from the hand stroking leisurely along the small of her back.
Keeping his expression carefully neutral, Neji calmly approached the small group.
"Excuse me, Isamu-sama. Sorano-san, may I have a word?" He locked eyes with her, reading unmistakable relief before she quickly blinked it away.
"Of course. If you will excuse me, Isamu-sama," she said almost shyly.
The Daimyo raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. "If I must," he sighed.
Sorano bowed politely to the others before slipping her arm through Neji's and allowing him to lead her away. No words passed between them until he became aware of a slight tugging on his arm. Glancing down, he smirked as she discreetly wiped away the remnants of the kiss on his sleeve.
"That bad," he couldn't help tease.
"I don't like to be touched," she said flatly.
Neji angled his head to observe her out of the corner of his eye. Sorano was utterly, undeniably, serious. They no sooner stepped out onto the veranda when she practically pushed away from him. Out of sight from judging eyes, Sorano let the façade drop. Gripping onto the balustrade, her knuckles turned white as she struggled to take a deep, calming breath.
Neji frowned as he studied the rigid set of her shoulders. "Sorano?"
"I suppose it would be bad policy to break his fingers," she sighed but there was no mistaking the sincerity in her voice.
"Yes," he took a cautious step towards her, wary to keep a comfortable distance between them. Sorano's emotions were anything but predictable. "Though I would not mind seeing it."
Soft laughter shook her, almost hysterical in its breathless quality. It finally faded into a bone weary sigh. "Kami, what was Tsunade thinking? I'm not cut out for this."
"I disagree," Neji said as he ventured up beside her. "Sakura would have flattened him by now. Your patience is admirable."
Sorano stared down at the gardens below, feeling slightly reassured by his presence and words. Only now was she beginning to realize how difficult it could be to adapt to a true shinobi life. There were so many factors involved beyond skill alone. Her own insecurities and paranoia aside, did she really possess the ability to follow through at all costs?
"Neji, do you really think I will be able to—."
"It really is you, isn't it," a cold voice cut through her with icy disdain.
Neji turned to take in the newcomer, a thin, hawk-eyed man emitting palpable hostility. Beside him, Sorano stiffened like a bowstring pulled taut. Ever so slowly, she turned to face the diplomat, her expression remote and pale.
"I never thought I would ever see you here," the man smirked. "Wouldn't have even recognized you if you didn't look so much like your father." He reached out to touch her hair when a hand snapped out and clamped painfully onto his wrist. Startled brown eyes met narrowed iridescent, the unspoken message unmistakably clear.
Don't touch.
The man grimaced as Neji released him with a small jolt of chakra, leaving the offending limb numb and useless. Neji was in no mood for games when Sorano's nerves were already seriously frayed, though it seemed she had recovered some of her composure.
"Since when is the Land of Earth on friendly terms with the Land of Fire," she asked.
"One must keep up political negotiations. It is not wise to sever all ties," he said pointedly as he rubbed his numb hand.
"Sometimes it can't be helped," she said flatly.
"So you say." He glanced at Neji who had not shifted from his angled stance. "You keep interesting company, Sorano. I never had you figured as a defector, but then it does run in the family, doesn't it?"
"One can't betray what was never there," she said softly.
The man offered her a patronizing smile. "Nogitarou-sama is more than willing to forgive your brash actions if you return to his service."
"Seven years of training and planning for a single moment is hardly brash nor a mistake, Hitoshi-san," she said with more confidence than she felt. "My only regret is that it had to be done."
"And now you align yourself with the Hidden Leaf Village," he spat with contempt. "Fitting, for the daughter of traitors. Do you intend to kill me now to keep me silent? It is what you are good at, Ryukaze."
Sorano moved too fast for even Neji to react. Every ounce of blood drained from Hitoshi's face when she grabbed his kimono and jerked him to her. Her icy eyes held his for five strained breaths.
"Go back to your lord, Hitoshi-san," she said in a deadly soft voice. "Tell him to forget about little old me, because if he targets anyone in Konoha to get to me, your life is forfeit."
Neji felt chills slide down his spine at the lethal intent saturating her chakra. The innocence, the vulnerability, was non-existent. Sorano meant every word.
"I-I am the D-D-Daimyo's advisor," the man sputtered and Neji was faintly surprised he didn't wet himself. Either the man was an absolute coward, or Sorano had one nasty reputation in the Land of Earth.
"Then do your job and advise him," she said as if she were talking to a child. She released him and gently smoothed out his wrinkled kimono as if nothing were wrong.
"Is everything all right here, Sorano-chan, Neji," Naruto's warm voice broke through the tense silence as he and Sakura stepped out onto the veranda.
"Yes," Sorano said with a deceptively kind smile. "Hitoshi-san was just leaving."
The Earth Country ambassador was smart enough to do just that, scurrying off with unexpected speed.
"Naruto," Neji said as he stared after the man. "Follow him. Make sure he leaves the city. Sakura, make our excuses to the Daimyo."
"It's still early yet," she said hesitantly as she glanced after Naruto who was already trailing Hitoshi.
"Tell him Sorano isn't feeling well and decided to retire for the night. It'll be enough," he said as he grabbed Sorano's hand.
She didn't offer a word of protest, remaining unnaturally silent and submissive to his direction. His mind swirled frantically with the unexpected onslaught of information, obscure hints of treachery and murder. Sorano didn't deny one word of it, reacting almost violently to the man's accusations.
Ryukaze. Dragon Wind.
The name had sinister implications but Sorano wasn't likely to explain it to him willingly.
They reached her door and he released her hand, suddenly aware that he had been holding it. Barely a half hour before she was ready to tear a man apart for touching her, but she hardly seemed to care that he had just forcefully dragged her through several hallways. Come to think of it, she had not reacted unfavorably to any of the close contact she received from himself, Naruto or Lee, and Lee had a definite penchant for outward affection.
But, there was an absolute difference between that and the way the Daimyo had touched her and he surmised that Sorano meant contact with intimate intent when she said she didn't like to be touched. Was it really physical contact she disliked, or the emotional entanglements it came with?
"Go inside. I'll return in a minute," he told her.
Sorano barely glanced at him before stepping into her room. He was being bossy and domineering again, but she lacked the stamina to care. The adrenalin rush from confrontation was fading quickly, leaving her weary of bone and soul.
It had been a risk, but having the risk become a reality left her feeling cold and dead inside. Now there would be questions and suspicions from those she wanted to trust, and once Hitoshi returned to the Land of Earth, there would be hunters. Her very real threat would not keep the ambassador silent and the Daimyo had been searching for her for too long to pass this chance by. Her brief, peaceful existence in the Village Hidden in the Leaves was coming to a swift end. This had been the risk she took, but the question remained: was it worth it?
She was seated at the vanity idly pulling the pins from her hair when Neji returned. She had left the door open for him so he wouldn't have to knock, but he closed it when he entered. If she didn't feel so numb at the moment, she would have been sweating senbon. The Anbu Captain knew how to get information when he wanted it and she hated how easily he broke through her emotional barrier the last time.
His face gave nothing away as he set about sealing the balcony and windows with sealing scrolls. Sorano watched him in the mirror, trying to glean a hint of his thoughts but was left only with the reminder that Hyuuga Neji was indeed a beautiful man.
The few remaining pins in her hair were forgotten as she studied the fine cheekbones, noble brow, and extraordinary eyes. His aristocratic features were crafted of a strong noble beauty so unlike the haunting beauty of Uchiha Sasuke. Neji was a man of cold control and power, his fire hidden deep beneath the indifferent façade. It always was the quiet ones that burned the hottest.
It took her a moment to realize those piercing eyes were staring right back at her. She didn't rush to look away. The man knew he was fine, why should she pretend ignorance? But holding his gaze was difficult tonight, so she turned back to freeing the last of her snowy locks from the firm prison Sakura inflicted on her poor head.
"It's likely they will strike tonight," Neji's resonant voice washed over her. "I put a tracking seal on the scroll just in case they do make off with it."
Sorano ran a hand through her loose hair to check for any pins she missed, not noticing the gaze that followed the motion with interest. "Okay," she murmured.
Silence settled over them for a few minutes before she felt like her nerves would shatter. "If you're going to ask then get on with it," she snapped as she looked up at him in the mirror again. The faint amusement in his eyes told her she had stepped freely into a corner.
Infuriating man. Sorano eyed the brush on the vanity, gauging the distance between her and her intended target.
"You don't want to do that," he said and she glanced up to see he was now standing directly behind her.
Neji fought the urge to smirk as she glared at him. The poor woman was on her last frazzled nerve and would only get herself hurt going into this mission without focus. While he had a plethora of questions regarding her apparently unscrupulous past, her safety on this mission was his primary concern. His curiosity would have to be satiated at another time, and there would be another time. Sorano was not a woman who could be forced, but she could be gently manipulated and coaxed if one was cautious and sincere enough. Subconsciously, she allowed it, even longed for it.
"I do have one question," he said as he gently placed his hands on her shoulders. Her skin was soft beneath his touch, but if she tensed up anymore she was going to freeze that way. "And I expect an honest answer," he sternly warned as he held her wary gaze in the mirror.
Sorano hesitantly nodded and waited, too distracted to notice his chakra easing into certain pressure points.
Neji leaned over her slightly, noting the faint scent of lavender. "How many of the Daimyo's fingers did you intend to break?"
She stared at him incredulously for a moment before her shoulders started shaking in silent laughter. He couldn't help smirk as she tried to catch her breath when she suddenly turned and punched him solidly in the stomach. The unexpected blow took his breath away with a very undignified "oomph", which only made her laugh harder.
"Neji, you really are a jerk," she said without a hint of malice.
He grimaced as he rubbed his stomach. "I'm not sure I deserved that."
Her laughter subsided into sporadic chuckles, the hysteria and panic lurking behind her eyes nearly dissipating into nothingness. It was enough to satisfy him.
A knock at the door banished the mirth instantly, but there was a lingering calm in Sorano's eyes when he glanced at her.
"Expecting someone?" he asked.
"No, and if it's Isamu-sama—."
"Enough said," Neji said as he went to open the door. He would lay out the welcome mat for the Akatsuki before he would let that man within breathing distance of her right now.
A young woman on the other side bowed politely. "His lordship asked that tea be sent down to ease the lady's rest," she said, indicating the tray in her hands.
"You may put it over there," Sorano gestured to a small table and the woman quickly obliged, leaving them with another bow.
Neji glanced after her, then back to Sorano. "Be sure to lock your door tonight."
Sorano fingered the dainty teacup. "I will."
Neji nodded before turning to leave when her soft voice stopped him.
"Neji," she said hesitantly and then looked up to meet his gaze. "Aren't you the least bit curious?" She didn't know why she spoke up, perhaps unable to deal with the fact that Hitoshi's words might have damaged the unspoken respect between them. Neji could have broken her easily enough, stripped her of all her secrets if he wanted to, but chose not to. That belied everything she had ever experienced in her life.
Silver eyes softened. He was beyond curious, but despite the dark secrets she harbored, there was something he found he desired so much more from her, something far more precious and closely guarded. "You will tell me when you are ready." When you learn to trust me.
Sorano stared at him in confusion. "After what he said, you still trust me?"
"Trust is earned, Sorano," he said quietly. "And you have not lied to me yet."
She blinked, stunned by the basic truth she had never considered. Neji smiled softly as he bid her goodnight and stood outside her door for several minutes before she recovered her senses enough to lock it. He wasn't so worried anymore and just might get some sleep after all.
To my adorable readers:
Savvy0X- Sorano isn't wary of meeting a particular person but really just anyone that would recognize her. It was pointed out in the chapter if you didn't catch it (I think it was only one sentence) that the people who are looking for her had no idea where she was until now. This is why she always avoided villages and kept to herself. So much for that now.
Thanks to all who reviewed!