SHIBARI: Bound
A/N: This flashback is written entirely from Neji's POV. Since the entire chapter is a flashback, I decided not to italicize the memory.
Chapter Warnings: Violence, abuse, sexual content, Hyugacest/incest (Note: If you do not want to read the lemon, do not read the rest of the chapter once the third song (6.3 Young and Beautiful Orchestral Remix) is queued.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Music:
'(6.1) Winter Aid - The Wisp Sings (Aurora Vibes)
'(6.2) The Last Butterfly - Wodkah
'(6.3) Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful Orchestral Remix (GATO ROJO)
Note: Chapter 6 YouTube Playlist link included in my profile page.
Chapter 6
Neji and Hinata
Present (Late Summer 5 AN) – Hyuga Compound
A deep breath filled his lungs with oxygen. His eyes closed.
The smell of wisteria blossoms invaded his nostrils and filled him with warmth and the memories of gentle touches.
(FLASHBACK)
'(6.1) Winter Aid - The Wisp Sings (Aurora Vibes)
~4 Years Earlier (Late Winter 2 AN) – Hyuga Temple Fire Country
The crickets were noisy in the quiet stillness of night. This past winter had been particularly cold, it was almost spring but there was still snow piled on the ground, and yet Neji found himself sticky with sweat under the layers of thick cotton sheets piled on his firm mattress.
He turned his head to peer out at the sky through his uncovered windows. It was late. Close to midnight and he needed to be up before sunrise to meet the temple monks for their routine morning prayers and meditation before training began.
With the peace and lull shrouding the village, Hiashi decided to send his daughters and Neji along with half of the clan to visit the Hyuga Temple deep in Fire Country after the new year celebrations were done. He instructed the members to take a full season to reflect, learn and pay respects to Kami and the departed souls.
Sorrow and exhaustion had buried itself so deep in the Hyuga that the health of the clan was being threatened in more than one way. Their noble clan, bred for combat, were always on the front lines of battle. They had suffered the largest number of casualties among the clans in the war.
Hinata's grief further soured the atmosphere of the compound. When her inner light had dimmed, it was as if the clan's very own will of fire had been snuffed out, being as adored as she was.
Hiashi stayed in Konoha with the elders and those needed to tend to them. Lord Kakashi approved mission leave for the entire household. It was easy, given the lack of work to go around.
Kicking off the sheets he sat up and rubbed a frustrated hand over his face.
Perhaps a glass of warm milk will help.
Exiting the room he'd occupied for the past month, he silently made his way through the halls, past the other guest quarters and towards the kitchen in the center building.
A short, high-pitched yelp.
The clattering of objects falling.
Muffled and clumsy shuffling.
Neji rounded a corner and found himself in the archives. His white lavender eyes easily found the quivering creature responsible, surrounded by a mess of scrolls, inkwells, various weapons and… broken scientific equipment?
Hinata was holding her forearm to staunch the flow of blood as her eyes darted across the fallen items and her feet accidentally sent a few items scurrying across the floor. In her anxiety ridden haze, she hadn't noticed him enter.
He allowed himself a barely there smile as he shook his head and approached the fumbling girl.
"Hinata-sama."
She stopped in her tracks, for all intents and purposes looking like a frightened bunny. Eyes wide and focused on nothing- she froze.
He sighed.
For several months now, it was as if she'd taken a vow of silence. Further retreating into herself, every day since the war ended. A shell of the kunoichi he trained as a teenager and fought alongside in the war. At first, she appeared to be coping with the losses in a normal, healthy way. Smiled at appropriate occasions. Trained with her team and Neji's. Engaged with everyone.
But he knew better.
He knew her better.
It was a farce.
Slowly, she withdrew into herself. Her carefully manicured façade began to shed, piece by piece, until she became this mute recluse whose only regular outing was her continued medical training with Sakura and Ino. He was sure it was only because Shizune and Tsunade herself were personally instructing the girls.
Although Hyuga were not medics, Hiashi indulged her endeavor with hopes of improving Hinata's disposition. It didn't.
People talked. Elders stared and muttered disapprovingly at her social decline. Many kept their distance from the spiraling Hyuga. She was a harbinger of bad luck- at least, that was part of the village gossip.
Outside of missions Kiba and Shino would visit regularly, but it was mostly spent in unspoken contemplation in the Hyuga gardens.
Neji knew her ailment. It was something only time could fix. Once his cousin began to excuse herself from their training sessions, he maintained a respectful distance like a shadow. He was still her protector after all. More than that, he was her friend.
When she refused to leave her room, he and Hanabi would take turns leaving trays of food outside of her bedroom door. When he found her sitting alone in the gardens staring into nothing, he would bring her favorite tea and stand over her with an umbrella to shield her delicate skin from the harsh rays of the sun.
They did not speak.
She showed her gratitude in her sad smiles and puffy, reddened eyes. But he didn't need her gratitude. He would give anything for her happiness.
As if approaching a cornered animal, Neji gingerly closed the distance between them with his hands raised.
"May I?" He asked tenderly.
She nodded, eyes lowered with shame, and held out her wounded arm.
He carefully took the delicate appendage in both hands and looked it over. Without ceremony, he removed his white shirt and used his teeth to tear off a lengthy strip.
'(6.2) The Last Butterfly - Wodkah
With a small amount satisfaction, he couldn't help but notice that she averted her eyes and blushed a pretty pink.
Using the torn piece of cloth, he wrapped the cut with experienced fingers. "Wait here while I find something to disinfect it."
This time, she looked up to meet his eyes, with a slight incline of her head she sat in the chair. A clear response in acquiescence.
Now shirtless, he wandered off to locate a medical kit, which wasn't difficult. The Hyuga prided themselves on being prepared for anything and medicine cabinets were located on walls throughout every edifice they claimed.
Upon reentering the room where Hinata was waiting, he found she had already cleared away any broken paraphernalia and was placing the fallen scrolls on a table.
"Let's clean that wound, shall we?" His tone was both gentle and unassailable. He held up a bottle of antiseptic.
Under the warm glow of dancing flames in sconces, clad in a white clan kimono, albeit stained with small droplets of her blood, she looked ethereal. She seemed to glide across the floor when she padded towards him. Her long hair flowing loosely behind her catching a draft he could not feel.
He wondered how such a graceful seraph could be so clumsy. She was a paradox. A very beautiful paradox.
She began to undo her wrap when he intervened, a hand landing on her own, forcing her to pause. "Please, allow me, Hinata-sama."
As if he were tending to a newborn child, he unwrapped the cloth that was beginning to soak through. Holding her bare arm over the tattered remains of his discarded top, he carefully poured the disinfecting solution over the laceration.
Though it must have been painful, she made no noise other than a sharp intake of breath. Her face scrunched for a moment before she slowly blew out the lungful of air through pouty lips.
He swallowed at the feeling of her cool breath against his neck and finished quickly, dabbing at the moisture with a gauze, and focused on his task. "There. You should be good."
Hinata grinned appreciatively and began to mend the open wound with medical chakra.
Neji stood in fascination, watching as she adroitly healed the injury leaving no scar behind. The wound neatly stitching itself together. He inquired, "What were you doing here at this hour?" With a palm faced up, he extended an arm and made a wide gesture to the room full of scrolls.
Her face turned bright red as she handed him a couple of scrolls. One, she had pulled from the archive. The other was written in her own elegant hand.
His brows furrowed as he quickly scanned over the documents.
When he finished his perusal, he stared at her, her eyes were still shyly turned away and her fingers were pressed together in a nervous habit that had worsened recently. In fact, all of her old tics had suddenly made an unwelcomed reappearance. Unwelcomed at least, to the Hyuga elders.
"You were researching how to get rid of the caged bird seal?"
She hesitantly nodded once. Yes.
He shouldn't be surprised knowing Hinata, but he was. Many a clan genius had taken on this task and failed before. That, and he thought she was too buried in her grief to have the headspace for such an endeavor.
Continuing his line of questioning, he speculated, "…And you're trying to create your own seals?"
She tilted her head slightly and nodded again several times, eyes looking up in thought now. Well, yes, maybe, sort of.
His eyes narrowed at that. "What sort of seals are you trying to create?"
Her lips swished to the side and her shoulders drooped a little. She held her pressed fingers up to his face before her face filled with disgust and her fists balled tightly.
"I see," he frowned
She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked quickly- willing away the tears that quickly formed. Glistening eyes snapped wide open at the feel of his fingers grazing under her lashes.
In a rare moment that very few had the honor of experiencing, Neji let his guard down.
His expression was open. He was concerned. He was, for once, at a loss. He cared.
For the first time in months, she spoke. It was said in a whisper so gentle, only someone within his proximity could hear. "I am also t-trying to get r-rid of my speech impediment. Again. But this time, f-for good."
He could see the silent resolve in her eyes. Her quiet strength in the set of her shoulders. Her plump bottom lip quivered, and he had the sudden urge to cure the tremble with the warmth of his mouth.
His expression closed but his words were genuine as he smoothed her fists with his hands and intertwined their fingers, reminding them both of the war for a split second. He mustered the most serious look he could and pinned her with his gaze. "Hinata-sama, you have nothing to be ashamed of. You are perfect the way you are. You do not need to become stronger. I will be your strength and your shield. I'm sworn to protect you, always."
A plethora of emotions flitted through her vulnerable features before she hid them away behind a practiced Hyuga mask. Confusion. Disbelief. Gratitude. Adoration. Awareness. Disappointment.
It was not the response he'd hoped for. He meant what he said, even if she did not agree. She was stubborn like that.
She gave him a tight-lipped smile and nodded her head. In a quick movement for which he was utterly unprepared, her arms wrapped around his slim waist, and she pressed against his broad chest. Thank you.
Slowly, hesitantly, his arms rose robotically, and he placed an awkward hand flat to her back and the other on top of her head with a gentle pat.
She tilted her head back to look at him questioningly. Amusement glinted in her dominating eyes.
He gave her a lopsided grin.
Then, all too soon, she released her grip, scrolls in hand and hurried off to her room.
The cavity in his chest suddenly ached. But then, hate her or love her, he knew she always carried his heart wherever she went.
The days following mimicked the days prior. Neji saw Hinata mostly during meals. She often volunteered in the kitchens even though she was only required there once a week. The days she cooked were the days he most looked forward to his meal.
Main and branch members rarely crossed paths at the temple given their difference in status. However, Hyuga were taught from an early age that there were exactly three ways in which everyone was equal.
Life.
Death.
Kami.
These great equalizers were manifested into chores that everyone was assigned, regardless of birth, status or entitlement. Life was physically represented as sustenance- cooking and cleaning in the kitchen. Death took on the form of battle- cleaning the dojo, maintaining the training grounds, equipment and weapons. Kami was honored through meditation and prayer.
Sometimes he would see Hinata in the greenhouse picking medicinal herbs or concocting foul-smelling salves and tinctures. Other times he would spy her training alone in her down time. He idly wondered if anyone else was aware of her experiments.
He missed the days they would spar, strengthen their dojutsu with ocular exercises together, and practice improving their forms as a single symbiotic unit. It took her longer to get there, but she was now a master of the gentle fist.
He considered Hinata to be his equal.
While he was faster and more confident in his strikes, her byakugan greatly surpassed his own.
In the past, Neji would look forward to the time they always made for each other after each session. Chatting over tea or reviewing scrolls together. Occasionally, he would surprise her with cinnamon buns and other sweets. He would joke about her teeth rotting as an old lady and she would laugh good naturedly.
The bright smile on her face was always worth it. She would politely offer to share, and he would always decline.
At the temple, he wanted to go to her, but their schedules made it difficult.
Now, a month since he'd last heard her soft voice, Neji walked along a narrow stone trail leading to the small, detached building that was used primarily for storage. He and Ko had just finished scrubbing down the dojo earlier than planned, and Neji took it upon himself to return the cleaning supplies so Ko could rest before dinner.
The snow had finally melted. There was a stillness in the air and grey clouds with fat bellies floated above. Spring had arrived.
The storage unit was towards the back of one of the large temple gardens, lined with blossoming Wisteria trees, bonsai, and flowers of all variety. There was a bridge connecting either side of a large koi pond.
This particular garden was next to the small training grounds adjacent to the cadet branch quarters. The central and main quarter gardens were even more opulent, complete with private tea houses, stone gardens with sand for raking, short waterfalls tumbling into a small stream and open fields of whispering grass.
Comparatively, this garden had almost no pedestrian traffic, and Neji preferred it that way. He found tranquility in the solitude here. Which was why it so jarring when he heard the sound of some poor soul being harshly castigated in the open.
Neji knew immediately, by the condescending inflection of his tenor, the persecutor was of the main house.
He silently approached the training ground, still hidden in the trees, and paused when he recognized the voice of Hyuga Hiashi. Hiashi arrived with the rest of the Hyuga household a couple weeks prior for Hanabi's birthday. This was the first time since the celebration that Neji encountered the clan head. This also meant they would be journeying back to Konoha before month's end.
"Hinata, this behavior can not continue. It does not matter whether or not you are the heiress, you are still a Hyuga of the main branch and a reflection on me!"
There was a break in the speech but no response. Neji peeked out from behind the wide base of an old wisteria, dripping with light purple blossoms in celebration of the season. Hinata was sitting on the dirt floor of the training ground with her legs tucked beneath her, eyes cast downward in silent shame, stubbornly holding back her tears. Hiashi's wrath was tangible as he glared at his oldest offspring.
"Speak Hinata!" He demanded loudly, taking two menacing steps towards the girl. Her body betraying her pride with uncontrollable trembling. A large hand forcibly grabbed the lower half of her face, squeezing her cheeks between his strong thumb and index finger. "You will look at me when I speak to you daughter!"
Her sparkling lavender eyes lifted to meet the derisive stare of her sire. She inhaled sharply through her nose with a sniffle. Her bottom lip quivered.
"You disgust me," he spat his words venomously and released his grip, throwing her face harshly to the side. "If words will not reach you, perhaps a different lesson is required." A loud smack reverberated against the walls of the compound and echoed through the vast grounds.
Neji was shaken. His blood ran cold.
The sound of his heart pounded in his chest so loud, he barely heard Hinata's agonized grunt or the sound of her body hitting the dirt.
Then searing hot rage began to bubble and consume his being.
His lip curled into a snarl.
His fists clenched, knuckles leaching white.
His feet marched forward of their own accord, fueled by the fast pumping of his wildly beating organ.
Hiashi towered over the collapsed form that curled numbly into herself. He was still shouting at her, too distracted to notice the young man advancing.
"Speak!" Hiashi commanded, an open palm raised, ready to strike again.
Hinata lifted her mute gaze defiantly and full of hurt. She picked her upper body off the ground, white robes now stained brown. Her eyes closed with acceptance as his arm swung down on her again, palm laced with light blue chakra.
Neji intercepted. His body gliding gracefully under Hiashi's arm before popping back up to deflect the attack, striking two points on his wrist and shoulder deftly. He followed up with an air palm strike to create some distance between himself and Hiashi.
Hiashi slid back several feet, straining to maintain his balance while holding his chest with his working hand, where the power of Neji's blow was focused. The loose dirt billowed like smoke and swirled around his legs lazily.
Surprised white eyes met similar resentful ones.
Anger suffused their minds and their blood. Chests heaving with anticipation.
"Neji," the clan head barked, "you and I will discuss this impertinence later. Wait in my office, I must finish speaking with my daughter."
"No." The younger Hyuga's voice was firm, calm, fearless. He stood tall, coming out of his fighting stance, shielding Hinata with his body.
The elder balked at the unexpected display of rebelliousness. "No?"
"No, Hiasha-sama." Nothing but equanimity in his speech and mannerisms. "With all due respect uncle, I am unable to allow you to harm Hinata-sama any further."
The young woman's worried eyes darted between her cousin and her father, too afraid to move from her half sitting, half lying position. Her neat bun now a tangled mess with wispy strands spilling out. Her left cheek was marked red where Hiashi's hand connected. Clear lacquered nails dug into the dirt in frustration.
A threatening chuckle emerged from Hiashi's throat. "You're so much like Hizashi. So brave… and so foolish." He spoke evenly, but there was a wild look in his eyes that made Neji's chakra flare up irregularly.
Hiashi expertly reopened his locked chakra points and languidly wiggled movement back into the paralyzed fingers hanging at his side. "You will learn your place, boy!"
He quickly formed a series of hand signs and pressed his palms together tightly, the caged bird cursed seal on Neji's smooth forehead activated in verdant luminosity.
Neji stifled his screams with a loud throaty groan escaping past gritted teeth, collapsing to his knees. He squeezed his eyes shut and tore at the roots of his hair, willing the pain to subside. He almost didn't register the delicate hands on his back. The grinding inside his skull felt like a blazing pickaxe hammering unmercifully at the core of his mind. It was like a thousand acid drenched needles were stabbing into the soft tissues of his brain.
"S-s-stop!" Hinata pleaded with her father who paid her no mind.
Hiashi forced more chakra into the seal. The younger Hyuga male's nose dripped with blood. A strangled cry ripped from his parched throat. He spasmed in a tightly curled ball.
Kill me, Neji prayed in a morbidly detached way.
"Please oto-sama! P-please stop this!" The female Hyuga sobbed loudly. The tears she held back earlier now tumbled freely down pinkened cheeks.
Neji scratched at his forehead where the pain lanced through the seal into his throbbing cranium. Spit dribbled from his parted lips. A single lucid thought streaked across his shattered and aching mind.
I would gladly give my life for you Hinata…
He felt himself losing consciousness. His desire to continue fighting sifting through his fingers like sand.
"Leave. Him. ALONE!" Hinata ran full tilt at the clan head. "Gentle Fist Art, eight trigrams, thirty-two palms!" Her hands quickly shot out like vipers seeking their target. "Two palms, four palms, eight palms…" Her terpsichorean movements were executed flawlessly against a stunned Hiashi. "Thirty-two palms!"
The clan head landed flat on his back.
It was quiet save Neji's ragged breathing for a moment that passed like an eternity.
Then Hiashi moved, struggling to get back up on his feet with great effort. When he was on his feet again, both arms were wrapped around his waist, his back slightly rounded and his normally stoic face crumbled in pain.
Hinata remained with her body slightly lowered and palms up, ready for a counterattack. She panted with the exertion of her gentle fist and the anticipation of conflict. Her steadfast stare bored holes into her father's head.
Droplets of new rain dappled across her pale features and contrastingly dark tresses.
Neji's wails had stopped mid-way through Hinata's offensive, and he was now positioned on all fours. His body racked with coughing as he fought to regain his composure.
Hiashi took in the scene before him and straightened his body, hands removing themselves from around his midsection, ignoring his discomfort in favor of appearing the intimidatingly strong leader he was. It was only his experience and superior chakra control that even allowed movement after such a brutally controlled attack.
His face took on its normal impassive form. The edges of his lips curled slightly upward as he arrogantly stated, "She speaks," and he shuffled away with a barely noticeable limp.
As soon as he disappeared, Hinata relaxed with a deep breath she didn't realize she was holding. Her white robes were beginning to cling to her as rain fell heavily. She ran to Neji and muddied her knees as she pulled him up to his.
Her tears returned as she noticed his own that streamed down his face freely, beginning to mix with the spilt waters of the sky. The rain beat heavily on the roof with a soft rhythmic tapping, small eddies forming along the grounds.
'(6.3) Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful Orchestral Remix (GATO ROJO)
"Neji… oh Neji, I'm so sorry." She looked him over frantically. Using her sleeve, she wiped away the tears, spit and blood that marred his handsome face. Forcing healing chakra to her now glowing palms, she buried her fingers into his hair, gently massaging over his scalp as his hands wrapped around her upper arms for support.
When she finished, she held him in a tight embrace as she cried harder and whispered. "I'm so, so sorry Neji…"
It may have been the haze of torture, it may have been his acceptance of death, it may have been Hinata's display of courage over him, maybe it was all three, but right now, Neji threw caution to the wind.
He claimed her lips hungrily. The taste of sky and the salt of her tears on his tongue. His heart blossomed at the contact.
Her kiss was like a fresh breath after being held underwater too long. His hands roamed to her face, through her soft, now loose hair, her neck, and stroked up and down her arms.
He nipped at her bottom lip, and she gasped and surrendered herself to him.
He continued to drink and nibble on her lips, tasting her with his tongue, like they were the sweetest fruit only worthy of the gods.
"I love you, Hinata," he whispered tenderly in her ear as his mouth kissed the soft spot behind it. Traversing his lips lightly down her neck, he felt it go slack as her head tilted back, giving him more access to her porcelain skin. He supported her head with one hand and held her flush to him with the other. "Let me have you."
He paused in his affections as he came out of his euphoria in realization.
The truth was out.
He'd confessed his love and desire to Hinata. His stomach turned at the thought of rejection, but he did not regret it. He meant every word and all he wanted at that moment was her.
He brought his eyes level to hers and asked directly, "Can I have you, Hinata?"
She stared uncomprehendingly at first, which then morphed into a saddened expression he wanted to make go away. Her euphonious voice quietly responded, "I just want the pain to go away."
He searched her eyes for meaning and then nodded. Gathering her in his arms, he carried her through the door to his room that lead to the training grounds.
Setting her down carefully on his bed as if she were a delicate treasure, he slipped his arms out from under her.
"Are you sure, Hinata? If we go any further, I don't think I will be able to stop."
In response, she swallowed nervously and slowly peeled away her yukata to reveal smooth, milky skin.
She was beautiful.
His eyes drank in the sight of her bared before him like a man dying of thirst.
When there were no more barriers between them, he worshipped the goddess before him with his lips, his fingers, his tongue.
He kissed her forehead that housed her brilliant mind and the cleverness she often hid.
He swallowed her mouth, for they spoke the truth and were always kind to him.
He bit the juncture of her neck and shoulders, praying she would never turn her head from him again.
He paused at her chest over her heart. The heart he almost stopped when they fought in the chunin exams but refused to quit beating. Her heart that contained her will of fire, her nindo, her passion.
Loose brown locks grazed her chest as he dipped his head to tenderly brush his lips over her heart. Sliding down to supple breasts, dusky pink peaks perked and hardened at his touch.
When he parted her legs to taste her sweet center, she threw her head into the pillow and bit back a moan.
He took his time, languidly gliding his tongue along her slick folds and rapidly flicking the little bud he found at the apex.
His gaze heated and arousal erupted in his core.
Wiping his chin with a hand he lifted his upper body to a kneeling position. With his other hand, he grabbed the base of his shaft firmly, spread her legs further with his knees and paused at her entrance. He stared at her and waited eagerly for her to look back at him.
Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession. She turned her head to meet his begging, hungry gaze and bit her lower lip with a nod.
He entered slowly. A groan passing through his lips. Gauging her reactions, he paused momentarily before filling her completely. Her untried walls gripped him so tightly, and he was so lacking in experience, that he thought he would finish as soon as he was fully buried.
"Is this okay?" He asked, his voice dripping with quiet concern. Her brows were furrowed, eyes squeezed tightly with a small tear formed at the corner of her eye that threatened to fall. Using the pads of his thumbs, he tenderly swiped away the tears and turned her face towards him with his palms holding either side of her face. He kissed her forehead and gently prodded before gazing into her wide pearlescent eyes, "Hinata?"
She inhaled deeply and nodded her head. A dainty hand caressed his bare back in reassurance.
He knew it was wrong. What they were doing. Yet, he could no longer deny himself.
He'd been starving for too long. He'd loved her for too long. There's only so much one can take before breaking completely.
Dashing aside rules and everything proper, he was going to do something for himself for once in his life.
He was best for her. He knew in his heart he could make her happy again if she gave him the chance.
"Hinata…" he gently whispered, "Do not be afraid. I will take care of you, always. I promise."
Gently he slid back and forth. He pulled out with a deliberate, agonizingly slow pace and filled her with the same pace, causing him to hiss through gritted teeth. It was the most blissful torture.
Doing his best to maintain his tempo for her comfort, he found he was unable to restrain himself. Gradually, his thrusts sped up as her body adjusted and her pained grunts turned into moans of pleasure. Until he was pounding into the space between her thighs in wild abandon.
Soon they were swept up in the pleasure and pain of losing their innocence to each other. Sweat beaded down his temple and his pace quickened as he crashed deep into her weeping mound, discovering new angles as roughly took her.
It was overwhelming. A wave of cool euphoria washed over his senses and blinded his perfect sight in a white flash. With a loud, throaty growl he plunged deep, coming hard and fast, spilling his seed into her swollen cavern. He thrust with a few quick, jerky motions emptying himself completely before withdrawing.
Breathing heavily through parted lips, he slowly came down from his high and tilted his face towards his muse. Her panting mimicked his own and her bangs clung to her forehead. Searing this image in his mind, he smiled and stole her reddened lips into his own.
He loved her and knew at that moment he could never let her go. He would stop at nothing to have her heart, her body, and her soul- forever.
He collapsed beside her on the mattress. Covering her modesty with the thin sheet that sat crumpled at the base of the bed. He wrapped his arms around her delicate body and nuzzled her with the tip of his tall straight nose.
Drifting off in the sweet lull of sleep he murmured groggily in her ear, "I will make this right Hinata. Tomorrow, I will ask your father for your hand in marriage."
Pleased with his plan and feeling truly happy for the first time since he could remember, he allowed his consciousness to slip into blissful dreams of twin boys with his face and midnight blue hair.
#####
A/N: Whew! Lots to unpack there. So, let's get started…
Behind the Curtain: Regarding the lemon, I wanted the encounter to be conveyed as beautiful, heartfelt and emotionally charged with a touch of sadness because a) they are losing their innocence b) they are breaking the Hyuga rules of chastity before marriage, c) it's Neji with Hinata, and c) they just went through a pretty traumatic event immediately beforehand. I purposefully did not make him forceful at all. In my opinion, Neji really cares for Hinata and would bend over backwards to ensure her comfort and safety. This is the first lemon I've ever written, and (trying to keep things rated M) I think the style was a bit unique to what I've read in other fanfics so hopefully it wasn't disappointing. It will get better (I think).
I wanted to post this chapter as a NejiHina one-shot as well with an implied 'happy ever after' because, as we know, that is sadly not in the stars for poor Neji. Unfortunately, it appears to be against the rules to post duplicate works on the site. For any NejiHina lovers out there, I'm sorry to say this will be the only lemon for them. I intend to keep Hinata pretty laser focused when it comes to her romantic inclinations. Much like her tunnel vision for Naruto throughout the series. I do not want to portray her as being indecisive about lovers or an "easy" woman. This is the main reason why this chapter is written from Neji's perspective. He's committing a lot more emotions into it than she is.
Also worth noting, last chapter and this chapter explore the politics and the world of the Hyuga in more detail. I think their clan is very interesting and overshadowed by the Uchiha clan in the manga. Originally, I wanted Hiashi to be a kind and loving father at this point in Hinata's life. However, I had to put myself into Hiashi's shoes. Armed with the knowledge of his past actions, given the pressures of being clan head, hearing the negative commentary about his eldest and witnessing for himself her deteriorating demeanor, I felt that his reaction was an accurate representation. Behind the scenes, there is more going on that leads him to taking drastic measures. Since it's not really relevant to the story, I will probably not write about it, but part of it is Hiashi deflecting his problems onto Hinata.
Thank youBexbluedragon76, hybridsaiyanwarrior, Arysh, xpastelberriesx, and Amritasingh1608 for the new favorites and follows of this story!
Also, I really enjoyed reading the reactions in the reviews from everyone addressed below:
Xpastelberriesx: The prologue made me cry too. I love your story "A Sign That You Were Here." If anyone is looking for another in-progress SasuHina fic (also NaruHina), check it out. It's new but it's awesome!
nazt-zeptine: I agree, I think Team 8 has to do more than just tracking! Otherwise, the gentle fist is completely wasted.
Zsyree: Haha! At least I know someone is reading my author's notes. And yes, they are definitely 'bound' by the red thread of fate, which is the metaphor I intended for Sasuke and Hinata's tug-o-war during Capture the Kunai! 😊
Bexbluedragon76: I'm so glad you like the way Hinata is being portrayed! I'm always a little concerned about reader reaction because she might be considered OOC but I do my best to explain why she's this way now.
Guests: Where'd you go? I miss you all. There's a special place in my heart for my guest reviewers as you were the first to give me a shot and leave motivating reviews. Did I lose you along the way?
Next chapter: Final update of Season 1! (‸；) Unfortunately, the next chapter isn't terribly exciting, but it's necessary to close out certain things (like what happened after Sasuke tripped into Hinata?) and set up for Season 2.
Everyone stay safe and remember to be kind to yourself.
LEA