Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.
M Rating: This features a Neji/Hinata romantic pairing, a very toxic one.
The final pairing of this fic is undecided- so it can be either Sasuhina or Nejihina.
If you are alright with these terms, enjoy!
I also added a 1K word amount of Sasuhina loving in Ch.11, so if you didn't read it yet, please enjoy!
During the king's search for the disowned princess and now priestess of Kaguya, his expression, unlike the rest of his followers who were confused and alarmed, was cold and silent. However, his close follower Ike could feel it. That the flow of the atmosphere around this man stilled immediately.
"We beg your forgiveness, your highness," the lord of Threspotia prostrated low before the king, "however, we found no woman fitting the description you bestowed upon your humble subject."
Collecting his breath, Neji rose from his seat. Even in such moment, he did not lose his regal poise.
"I see," in a cold voice that seemed completely devoid of any human emotion, the king answered but his hand that was clasped around his sword at his waist gripped until it was knuckle-white.
When the king left, despite the lord's repeated request for the honor to serve him, he said to his followers simply, Find her. The calmly delivered order was so frigid that it brought chills to the spine.
If the king rather threw himself into a fiery rage or pressured them in a hissy fit, the followers would have rather felt less assuaged. However, the king did not issue any other order than that simple command. Aside from the frightening efficiency in which he moved throughout his search, he demonstrated no emotional disturbance of any kind, other than that one time he rammed his head against the wall and smeared his forehead with blood in Phaistos.
Even Hiroha, who was close to the king as Ike, who suspected that there was more to the case than simply finding a political prisoner, was shocked by such indifferent and cold attitude of his king.
A couple days after the visit of the lord of Threspotia, the youngest member Toukuma asked Ike and Hiroha, "Since meeting the lord of Threspotia, his majesty has been quiet all along. Maybe he has given up? He seems so over this whole ordeal..."
Toukuma tentatively offered his opinion, and the rest of the followers could only stay mum.
However, when the king continued his journey throughout the region again, his followers were again stunned to see him retain that same cold, emotionless facade as if nothing happened. He was going to search for her again.
Neji started his day like every other day.
He rose early in the morning, and read the morning herald delivered to him during his simple breakfast. He received the reports of his advisors back at court who were concerned with the neighboring countries' volatile political affairs, and in the spare time when he did not travel, he spent time writing back, issuing orders, leaning against a tree like a common traveler, writing his way with ink on the parchment. Then he would send his orders back through Renne who acted as the deliverer between him and Kou.
There were two opposing opinions within the Main branch-those who were worried about the neighboring countries' encroachment on Cretes' colonies and those who were against going to war.
Neji's eyes scanned the reports as if he was watching a cliched tragedy in the Grecian theater.
Both sides were convincing and had their point. However, the king felt as if this was all meaningless. Such irresponsibility. He almost scoffed in self-loathing. At his sardonic smile, his followers looked at him in shock and stole glances at him. When he began to look composed as before, wearing the same immaculate mask, his audience with his followers were swept into a silence that was icy as the northern colonies.
Neji straightened his posture.
Neji acted as a rational mediator between both opposing parties as he was skilled to do. The actual administration was in the hands of vicar Kou anyways.
The beginning of his reign was Hiashi and Hizashi's unification of Cretes, but as the scale of Cretan dominion expanded to maritime empires and overseas colonies, the method of colonial management became more structured and detailed than ever before.
Neji's job was to take a comprehensive outlook and make decisions. Under Hiashi, he was trained to sack and take foreign countries under Cretan rule, and thus, he delivered every result without any difficulty.
That day was also another day he acted as the perfect ruler of Cretes and her expansive colonies that multiplied in size of the main islet itself.
Neji himself was amazed by how unfazed he seemed.
"Forgive me, my lord,"
After keeping his mouth shut for a while, Hiroha struggled to issue another apology for his failure. Neji was finally reminded of the existence of his secretary slash general who was by his side.
She was gone without any trace. There was no hint as to where she was. Therefore, the path to finding her was close to nonexistent.
Detail by detail, the report of the impossibility to find her emerged in Neji's head.
"Find her."
As if he heard nothing, Neji merely repeated the same order as he did that day of disappointment in Threspotia. Dumbfounded and feeling words stuck at his throat, Hiroha coughed several times into his fist and finally mustered the courage to speak,
"Sire, but as I said..."
"I doubt that she would be completely isolated. She must have someone helping her."
Neji slowly opened his eyes that he closed in his tired state. Having to work and travel so early in the morning for more than a month, he felt a deep sense of fatigue settling upon him.
"You are free to use any means necessary. Find her."
Neji again closed his eyes that felt uncomfortably dry and grainy like sand and spoke slowly. When he leaned his head against a pine tree that he was resting on, his sharp jawline looked even more defined.
Despite the nonchalant display the king was putting on, Hiroha suspected that he was steadily losing weight and thinning, but wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Yes, my king."
With a loyal reply, Hiroha bowed and gathered together the troops recruited from Threspotia. When the king was left alone, he was again as quiet as if he was submerged in the deep waters.
Neji also mounted his horse Helios and continued his search with his followers again. When his thoughts drifted to Hinata and how she escaped when he was gone during his overseas campaign, he made a sour smile and cut short his contemplation of her.
He will find her. That was all.
Night came again, but he still searched for her. When fatigue overwhelmed him, and at his followers' insistence, he rested his weary body in the middle of the woods. Then the next day, he started the entire cycle again. He woke up at the designated hour and ate. Then he searched every aristocrat's house, every cottage, every village and town.
Still no trace of Hinata.
The fortified balance of order he seemed to embody began to crumble that very night.
Neji could not sleep. As days went by, his inability to sleep for more than a couple hours at a time stretched beyond his capacity. Threspotia was his last hope. Now that became wasted into disappointment, he felt the weight of his efforts crush him like a boulder.
His body became heavy like stone as it grew fatigued by the deep tiredness the sleepless nights incurred. His head felt numb and it began harder to deny that it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on anything.
Days past. Neji began to rise later than most hours. As he barely got enough sleep, his complexion became noticeably sallow. The more he lost weight, the sharper the contour of his face become, making his expression look even colder than it used to.
When he tried to drink water from a mountain spring, he saw his reflection on the waters with blood shot eyes. He looked pathetic but somehow he could not even muster a scornful grin. His self-loathing expressions, the only show of emotion, were dried out like a desert.
Since when did he became a shell of himself?
He tried to sort through the leaves of his memory, but he could not remember. It has only been a month and a half, but it felt like a distant past.
He rubbed his face down with his hand and turned away from his reflection. While he washed, his headache worsened.
When he returned, Hiroha and Ike informed him of their arrival. If they seemed shocked by his pale, sallow appearance, they said nothing.
"Your majesty."
"Come closer."
With a plain order, Neji leaned on a nearby tree. It was an ordinary morning.
The morning herald that spoke of the neighboring countries' loud, rambunctious affairs. Ike's voice that spoke of the day's regimen and places to search, people to interrogate. Wine in a leather pouch. The blinding sun. And the repeated report.
"We apologize, our lord."
Hiroha lowered his miserable voice that informed him of the still mysterious disappearance of Hinata.
"Find her."
Neji as well, repeated the same order. Like yesterday. Like he did the day before yesterday.
"...Yes, we will try our best."
Hiroha strengthened his resolve in his voice to hide the feeling of helplessness. Despite his careful nod, Neji's face was filled with severe exhaustion.
Everyone knew of their master's slowly and quietly dissolving sense of control and daily routine. However, because they knew of his personality that refuses to make his exhaustion apparent, they kept quiet but they could not simply let their lord alone.
They brought a local doctor.
"Your majesty, you must take care of your health."
Determined, Ike carefully opened his mouth. Neji's gaze narrowed as he stared straight into them. Why. Ike read the displeasure in his gaze but refused to relent.
"You must have this man take a look, your majesty."
Even if Neji was at the prime of his youth, his lack of nourishment, lack of deep sleep will not help him in the long run as he continues his rigorous search for the missing priestess. Feeling his follower's concern, the king finally agreed.
He quietly lowered his cup of water that he was merely holding and answered in a low voice, "Yes."'
The aged doctor who followed the king's knights and entered before the king was soon deeply perplexed and filled with consternation.
The king was sitting on the stump of a tree by a makeshift tent made of lambskin and was waiting for him.
The slight nod of acknowledgement, his calm expression, and gestures were all becoming of a king, but his face was noticeably thinner.
However, the piercing light emitted by his silver eyes made his aura eerily calm and unsettling.
Before the doctor opened his mouth, the king intercepted first, "I just need an herbal solution for sleep."
"However, your majesty. A more careful look is mandatory-"
The king declared, "I have no other issue than a temporary inability to sleep."
"You also seemed to be below standard weight, sire."
"If I could sleep, my appetite will also return."
The calm, methodical voice with no rise or fall still reflected the king's iron will.
The doctor thought hard but decided to relent for that day. Even at a single glance, the king did not sleep well. The doctor did not want to rely on pills or any artificial solutions to make his patients sleep, but looking at the king, his patient needed sleep by whatever means.
What could have possibly happened?
The doctor could not even fathom what would have caused his ruler to be so depleted and numb. However, the doctor was tactful enough to not reveal curiosity more than necessary and retreated. Toukuma who sat quietly throughout the exchange ushered the doctor back to the local village.
When Neji was left alone, he threw himself back against an oak tree, tired and restless. He felt as if he was drowning endlessly into the ocean. He felt that if he closed his eyes, he could sleep like death, but his consciousness was sharp like an edge of a well polished sword.
He received his solution in the shape of pills.
At night, after a long day of brooding upon the possibilities of what happened to her and where she could have hidden, he swallowed the pills and threw himself into forced sleep.
Relief at the dispersed effect of sleepiness induced by the pills overwhelmed his senses.
Afterwards, his followers, even the calm Ike, were in a rush to make him sleep and eat, but honestly, Neji did not understand what was their issue, he could not see what troubled them so much.
When Helios galloped into the demarcated mark into the so-called "Forest of Death," Neji felt a deep sense of overwhelming emptiness.
As they entered deeply into the forests, Neji suddenly felt a pang of anguish at the sight of the silvery moonlight, because it reminded him of the candlelight burning on the temple chamber of a priestess-her pallor and soft pale eyes that looked at him beyond her scrolls. The forests was so deep and thick to an almost claustrophobic extent that riding a horse was not viable anymore.
"I'll walk from now on."
After slowly rubbing his face with his hand, Neji ordered impulsively as he dismounted Helios. Ike, even though he felt bewildered by Neji's sudden capricious command, smoothly took Helios' rein and guided the horse to his side.
"Your majesty!"
At the sight of the king walking alone without his horse, his followers could not contain their shock.
"The forest is deep, your majesty."
"Please take caution."
However, Neji simply left their side and started walking toward the thick woods without another word.
They had no choice but to follow their king into the darkness of the night, surrounded by echoing cries of screech owls.
The king walked the entire night, until the dawn breeze shook the leaves of the green foliage of the Forest of Death and passed through the path surrounded by poplar trees and oak.
As always, the sun rose. Neji only knew how much hours he climbed when he saw the sun.
Neji kept on walking.
This was all he could do after running away from the palace in search of Hinata.
That was all he was good for -walking aimlessly.
Even in his midst of self-deprecation, Neji did not stop walking.
Thanks to the sleeping pills he took every night, even though he was walking, he felt suspended in thin air. His head felt a shattering headache. His every muscle ached and he felt a rise of temperature as if he was burning.
Therefore, Neji could not stop walking.
This pain made it worthwhile. If this pain no longer existed, then the memory of Hinata will capture him with startling clarity and crush him with every detail he remembered. It was a fear that was different from the one men felt in the heat of battle.
So, come back where I could see you, Hinata.
His heated breath was emitted between his lips that curved in wry self-deprecation.
If you wanted my suffering for the pain I caused you, you should take a look at my misery like the art you created.
Come back.
Look at me with your eyes full of pity and fear.
Look at me just one more time. Just...once.
Neji gritted his teeth and hurried his pace. When he turned in a sharp angle, the forest path was calm and placid, unlike the torn paths he created in war.
As he stumbled and took another step, one by one, he walked up the forest path in the mountains and stopped.
He must be hallucinating, because the vision unfolding before him opened up like the wings of a bird escaping its cage.
He stopped on the path where the trees cleared and vision opened to the sigh of endless meadows of poppies and anemones.
Harsh breathes of air that slowly became more rushed and erratic racked through his chest and emitted between his lips.
At the sight of the woman in the flowers, he closed his eyes and opened again, his bloodshot eyes gazing at her.
Neji's followers stilled their breaths when they saw that their king found his object of pursuit as he stood gazing at her as he grasped on the bark of a nearby oak tree.
In the eyes of Toukuma, who was barely fifteen, the woman who was buried in the fields of poppies and basking under the sunshine looked like she was barely a year older than himself. She did not seem to be a terrible witch who killed her father. She even reminded him of his older sister. He felt a sharp pang of pity at the thought of what this innocent looking girl would experience at the hand of his angry king. He worshipped the king but even he felt a chill of fright down his spine and the temperature plummet when he was angry.
He knew very little about their target, except that she was his lord's cousin.
He could definitely see facial similarities between the smiling indigo-haired woman and his most revered sovereign, but they looked so different at the same time, like night and day. She looked like a picture of innocence while his lord was cold and brooding like winter's frost in the northern colony of Cretes.
In his curiosity, he wondered what about the priestess has driven his sovereign to such passionate extremes, like hunting her down night and day after returning from an arduous overseas crusade. His lordship was usually cool-headed being the setting example of what heroes should look like. Toukuma thought, he must really hate her.
When the men made a move to step out from the shade of the trees, the king raised his arm.
"Wait" They eyed him curiously. They have been on this national crusade to search for this petite woman for days. The king who just came from his overseas missions, must want to seize her, out of all, but he was stalling them in their haste to bring the lady back to court.
His deep voice leashed their attention, "Stop."
At his order, all the men stilled. Even those who didn't feel any need to initiate action stilled their breath like well trained hounds. Pairs of ivory eyes glanced at him. Toukuma shifted uneasily at the heavy atmosphere but didn't dare say anything.
There was a slight pause, "She..."
The king pursed his lips and bowed his head. He slowly dug his fingers deeply into the rough bark of the oak.
The men's eyes widened in surprise at what he said next because it felt so unexpected.
The king finally murmured, "looks so happy." He spoke as if it has been forever for him since he saw her like this. Toukuma began to think he sensed something else in his voice-like longing. But because the men were facing his back, they couldn't read his expression but they knew that their king wished to be alone.
At the hint of Ike, the rest of the men gave the king some distance and left to search if there were any other individual in the premise.
When Toukuma glanced back, he saw the king still staring at the priestess from afar. The king still had his hand rested on the bark of an oak tree. The breeze swept by, fluttering his hair as he stood watching her.
That was when he began to wonder-will she be alright?
She was smiling-a radiant smile he hasn't seen since forever. A smile he had crushed under his hand when she almost got herself killed so he could be king, when she pledged her cousin-ly love as she became the gods' pure woman, when she uttered that breathless prayer for him to find a good queen. Each time, her words nearly crippled him. At each moment, he vowed he would forget her. But he couldn't. It was impossible to forget the woman she grew up to be -a woman who would look beyond her scrolls with her piercing light lavender eyes and to softly utter between her petal lips, Your majesty.
Her cheeks that went pink like delicately dried roses as she held together her small hands with round shaped nails that struck him as strangely appealing.
That night, he vowed to see her tears toward a man instead of her smiles toward a cousin.
Now he could not expect her forgiveness for what he did-what he was going to do to her.
He knew what he did was wrong. He never deluded himself into thinking what he did was right and justified.
He remembered when Hinata used to ask very softly, her voice full of traces of her tears-her tears that were sweet to his taste.
"Do you...do you ever regret what you've done to me...Even if it's a little? Just a little regret?"
"No."
Neji's smile was sour on his lips as he uttered aloud the same answer he had given her.
"No, I do not regret it, Hinata."
He acknowledged that he brought all this misery that befell Hinata himself. He was the harbinger to all her misfortune.
He knew it all along- everything was his fault.
But he will do it all again. If it meant, he could have her. He could be anything, anyone if it meant having Hinata.
The girl who fed him strawberries and tried to defy her father.
The woman who almost lost her life for him to be king. Even though that was never what he wanted. Even though that meant leaving him in the desert without her, all alone.
The woman who made him king. Because of her, he began to amass the fortunes of colonies.
But also the woman who left him to be in the arms of a goddess. Her chastity mocked him at every turn.
Even if he turned back time, nothing would have been different, and he knew it well.
As long as he was Neji of the Branch, and she was Hinata, the first borne- the Main house princess, there would be no beginning to them unless he crushed her with force.
It was a desire that had to be fulfilled even with such distorted, warped beginning. Even if he knew such beginning will cause her to run away, he will make the same decision.
Again, the wind blew, carrying her scent of lavender.
It was the wind that never stopped blowing since the night the little princess came to save him in the East wing with bread and strawberries tucked underneath her arms.
The wind that blew when she declared she would be queen to save him and that she will be his figurehead for him only. When she said he was her hero.
During that one time she almost died. It still made his blood run ice-cold-the memory of it.
The wind that drew ringlets on his heart that used to be still like a frozen lake.
When Neji saw her smile, he wondered.
What was the cause of her newfound smile. Who was it.
As if he was running away from the surge of obsessive thoughts, he began to walk at a quicker pace across the meadow. According to his rough breathing, his throat, shoulders, his hard clenched fists, the entire lifetime of accomplishments and hours he had amassed methodically all began to convulse.
Hinata-
He internally called out her name in this meadow where time seemed to cease to exist.
The wind that blew across the heads of flowers and came from the forests undulated like waves. As he passed through the boundary between the forests and meadows, he raised his head and finally saw the endless blue skies that he had forgotten about throughout his search.
It was as if the woman before him was the reason to see the blindingly dazzling sun and its blue skies.
But even looking at the sun, he refused to stop and continued treading towards her in a rapid pace. All of his blood seemed rushed to his chest, and for some reason, the faster he walked, the further she seemed to pull away.
He wanted to fancy that her smile was for him, but he could only smile in self-loathing at such impossible, delusional thoughts.
When her eyes finally caught sight of him, when her light lavender eyes met his, he bitterly smiled because he knew that smile was never meant to be for him.
As agonizing and wretched as the thought was, he could only have her refusal and tears.
But he still thought they were better than her past innocuous, guarded smiles.
"Your...majesty-"
His hard eyes framed with long lashes lowered to see the slightly tan color of the back of her hands that grew lax and dropped the bundle of succulent poppies. The breeze tickled the petals that senselessly waved until it scattered like a frightened butterfly past the warrior who stared down at her with an unreadable expression.
She could not summon any words except, "How..."
Her lips quivered as he stroked her face with his right hand, soon followed by his left that cradled the other side of her cheek.
Her lavender eyes were glazed with fear and something else that she could not identify but made her heart beat like hooves of stallions. She felt helpless like a caught deer and all strength nearly left her legs as she almost collapsed to the ground if he wasn't holding her face with such terrifying tenderness.
Her hand rose to cover her mouth, as she looked at him. Somehow, at perceiving her fear, his eyes reflected coldly, and he withdrew his hand that left her cheek with a lingering heat.
She noticed the darkness beneath his eyes, and she hated how her heart still palpitated at the familiar way his jaws set. She noticed his roughened complexion and the subtle air of melancholy in his hard silvery eyes. His atmosphere changed a lot since she last saw him and she attributed it to the arduous missions overseas. Instead of the handsomely groomed man she always remembered, she saw a dark lord towering her with his strength and aura that sent chills down her spine and made her feet feel ice-cold. The sharp planes of his face, she wondered if it was malnutrition or lack of sleep, lended an even colder atmosphere than she remembered.
She wondered, did he just come back from his overseas missions? Did he look for me right away? She could only ask-why?
For what seemed like an eternity, Neji stared into her alarmed eyes. His long hair swayed by his face as his impassioned eyes held her gaze.
Then he reached out his hand and held hers, intertwining their fingers, and paved the way between the tall poppy flowers. The crisp sound of bristling came from the tall blades of grass mercilessly pushed back as he charged forth.
When she dragged her feet, his hand that closed over hers tightened its grip. At his sharp but heated glance, she swallowed and she felt her body quivering in fear. But she knew she couldn't call anyone for help. His taller stature and intimidating aura made her tremor so hard that she felt her knees buckling and herself qualing underneath his stern gaze. Sheer terror gripped her as he looked down at her with those cold discerning eyes. Ah, she told herself, the Undertaker himself roamed the world to see me die. She could hardly breath in her fear.
Then he finally opened his mouth, and to her surprise, her Undertaker uttered, "Your flowers."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Ye-yes?"
He released her hand, "You dropped your flowers."
She blinked. After seeing his eyes staring down at her and studying his face that looked mostly blank and expressionless to others, she realized that he thought her hesitance had to do with the dropped flowers rather than him. It struck her that this man in front of her was either too callous or oblivious to how much fear he inspired in his bystanders. But she wondered, was this his best attempt to be, Gods forbid, offering kindness? Who knew her perfect cousin could be so terrible at this?
She kept staring at him with widened eyes as he demonstrated his strange albeit distorted thoughtfulness. He seemed to have mistaken her unwillingness to follow to a fascination with the flowers and desire to not part from them.
Then she started to feel again his warm touch on her cheek, "Hinata-."
Her eyes jerked up to see his eyes that arrested her with such intensity that startled her.
"Go ahead and pick them," he withdrew his hand that was holding hers in a vice grip and crossed his arms and watched the wind blow across the flower field that undulated like a rising and falling wave.
Somehow despite her fear, Hinata managed to speak out in a strangled whisper,
"Wh-...what will you do meanwhile?"
"Wait for you."
He spoke as if waiting for her was the most natural course of action to take.
"Wh-why...?"
He didn't say anything but closed his eyes as if he was tired or simply didn't feel the need to explain.
Hinata didn't know what to do, but grab a stem of a nearby poppy and start picking them, glancing anxiously at the man who stood still.
When she would look at him, she would sometimes catch him watching her, his arms crossed, his eyes staring at her with a stoic expression.
Her hands shivered as she held his gaze, and after watching her, he would turn his face away and look ahead with a resolute stare. And then occasionally close his eyes as to calm his exhaustion.
Feeling her heart beating in apprehension, she tried to steady her hands and pick the poppies while devising a plan to never let him encounter Sasuke. Sasuke-She can't let him be arrested. But he will be if she makes even the slightest mistake, show even the most subtle hint that he exists somewhere in the forests. Neji would never let Sasuke see another hour of broad daylight because he said she was his property. Like every soldier who fought his battles, both offensive and defensive, Neji was a very possessive man. Even though he didn't love her, her escape and being with another man was an unquestionable breach on his honor and pride. She was resigned to the Fates that she'd be ripped to shreds but she just can't-can't let the same happen to Sasuke. How could she never let these two men meet? She wondered if Neji had his men search their surroundings in the forests. Her hands grew cold at the thought but she can't think as fast as she wanted to.
Right when her mind was twirling with dizzying thoughts, she felt his presence by her side and lifted her eyes to see his face. His grey eyes that reminded her of opaque shards of glass stared back at her and then down to her hands holding her flowers. He was so close that she could see every nuance of his face and the rigid contour of his body soften as he bent over and peered at her flowers. She took a small almost unnoticeable step back. Why was he peering over her shoulder at her flowers as if it was something very interesting? Wasn't she going to be killed anyways?
He lowered himself, staring at the poppies in her hands. At his quiet scrutiny of the flowers, she grew uneasy at his silence. His next action startled her furthermore.
He glanced at her, his startling grey eyes meeting hers and asked drily, "are these enough?"
At such closing of physical distance, she couldn't help but look away and stare down at the poppies she was holding.
"Ye..yes..." she turned her face away and answered listlessly. She felt heat rise in her throat and her body trembling.
He tilted his head to a side to better scrutinize her face. Several strands of hair fell softly across his sculpted features.
"Are you sure? Don't you want more?" The tone of his voice though not unkind still was hard, especially since it has been a while she listened to him speak.
Somehow, his failing attempts at kindness made her fidget and more flustered than any other time they were together. She tried to suppress her stutter.
"Th-these...would suffice, my lord." She gripped on the flowers.
He reached out his hand and cupped a single flower, delicately so he doesn't break it in his fist. The red blossom looked frail and smaller in his battle-worn hand, "I'll have the palace gardener plant some of these."
She flinched when he bridged their distance and didn't notice the hardened look on his face when she pulled away, "I-I never knew you to like flowers."
He held her chin and guided her eyes to his, locking eyes with her, "The flowers will be for you." He spoke quietly, his eyes carefully guarded but strangely serene like a satisfied predator.
She froze and looked at him in surprise, "Me? "
He kept staring at her, holding her hand as if it belonged there, interlocking fingers, "Why? Do you prefer something else other than flowers?"
She shook her head fervently, "No! I-I like them, but-"
He turned his gaze away and tread the flower field impatiently, "Then you shall have them."
She protested as she followed, "N-no, you don't have to."
He didn't say anything except held her free hand that weren't holding any flowers and paved the way.
After a moment of silence as they passed the bowing poppies, he kept gripping her hand and finally murmured under his breath, "You..."
Her hands grew cold as she registered her heart's uncomfortably wild and erratic palpitations.
Without even glancing at her, he said calmly,
"looked happy."
Hinata looked at him bewildered. She expected him to punish her, to subject her to the worst penalty for ever leaving the palace. But instead, he was telling her he wanted to plant poppies in the royal garden for her. She just didn't know what to think of all of this. She wondered if this was a new twisted way of him to torment her by confusing her. Maybe his flowers would be a corrupt intent to mourn her death and move on with apathy. She told herself. He was cruel that way. And he hated her with all his heart.
In a way that seemed careless, Hinata dropped the blossoms she was carrying-one by one, until her hands were empty. If Neji noticed that she was no longer holding her precious flowers, he said nothing.
She gripped tight on the purple sash she had wounded around her shoulders. The wind blew, a lucky advantage. Then she slowly dropped the purple sash, allowing the cool breeze to drift the fabric across the meadow of sun-red poppies and deep blue anemones.
She mustered the courage she barely had left in her, "You-your majesty-"
When he glanced at her, still holding her small hand, she stopped and said with a plea, "I-I dropped my shawl. May I pick it please?"
Neji's eyes stared down at her, and his gaze seemed deep like the dark depth of the forests they were headed to.
At his inscrutable gaze, she added quickly, "I-I get cold easily. It's the beginning of fall."
After a brief pause, his hand holding hers captive relaxed. Hinata brought her hand to her chest and bowed her head quickly and headed to where the breeze took the shawl. The breeze thankfully landed the shawl on a patch of poppies about ten yards away.
When she picked up the shawl, she turned and saw Neji standing soldier-straight and staring far off as he waited for her to return.
She wrapped the shawl over her neck, and when she saw that his attention was not on her, she did the unthinkable.
She started to run-
She heard him call out her name, but she was running with all her might, the wind billowing against her long indigo hair, as she held up her long ivory dress and ran across the long blades of weeds and flowers.
The late summer wind slapped across her face, and when she glanced back, she saw him running after her, his face determined and his silver eyes fierce and foreboding.
Alarmed by the fact that he was chasing her, she tried to increase her speed and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.
She could almost taste the bitterness of the wind that swept by the grass, as she ran with all her might. She did not have any sense of direction or awareness of where she was heading, but she had no choice but to run. Living in the forests kept her surprisingly agile, and she was quite fast for someone of her size.
She did not realize that she dropped her purple shawl to the ground in her haste to escape. The purple shawl was trampled to the ground, buried deep amidst the long blades of grass where the wind could not carry it.
When she glanced at the back, he was only a several yards away from her now, his usually hard and focused eyes in a daze as his breath began to settle in a more regular, relaxed rhythm. He knew he had her in his reach.
She tried to muffle her whimper that threatened to escape from her lips as she felt she could hear the sound of his breathing as he was catching up to her.
But she still struggled to elude his grasp as she ran.
Then suddenly, she felt a keen pain shooting across her bare ankle, a pain she never felt before. She let out a sharp cry as her legs lost all strength.
The next thing she heard was a desperate call of her name as soon as she collapsed into the tall grass, disappearing in sight.
When he pushed away the tall, thick grass with his long arms, he saw Hinata crouching over in pain, holding her bleeding right ankle.
But when she saw his face amid the tall grass strewn with headless poppies, she quickly forgot the pain in her ankle as she stared at him in fear, her eyes wet with unshed tears as she struggled to back away, only to hiss in pain at her ankle.
Neji made a sour grimace at how desperate she was to get away from him, but he snatched her right ankle, and despite her protests and soft cries, peered at the two needle-point punctured wounds.
When their breathing both calmed considerably, they heard the dissipating sound of a slithering creature disappearing into the grasslands.
Neji glanced to see glimpses of shiny scales of a snake peering across the tall blades of grass. One look, and he could tell whether it was poisonous.
Hinata began to feel chills and dizziness, but she was still able to see Neji quickly unwinding his bandages that covered the proof his downfall, his curse sign on his forehead. He never took off his bandages around his forehead during daylight, so she wondered what he was doing. When he finally took off the bandages covering his forehead, his long abundant hair streamed down his chest, and he gazed at her formidably.
She did not realize what he was trying to do until he started to methodically wrapped her right calve and ankle with the bandage.
Then suddenly, without warning, he pulled at the end of the bandage, and the pain caused by the tightened coil of the fabric caused Hinata to emit a shrill cry.
Dark drops of blood were squeezed from the punctured wounds, but the pain that caused her calve to pale and bruise blue made her slap at his hand that bound the bandage even tighter.
"It hurts-" she wept, tears and sweat falling, "st-stop- it hurts-"
Heedless of her cries, he lifted her right leg above and pressed his lips against the punctured wounds and sucked. As he swallowed, the cartilage of his throat slowly moved up and down, and his lips disconnected from the wound to spit off the poison in the distance. Then he sucked on her wound quickly again, and feeling heady and dizzy, Hinata weakly slapped on his arm that held her leg up. The feel of his lips on her ankle alarmed her more than anything as her eyes took in the sight of the king bending over to suck the venom from her body. After spitting out the poison again, he released his hold on her leg, but to her dismay, he continued the arduous task of wrapping her leg with the bandage and giving another taut pull, making Hinata cry out in pain again. When she kicked her legs, he pinned her right thigh down mercilessly and his mouth continued drawing out the venom until she believed she will have no blood left in her right ankle.
After more repetitions, when Hinata thought she no longer had the energy to scream, he finally stopped his ministrations but kept her right calve and ankle wrapped in the bandage. He took care to completely cover her wounds and then lifted her up in his arms.
When she was effortlessly lifted in the air, she renewed her fervor to escape and began beating his chest and kicking her legs.
"Le-let me go-"
He said nothing as he stared resolutely ahead, but his hands that held her shoulder and behind her knees tightened, further pressing her to his defined chest. The sound of his pounding heart almost lulled her frazzled mind to a false sense of comfort, but she struggled once again.
"Release me, please-"
Her small hand weakly pushed against his chest. Her soft airy voice and her plea was enough to tug heart strings and melt hearts.
His grip tightened, as he grounded out, "Not when you are like this." He eyed poignantly her right ankle wrapped in bandages.
As if in cue, she winced at the pain shooting through her ankle, but she shook her head, crying softly, "no-"
Then he refused to say anything or acknowledge her pleas and demands to release her as he walked across the plains.
When they left the pasture of flowers and approached the thick forest, Hinata saw a pale horse with a silvery sheen tied to a nearby oak that she recognized as Neji's favorite stallion, "Helios." When they approached the horse, Neji carefully deposited her on a nearby stump of a tree.
The horse let out a soft snort when Neji untied it from the oak and took its rein and guided it by Hinata. She shirked at the sight of the beast approaching her because it was so large and intimidating, even compared to an average horse. After petting the beast's neck and calming it, he held her by her waist, supported her by holding her bridal style and hoisted her up on his horse. Hinata was shaken by all this even though he was surprisingly being gentle with her but couldn't say no.
Shocked and also a little curious, she stared at him while he hoisted her up on his horse as if she weighed nothing. Their eyes met for an instant, and she began to feel that his eyes seemed knowing and thoughtful when he looked up to her, her flushed face curtained by long indigo hair.
Startled by the elevated height she was in, Hinata fidgeted on the horse, her hands gripping on the rein trembling. Soon, Neji followed suit and mounted the horse along with her, his arm wrapped securely around her waist. She felt his well built chest pressed to her back beating in a strong rhythm as he led the horse to tread across the dense forest.
During the ride, he didn't ask her any questions about how she managed to survive in the forest, and the silence was killing her. She just didn't know how much he knew. Did he know about Sasuke? The village?
It was only natural he would wonder how she, a woman, survived the harsh conditions of the forest without any weapons, food, or shelter.
However, he just rode his horse with her by his side as if nothing out of the ordinary happened. No questions, nothing.
Maybe, he didn't feel any need to ask her questions, because he was planning to execute her once they get to the palace.
She shuddered. She wanted to think she was bracing herself for death but she wished she knew this wasn't so soon. She heard of the terrible methods soldiers used for execution, and she begged to the gods that Neji would be merciful enough to make her death swift and immediate rather than prolonged and grisly.
Then she felt his strong hand clasp her arm, "are you cold?" A low voice that she was now deadly afraid of asked her.
She started, "no-no, your majesty."
But then his kindness was even stranger.
She felt his warm breath by the nape of her neck,"It might be a little uncomfortable if you're not used to riding, but we'll get there soon. You need to be treated by a physician. There is only so much I could do."
Her face flamed as she felt his hand drop from her arm to stroking her waist slowly but possessively, "Ah-no, I-I'm fine..." she stiffened.
There was a silent pause except for the sound of Helios' hooves. Then he broke the silence.
He asked bluntly, which further surprised her for out of character he was being, "What are you afraid of?"
Suddenly, feeling as if she had nowhere else to turn, she asked with a courage she didn't know was in her, "Ar-aren't you angry?"
His brows furrowed on his stoic face that refused to reveal any emotion.
She turned her face away, tears welling in her eyes, "Y-you're going to k-kill me..." However, it was not really the fear of the severity of the punishment that caused her tears, but the fact that it was Neji who was going to punish her. He will kill her without any heart. She was finally going to die, and this was it for her. The boy who pledged his duty to protect her, the boy who lost everything including his loved one to her father, the man she made king against his will and who hurt her back irrevocably in turn-he was finally going to kill her.
"No." His breath gently caressed the side of her cheek, as he tilted to have a better look at her pale, terrified face. His calm voice was reassuring enough but she was still quaking in fear. His usually hard glare softened in his silvery eyes. He kept watching her as if he glanced away, she would disappear into thin air.
She ventured a question, "Wh-why?"
He looked down at her. He lowered his head and tilted his face to meet her gaze, "Because it is my fault." Her lavender eyes widened.
To her surprise, she felt him wrap his powerful arm around her waist and pull her closer to his chest. She tried to move away, but he only held her closer. In an astonishing gesture of tenderness, he placed his cheek next to hers, his skin felt cool and soft, and she could smell his scent that was just "him." He always smelt like this since he was a young boy. His gaze slightly lowered, as she glanced to see his long lashes flutter as he buried her close to his chest.
"Everything is my fault."
Suddenly she felt her chest pound and tears well to her eyes. He kept holding her as she kept shedding tears. She felt as if she was holding back these tears for a really long time, so long she didn't even remember, and his few words unleashed the torrent she didn't know was hiding inside of her. She tried to stop, but she just couldn't. The tears just kept raining down.
"I...I still have much I don't understand."
She felt the salty flavor of her tears as she brushed them with the back of her hand, "Why y-you did what you did...why you..."
He held her quietly, but she sensed the heaviness of his heart in the way his breathing was eerily silent even for him and his arm tightened its iron grip on her even more.
She said with eyes overflowing with tears, "You...you...hate me..."
He didn't say anything back-he didn't agree with her or immediately refute her words. Somehow that made her bitterly continue,
"Yo-you despise me."
His calm voice beckoned her to listen.
"Hinata."
His arm that wound around her tightened. She started crying and even struggled in his hold. She couldn't help her growing bitterness, confusion, and anguish. Sensitive to feelings and energy, the grand horse snorted in discomfort but being well trained, it kept its steady pace.
In response to her sobs, he held her with both arms, holding the rein with both hands in a position that made it seem that she was buried in his embrace. While she was still crying, he buried his lips into the crown of her head and inhaled roughly, closing his eyes as his shoulders rose and fell.
After a brief silence when he simply closed his eyes and breathed softly, he uttered,
"Damn you," his voice was thick with chagrin.
To her shock, after that unwarranted and uncharacteristic curse, she felt his lips indent a kiss at the top of her head as he maneuvered his horse.
Her sobs immediately died down as she felt goosebumps. Not because she wanted to follow his command, but because the shock of this entire situation made her fatigue quickly. Just in a few moments, she was going between life and death. He was putting her through life and death.
"You-" she breathed, not addressing him properly, "already did."
She managed to shoot him a spiteful cursory glance in her teary eyes but then looked ahead stubbornly. She didn't know why she was taking such liberties. The past Hinata would have gawked at her boldness in challenging him. But then this man behind her killed the past Hinata, killed her, damned her due to hate of her father, hate of the clan and finally her. Suddenly, she was not so afraid of him anymore. Just a moment ago, she was deathly afraid but now she thought, she could say whatever that could insult him, since hurting him was impossible. Even if it was a little.
Her eyes noticed that the grip on his rein tightened. She glanced to see that his face remained stoic.
She said nothing. Then she flinched.
She felt the warmth of his touch all over back. At first she didn't know what to make of his free hand that was not holding the rein. But then his hand kept roaming all over her shoulders, down arms, up her small back to later idly play with tendrils of her long cascading hair. His facial expressions were muted and calm as always but his hand that kept caressing her, rubbing circles on her-it was as if he couldn't get enough of her.
She squirmed and huddled to herself, "st-stop."
She glanced at an almost imperceptible smirk. Then the smirk vanished in an instant and his gaze deepened in a guise of quiet thoughtfulness, the side of his face pressed lightly on the top of her head, as his large hand with strong veins at the back continued rubbing uncomfortable circles on her.
He was getting his payback for her insult-she knew it.
Right then, she noticed a group of Hyuugas waiting for them in the forests, sitting on the ground of some thick roots protruding from the soil. Once they spotted them, they rose and saluted the king and also extended their courtesy to her, albeit with carefully guarded glances and nods at her way.
A few could not hide their alarm and surprise at the sight of their king who bared his cursed seal on his forehead as well as the dirt on both Neji and Hinata's face and attire, as if they rolled across the meadows. Neji looked as stern as ever despite his disheveled appearance, while the lady seemed embarrassed and bewildered.
If they noticed the tension between their lord and the lady, they shrewdly said nothing.
Neji said, "She needs to be treated for her snake-bite."
A soldier answered, "Then we should either have the lady treated here in Threspotia or go back to Knossos, sire."
Her heart leaped in apprehension when one of them, Ike she believed, asked-
"Should we start our journey back, your majesty?"
She felt her heart drop at his words and she looked up at Neji with trepidation. Her hands clenched uncomfortably and she bit her inner cheek. She realized that she shouldn't let her pride delude her into recklessness.
But Neji seemed to be in thought, neither signaling his disapproval or assent. At his quietness, she felt concern and fear coil with each other in her chest. Fear and suspicion ate her bit by bit, and she became anxious, hoping that the booming sound of her heartbeat was not so obvious. She began to fret under the stillness of his gaze, the imperceptible silence of his breath. He was acting as if he was carefully weighing his options even though there was no reason to. She wondered, Could he be suspecting something? Did I make it obvious?
If Sasuke is found... Neji would not be as lenient as he had been with her so far. She knew that.
She grabbed his wrist covered with a silvery plate piece of his armor. She could feel his almost undetectable stiffening because she was pressed so close to him. She raised her eyes to see him looking down at her with impassive eyes that deepened imperceptibly.
She carefully spoke up.
"I-I think we shouldn't be here anymore..." she said in a small voice.
She lied under her tongue. But she felt herself quivering inside because she was not used to fabricating such lie and it was Neji she was lying to and Sasuke's life depended on her. She had to do this.
"M-maybe we should go back before our absence is long due."
She looked up to him with hopeful eyes. Neji looked down at her with a guarded stare. Then his silvery eyes narrowed like a panther's, the beasts she saw in ancient scrolls.
She prayed that she didn't seem too out of character with her boldness. She would never have thought it was possible for her to speak up among the elite knights of the main branch, now that she was disowned. There was something in his guarded stare that made her feel intensely vulnerable. She badly wanted to avert her gaze but she did not shake away the stronghold his gaze kept her in.
Then miraculously, he turned away and nodded. It was such a simple gesture, but for her it meant the world.
She let out a small, shaky breath.
At first she couldn't believe it. The king listened to her. He obliged her. Probably because it was wise according to all common sense to make haste to leave the forests before darkness swallows them deep, and they have to find their way back lest they change their minds. The other soldiers except for the youngest did not seem too surprised though and obediently followed his order to descend the mountains. Even when they all mounted their respective horses, she couldn't believe this was happening.
She felt her body relax as soon as they made a move to leave the mountain. She almost exhaled in relief but held back in fear of attracting suspicion. She did not want to seem too elated to be leaving the forests. Neji if not others might pick up cues of her behavior.
Sasuke was safe now. Sasuke-
But then she felt as if her heart was submerged in ice cold water.
She would never see Sasuke again.
She bowed her head, no, it was better this way. If only he lives…
Carefully, she glanced at the green forest they were leaving. Her eyes behold the end of summer greenery, the nature she was leaving. She turned her face away and bowed her head. It seemed all so beautiful like a dream that would never end.
During the ride, she thought of Sasuke and how worried he must be and she felt her heart break at the thought of causing him worry and never getting to say good bye. But it was better than having him lose his life to Neji's wrath. At the end, it was her lot she had to bear-the heartache, the memories.
Sasuke was safe. That was all it mattered.
She thought of his name over and over, afraid that she might let time fade the memory of his wide array of stern, blank expressions, his rare smile that was like a gem.
Sasuke
When they arrived in the palace, the last thing Hinata expected was to have the king have her in his quarters as usual. The royal physicians treated her with utmost care, and she no longer felt pain or dizziness although she had some difficulty using her right leg, to which the doctor said the discomfort will only be temporary. Streams of moonlight made their way inside through the diagonal shaped lattice by his bed. The moon and stars were all contained in the wide window of the king's quarters.
That night, the maids attended to her comforts by making sure she was not too warm or too cold. She felt strangely like a child again when one of them asked her gently if the blanket was warm enough. Soon she was left alone, in the darkness of the vast king's chambers lit only by the silvery veil of moonlight by the opening. The breeze blew the diaphanous curtains like sails. The landscape of the compound of the Palace of Knossos stretched far, with accents of moonlit oak trees and jasmine shrubs. She lay huddled inside her blankets, pulling her knees to her chest like a child. She wondered if this was going to be the last night she was to provide her "services" to Neji who would then order her death. Feeling doomed, she buried her face down on her knees.
When she raised her tired eyes from her knees, she saw Neji standing by the large window, staring at her blankly. He stood tall and his face looked carved of ice as he simply looked at her trembling form. His brows drew together as he kept his stance, straight and rigid. A tall shadow cast towards her direction.
When she looked at Neji again, he looked like a completely different person from when she saw him in the plains of flowers. Actually, no, he was back to being the proud scion and ruler. His eyes no longer held the weight of tiredness and his complexion was back to normal.
Hinata thought, she must have been mistaken when she saw him as haggard and stricken with restlessness at first sight. The man before her was anything but haggard and tired. Maybe he lost some weight, but his frame and stature still made him look formidable.
Neji spared her a single glance before turning around to disrobe, unfazed by her stares, and lied next to her on the bed. Lying sideways, facing her, after staring at her with his piercing eyes, he finally ignored her and drifted to sleep.
The following night occurred in the same pattern. Hinata saw that he discarded what looked like pills and drifted to sleep again by her side.
The third night was when it all crumbled down.
Before she fell asleep on the bed, her last memory was that she was all alone and she sighed in relief, thinking he might be too busy. She curled on the bed in her own hardened shell of silence and willed herself to sleep. And for some time, she succeeded.
Her eyes fluttered open when she felt something soft like a baby feather touch her cheeks. In the state of half-sleep, she saw the hazy silhouette of Neji gazing down at her, his hands by either side of her head. He towered over, his hair falling til the ends tickled her face.
Startled, she was about to ask him what was wrong, but he
"You're here, right, Hinata?"
Her eyes that were still heavy with drowsiness soon reflected her shock.
"You-your majesty?"
Her mind couldn't register what he was asking at first, "you're here with me." He spoke the last words as if he was choking on his final breath but was fighting for control. She wondered, where did the mighty, arrogant king go?
She felt her chest tighten painfully as he pulled her up to a sitting position with his hand on her back and clung to her. A short gasp of despair left her lips.
He buried her in his embrace and stayed still for a while. She looked so petite-almost childlike in his embrace. He was on the lean side for a soldier but he was tall and his built was solid and intimidating. But her surprise didn't end there.
"Don't disappear like that again-" his deep voice was cast low as he tightened his grasp, and she winced at the suffocating strength and heat that enveloped her, "It was dangerous."
She uttered under her breath,
"I don't understand."
At her word, he pulled away and looked at her, his eyes staring at her intently.
She felt his knuckles trace the contours of her round cheek as she faced him.
She said, "You hate me." She shook her head. She bowed her head and felt tears prickling at the back of her eyes, "you hate me, you hate me"
Neji kept his eyes on her, even she ducked under his gaze and shivered in emotional turmoil.
Strong, slim hands cupped her face, forcing her gaze to lock with his own, holding it without falter. He said, "No."
She shook her head, "don't lie to me," she felt an odd sense of liberty she didn't feel with him before, "you h-hate me for being my father's daughter, and you begrudge me for asking you to be king." She bowed her head. Tears fell, "and I understand, I sh-shouldn't ask you to bear such a heavy burden, to forgive the ones who hurt you" she clenched her eyes shut, and more tears fell, "so it's only natural you h-hate me-"
His voice lowered to a steady but fierce tone, "Hinata,"
When she shook her head and turned away, he arrested her by wounding his arm around her waist, pressing her back flush to his chest, and placing a feather soft press of lips on her bare neck.
His warm breath fanned her sensitive nape as he said, "You know my history."
He continued. "but you do not know my thoughts."
His soft voice contrasted with the stubborn way he locked her in place. Her eyes soon reflected her confusion and inner conflict as they glistened and she closed her eyes in grief. His lips that were surprisingly soft and lush pressed against her pulse point on her neck, and she shivered in aversion at his familiarity.
He buried his face onto crook of her neck, "I kept asking myself—were you sold somewhere- were you begging in the streets for scraps of food or drawing water from stone wells-" his grasp on her shoulder tightened. "And that was the tamest of my imaginations."
She touched his arm that detained her and squeezed it back, "Nisan-"
"I hate you-" he rasped, "but it's not just that…"
"Nisan…" She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes in dejection.
Slowly, she felt her mind telling her a story different from what she kept telling herself.
Maybe it was her mind telling her that he hated her. Because it was easier on her mind to think that way. That he simply hated her. Because she didn't want to admit that him being king was her fault, the heavy duty on his shoulders was not because of her pleas that fateful night. It was easier for her to believe he hated her when he took her those nights. She didn't want to be stuck in delusions of love or warmth like she used to in the past with Neji. She had to tell herself that this was a different man from the boy she loved, but why did she find it so hard? Why was it so hard?
She dropped her hand that touched him warmly and steeled her voice and said with finality befitting of a Hyuuga.
"You hate me." She felt her heart pounding hard but she told herself she had to be strong, "you only slept with me because you wanted revenge against fa-"
Suddenly, she felt pushed down to the bed with a force that knocked off her breath.
As she fell on her back on the sheets, she saw him tower over her ominously, his shadow enveloping her.
For a moment, the girl faltered, afraid of what she just said. This was her last chance to back out, to try and take the last sentence back-No, there was no backing out of this. She was strong enough. She could do this. She was terrified-but she could do this. She will fight him.
"Is that what you've been telling yourself?" he sneered, the warmth-the vulnerability all gone, "Then go ahead."
"You only tell yourself that," his hard eyes fixed a piercing glare down at her and when she writhed in uneasiness, his hand fastened her down on the sheets with a force that was more than necessary, "because you could not handle the truth."
When she shifted her gaze away from him as a final gesture of defiance, he gripped her chin and tilted her face upwards so she will see him eye to eye.
"Why do you think I inherited your father's place?" his eyes burned into hers, sheer silver lightning, his voice rising little by little, "Why do you think I even live at his quarters and deal with the same faces your father lived through? You only think I hate you because to you, the alternative is too damning for you to even imagine. Because the thought of me having you is worse than death - I used to be your foot soldier and you were destined to be queen but tables have turned and now you're-"
She held onto the hand that gripped her chin, "St-stop," beautiful opal eyes showing anguish, but he refused to relent.
"I promised you-because it was you I promised the welfare of this country to. Why do you think I go overseas to manage our colonies? Why do you think I put up with the council that agreed to my father's death? The missions-the court- if it wasn't for your safety-"
"B-Because you care for your honor"
He looked down at her in silence. It was the word "honor" that her father used to justify sending his nephew to the front lines. When he made it back, he was always called "oh, honorable son of Cretes, oh honorable Neji." But then was sent to another battle like cattle. From all the main and branch royal houses, she was the only one so far to not parrot that tiresome dialogue. When she saw that expression on his face Hinata knew she made her mark. She bit her bottom lip and her eyes looked away. The victory she tasted came with the distinct bitter after flavor of acrimony.
She glanced to a side, her head resting on the pillow. If she was going to strike, she will strike harder. "You're selfish like that and have no heart."
He grabbed both her shoulders in an iron clasp. She winced. Hinata actually felt a chill of fear run down her spine as she watched the man towering her. She had known he would be angry, but this was much worse than what she expected.
He paused for a second, whole body strained. Then his lips slowly parted, his voice came out soft and hushed "Hinata, you...cannot do this to me."
Hinata the way he called her name-she knew it would haunt her for life.
At the dejection of his voice, Hinata felt an odd weight settle in her chest. Her body suddenly felt very numb and cold, but she couldn't say anything.
He bowed his head, his long hair tunneling his vision and falling like silk as he released her shoulders. But even when he tried to school his face into a blank slate, his fingers dragged across her bare arm from her shoulder down to her wrist. She felt minute hair on her arms rose as his pointer finger made its last trail on her skin that was so delicate that it was easy to mark.
It was the first time she saw his shoulders drop in a crestfallen state, "You cannot do this to me."
The following night, the king still did not order her execution.
Instead he did a very strange thing. A couple days passed.
In the dead of the night lit by the moonlight, Hinata was about to go to bed and fast asleep before the king enters. She did not like the idea of sleeping next to him but she had no choice. If she slept on the chaise, she was transported back to bed. He removed all other furniture. It didn't matter if she chose to sleep on the floor. She was carried back. So she decided she would rather fall into unconscious slumber than see him in plain sight. She hoped that when she goes to sleep, he would come late and when she wakes up, he would be gone.
She did not notice a presence coming up to her back as she climbed up to bed.
Then she felt a strong grip on her wrist.
She started and looked at the man behind her who grabbed her wrist and viewed her hand with unwarranted scrutiny and interest. He tilted his head sideways and studied her hand and then his eyes pierced through her soul.
"You've been taken care of."
As if she was caught doing something bad, she quickly snapped her hand from his grasp and hid her hands behind her. He allowed her to snap her hand back as he watched her in a rare look of intensity and slight apathy.
His face showed no blatant emotions as he said coolly, "These are not field hands."
His voice lowered to a soft but deeper timbre , his lips curved into a slight smirk, "someone had been taking care of you."
Her face turned sheet-white. Now she knew the reason he paid so much heed to her hands when they first met-he was not staring at the poppies-he was staring at her hands. Her hands no longer had the pallor of marble as they were slightly honeyed tan and even rough. Her nails were short and even held hints of dirt. But her fine fingers showed she did not sustain herself by scavenging alone, and her nails were shiny and strong. Oh gods,how did I not know.
Seeing her paled face, he made a smile, elegant but cold, as he smoothly captured her hand in his grip and gave the silken back of her hand a kiss.
He lifted his gaze to her trembling lips and then her scared eyes. His voice dropped charmingly, "I would like to know that someone -"
She shuddered as she raised her voice, "nobody-took care of me- I fended for myself-" Her pale eyes held defiance.
"I," a slightly derisive smile, pulled at an end of his lips at her words, "would like to 'thank' him."
If she refuted by saying it was a woman who helped her, he will interrogate her about her name and whereabouts. It was wiser to completely deny it than make a false, short lived character. She turned her face away, shrouding her face with her long dark hair. She whispered, "there is no 'someone'"
When she felt his grip on her hand grow lax as if he no longer held interest, she hurriedly withdrew her hand and clung it defensively to her chest.
She felt his hand press on her back and pull her to his chest. Her struggle was futile. Her hands were placed on his broad chest as she faced away. She heard a low reverberated chuckle as if his laughter was drawn from his abyss of a heart. He rested a hand by the back of her head, "then we'll both have nothing to worry about."
He had her sleep in his quarters after their strange exchange of words. There was a draft coming in, cooling her skin, but she couldn't bring herself to sleep.
She was not quite sure what he meant by her disappearance being dangerous. Perhaps it was because someone might have plans about making use of the royal bloodline. However, she was thoroughly disgraced so ambition was out of the picture. Afterwards he acted even stranger. The tightness in which he held her, his large hand that cradled the back of her head, his lips that pressed against her forehead... It bewildered her but she had no choice but to lie still in his arms.
She stretched and curled on his sheets that smelt so familiar of him, that reminded her of many memories. She never in her life imagined that she would return to his side.
She lay awake with his arm over her, as her eyes traced lines on his skin as he slumbered on. He did not touch her that night except holding her. If she didn't know better, she would have thought he was trying to keep a safe distance for her, to reassure that he wouldn't hurt her. He was facing her back, as she was too timid to push him away. Even when she did, he would have his arm over her again and again. She did not know if this was intentional on his part or a habit of slumber.
She studied how the hard planes of his face softened, and she saw the young boy with long hair and unmarked forehead in his handsome features again.
She felt her stomach clench at the sight and desperately tried to shove the thought away.
A/N: I have a week of finals so I would be gone TT TT but I will come back! So our Hinata did something dangerous to ensure Neji's kingship in the past and that is one of the key reasons Neji and Hinata have so much conflict and misunderstandings It will be revealed soon enough. Please wait.
Thank you for reading this story. Reviews are much appreciated.