Neji's POV
That night the only dreams he had were horrible and turbulent nightmares. He woke up in a puddle of sweat after dreaming of his mother being taken by two frightening, almost demonic Hyuugas. They dragged her violently across the floor to where he could not reach her. Neji sat on the bed, still hearing her screams. His heart was pounding so hard his chest ached. Or maybe it was the anguish. The anguish of knowing that his mother could still be alive, if it wasn't for the damn Hyuuga clan.
He tried to remember when he had fallen asleep, but he could only recall the sound of his uncontrollable crying muffled into Shikamaru's chest. He had completely broken down. Despite all his years of training mastering the ability to keep control in every situation, he simply couldn't endure any more. Just like the night of Hiro's murder, he was overwhelmed by his emotions, and he lost control. Once more, all his teammates had witnessed it. He must have looked so pathetic, weeping like a child. The truth was, he felt so lost he didn't really care what they might think.
He looked around and saw the silhouettes of Tenten and Lee in the dark, both sleeping in their own beds. At least he hadn't cried out in his sleep and woken them. The rest of the team should be resting in their rooms as well. The next morning they would return to Konoha, and Neji would have to face them all. Hopefully they wouldn't comment on what had transpired the night before.
Fortunately, they did not. Some gave him short pitying glances when they gathered the next morning, but no one said a thing. Neji ignored them and walked in silence the entirety of the trip back while his teammates talked amongst themselves. Shikamaru spoke only to give instructions. He met Neji's eyes just one time, and the Hyuuga could see the regret and sorrow the other held despite the fact that the wounds on his face had been inflicted by him. Now he regretted lashing out at him as he had. He had wanted to hurt him, but it was difficult to stay angry with him. Nothing that he had learned had been Shikamaru's fault. It was the Main House which he must hate. And he did, deep to the depths of his soul. The Nara had simply been the one to discover their bloody game.
It was late afternoon when they reached Konoha. Neji crossed the main gate next to Tenten, who hadn't left his side the entire journey back. She even tried to make conversation to cheer him up. As the last of them arrived the team began to disperse. Neji didn't even turn to say goodbye. As he walked away with Tenten, Shikamaru's voice called him softly from behind.
"Neji...".
The Hyuuga stopped and slowly turned around. He heard Tenten stopping too, a few steps ahead. Shikamaru got closer and whispered so only Neji could hear him. "I know you're probably not in the mood, but there's still more. Please, let me tell you everything".
Neji looked at him with a weary expression he didn't even attempt to hide.
"I do not think I can take any more of this sudden news now, Shikamaru…", he answered. He was so mentally and emotionally drained that just speaking exhausted him.
"This is a good thing", Shikamaru replied. "I promise".
The Nara's pleading face showed his desire to lessen the pain he had caused Neji the previous night. Letting out a deep sigh the Hyuuga turned around to looked at Tenten. She was standing close in case she had to interfere. Neji gave her a small smile and nodded his head slightly, indicating that everything was okay, and she could go. She didn't look convinced, but after a few seconds she waved goodbye and started walking away.
Neji turned again to Shikamaru. The boy was staring at him with meek eyes reminiscent of a sad puppy. He had a long cut on his cheek and a dark bruise on his nose. Neji's heart clenched with regret.
"I'm sorry for not telling you sooner", Shikamaru said in a low voice. "I'm a damn coward. I just couldn't find the words and I… chickened out… I'm so sorry, Neji. I'm an idiot".
He was being honest, and he wasn't angry with Neji for punching him, twice. Although it had surely hurt him, it didn't occur to the Nara that he didn't deserve it. And that, made him feel even worse.
"I am sorry for punching you…", the Hyuuga whispered, with his eyes glued to Shikamaru's recent wounds.
"I don't care about that", the Nara replied, taking a step forward. He looked as if he was about to take Neji's hand, but he stopped, probably remembering that they were in the middle of the main street. There weren't many people around as it was beginning to get dark, but Neji appreciated the caution. "I should've told you everything I knew. And that's what I intend to do now. Come on, let's get out of here".
Neji walked next to the Nara in silence, knowing from the first steps they took that they were heading to the Nara forest. They crossed the line of trees that plunged them into the dense forest. The wind caressed Neji's face with its characteristic smell of damp earth. He took a big breath of it, and suddenly he didn't want to be locked up. Just thinking about being indoors caused him to feel even more trapped inside his awful life.
"Can we just stay around here?", he asked as they walked. "The night is nice, and I am sure a nice view will be better for hearing your news".
Shikamaru gave him a side smile, surprised at hearing humor coming from him in such a moment.
"No problem. And I said it's a good thing", the Nara answered. "Come, we'll sit near the creek".
They turned and walked for another ten minutes before stopping in front of a calm stream that flowed between the trees. Neji sat on a huge exposed root and let out a deep breath, closing his eyes. The sound of the creek was pleasant, and he felt content to be there, in the Nara forest, the only place where he had felt safe his entire life. He sensed Shikamaru sitting next to him, waiting for Neji to give him a sign or something to start.
"Go ahead", the Hyuuga said, still not opening his eyes.
Shikamaru was silent for a few seconds, then cleared his throat and spoke. "I think your mother left you something".
That definitely caught Neji's attention. He opened his eyes, blinked a couple of times, and then turned his face to stare at the Nara. "What?", he asked. "Something like what?".
"A necklace, I believe", Shikamaru answered calmly. "Apparently it's something she always wore".
Neji remembered a picture he had in his room at his uncle's house. It showed the sweet image of his recently married parents. He had kept that picture since his father's death after his uncle gave it to him, and he used to look at it every night. His mother had a bright smile, and was wearing a golden necklace Neji had always thought was beautiful. It was perfectly round and had a delicate etching of a bird. But how had Shikamaru got that information?
"How do you know that?", Neji asked, still shocked.
"My mother told me", Shikamaru answered. "Apparently your father should have given it to you when you were older, but he died before he could".
"And who has it now?", Neji wondered aloud now very interested, and forgetting for a moment the sorrow of the last hours.
"I don't know for sure", Shikamaru replied, watching the water run slowly at their feet. "I suppose your clan must have taken all your father's possessions after his death".
That plunged all Neji's hopes to the ground. For a moment he had thought that his uncle could have it, but Hiashi wouldn't hide something like that from him. Neji knew his uncle. Shikamaru's theory was the most probable.
"Then it doesn't exist anymore", he said bitterly. "They would have destroyed it".
"That's the thing", Shikamaru responded, turning his head a little to meet Neji's eyes. "My mom said it had a special jutsu placed on it that carried a message for you. I've been reading about those kind of jutsus, and it turns out the item can't be destroyed until the message has been delivered. So they can't have destroyed it. Also, only the person to whom it's addressed can activate the jutsu, so they can't know what it says. I think they must have kept it, fearing it could reveal details about your mother's sickness".
Neji looked down and took a few moments to digest what he had heard. First, that it seemed Shikamaru had already done all the research. He had obviously dedicated a considerable amount of time on the issue. And second, the most shocking: his mother had left him a message! And it was for him and only him. What could it say? He felt his heart racing. He had to know. "So do you think it still exists?", he asked after a little while. "Where could it be?"
Shikamaru shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know", he admitted. "Maybe somewhere in the Hyuuga lands".
Neji thought for a few seconds. "Perhaps in the Council Palace", he said. "All the Main House secrets are held in there".
"Sounds like a suitable place", Shikamaru answered.
Neji closed his eyes again. "Then I will never be able to get it".
"Why not?", the Nara asked, as if it wasn't evident.
"It is impossible to enter that place, or even the Hyuuga domains, without being noticed. They can see through almost anything, remember? Not to mention, perceive chakras from long distances. It is not possible".
"Well…", Shikamaru started, and Neji could hear the meditative tone in his voice. He raised his head to look at him. "Of course they could see us and perceive us, unless they are not there when we go in".
Neji blinked, thinking that it was the most ridiculous idea he had ever heard. "The Byakugan has a long reach Shikamaru. And Hyuuga´s can feel extremely distant chakras. We would have to take all of them, Main and Branched, quite a ways so they couldn't see or sense us."
"Let's do that then", the Nara answered, looking absolutely confident of his words.
Neji just stared at him. Was he messing with him? "And how do you propose we do that?".
Shikamaru didn't even hesitate. "We will fake an accident, emergency level".
Neji opened his eyes wider at the amazingly insane plan. "Are you insane? We can't do that. It is extraordinarily risky. Not to mention dangerous. What if someone is injured?"
The Nara gave him a relaxed smile. "It won't be dangerous. Trust me".
Neji frowned slightly and stared at him suspiciously. Shikamaru had come up with all of this without his knowledge. He understood the Nara was trying to help, but it was slightly disconcerting that someone knew so much more about his life than himself.
"It sounds like you have everything figured out already, Mr. Genius", he said to the Nara, who watched him expectant. Instead of giving an explanation, Shikamaru simply shrugged.
"I'm just letting you know", he said. "That there's a way for you to get that necklace without being caught. And also, that if you need to break into a place, I'm your guy".
Neji bit his lip. Infuriating Nara, he thought. But he really wanted to know what his mother's message was. He could imagine Shikamaru's plan was very risky, and that the Main House would probably kill him if they discovered them. But the desire to have at least one tiny link to his mother was just too strong. He took a deep breath.
"What is the plan?", he asked. Shikamaru smiled widely at him.
Neji would have never imagined what came next. Shikamaru had planned everything. From the first step out of the forest, to the necklace, and then back to safety. During the following days, they prepared. The Nara explained every detail carefully to him.
"Once a week, Konoha receives a transport of six arsine tanks. It is a highly poisonous gas. Breathing in just a little is extremely dangerous".
"Why would Konoha want something like that?", Neji asked, sitting with his legs crossed on the floor of the forest house, studying the maps and diagrams the Nara had made.
"They are taken to the Hospital, where it is used to improve the electrical conductivity of high-precision medical devices", Shikamaru explained, sitting in front of him. "If just one of those tanks breaks, it would be dangerous. If more do, the entire zone would need to be evacuated".
"We are not going to poison half the village, are we?", Neji asked, feering the answer. Shikamaru laughed softly.
"No. Here´s the idea".
They needed to take four of the six tanks and replace their content with a non dangerous gas that resembles the arsine. Shikamaru had procured a number of tiny smoke bombs identical to the ones ninjas sometimes used, but with a few changes. According to the Nara, arsine was colored an intense violet to warn people if a leak occurred, and it had a particularly offensive smell.
"I dyed the smoke a color that is as close to the arsine as possible", Shikamaru said. "I just added ground blueberries and a bit of flour to the powder of the bombs, but it looks quite similar. And I used some sulfur for the smell. They're pretty stinky. If fear doesn't make them run, the smell will".
Neji paid close attention to the Nara´s instructions. "We have to stick these to the valves, and then fix them so that they'll detonate easily with a good fall".
"But how are we going to do all that without being noticed?", the Hyuuga asked.
There was no hesitation in Shikamaru's answer. "We'll steal the tanks".
Neji's eyes widened. "What?"
"Just for a little while", the Nara clarified. "Then we'll return them. Altered of course".
Neji exhaled and pressed a hand to his forehead. This plan was getting more risky which each passing second. "Kami…Okay".
They had to be diligent in keeping track of time so they didn't make any blunders. If someone discovered them, it would bring severe consequences. Every week, after arriving in Konoha, the arsine tanks were taken to a temporary storage house, where an inspector checked that they were in good condition and had no leaks. If the inspector approved, there was some paperwork, and then they were taken to the hospital the following morning. Meaning they had only one night to act.
"We have to sneak in after the inspector sees them, steal the tanks, empty them, alter them, and return them". Shikamaru said, and Neji swore he could hear the excitement in his voice. "As simple as that".
"Simple?", Neji repeated. "And how is taking those massive tanks out of a guarded location simple? Are they going to teleport?"
Shikamaru smiled widely. "Basically, yeah. That's the idea". Neji was absolutely lost. "You're on the same team as Tenten, right? You must know something about summoning jutsus. They require a sacrifice, but it's just a tiny prick on the thumb. I'm sure we can handle that".
Bastard, he was so confident. And he had absolutely practiced summoning jutsus already. "Besides, if you ever need them, you'll be able to summon a bunch of broken tanks".
Neji would have rolled his eyes, but he was still too shocked that Shikamaru had planned every step. He was usually so lazy and hated hard work, but he had obviously put hours of planning, work, and testing into this. He couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face. "I am sure they will be very useful", he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
They spent the next two days preparing. In addition to the smoke bombs, they needed four scrolls for the summoning jutsu. They were only going to compromise four tanks, because it would be too suspicious that all six broke. So they spread the rolls of parchment on the wooden floor and wrote the seals carefully, while reciting the steps of the plan to each other over and over again. When the day finally arrived, they were ready.
Thanks to Neji's Byakugan, it was easy to see the movements of all the ninjas near the storage building. It was more of a warehouse really. The two boys sat between the bushes that surrounded the building and waited. Neji saw when the arsine tanks arrived, and how they were taken to the warehouse.
"Remember we need to let the inspector see the tanks first", Shikamaru whispered to him. And Neji knew it, but the wait was making him anxious. It took the inspector five long hours to finally appear and do his job. After giving his approval, he left. It was time.
"Clock is ticking", Shikamaru whispered. They had to be quick so as to be done before morning. Neji located the two guards: one was sitting on a chair next to the door, and looked slightly sleepy. The other was walking around the place, in an approximation of a patrol (albeit a poor one). The two boys waited until he came back to the door and started chatting mindlessly with the first one. It was time to move.
Neji lead them to the back of the warehouse, constantly keeping the guards in sight with his Byakugan. They moved through the bushes as soundlessly as possible. Squatting down the entire way, they reached the opposite end. The building was quite long. If the guards did not move from their current positions, they would not hear them trying to enter.
Kneeling next to Neji, Shikamaru felt with his hands the base of the building. His fingers searched for the nails at the ends of the wood planks. He moved his head making a sign that Neji saw immediately. Silently, he approached Shikamaru's backpack and pulled out the tools. They worked slowly so as not to fumble something, causing a racket, and alert the guards. It took them quite some time to finally be able to remove the lower wooden plank. The opening was just large enough to pass under.
Shikamaru searched for Neji's eyes in the dark, and made another sign. Neji nodded. He glued his eyes on the guards who were just lackadaisically conversing. He sensed the Nara lying on his stomach over the grass. Neji waited, and a few seconds later Shikamaru touched his thigh to let him know it was his turn. Sliding smoothly, the Hyuuga laid on his stomach and passed under the wall.
It was almost pitch black inside. The only light came through the opening they had made, and that was about to disappear as they needed to cover it now. Shikamaru extended a hand to him to help him get up and they both reached for the wooden plank. They put it back as best they could, hoping it looked undisturbed.
He looked around. Even with his Byakugan, Neji couldn't see in the dark, and there was almost no light there. He felt Shikamaru's hand on his arm telling him to wait. As minutes went by their eyes adjusted to the darkness. Tiny moonbeams filtered through some slits in the wood of the walls. It wasn't much, and the lack of light made the entire thing much more difficult, but they had to work with what they had. Any additional light would alert the guards outside.
Neji waited for Shikamaru's sign. When it finally came, they both knew what to do. The tanks were lying one next to the other just in front of them. Shikamaru removed his backpack and took out the four scrolls. He gave two to Neji. Then he searched for the Hyuga's eyes again, who nodded and turned around to begin.
They knelt in front of one tank each, and extended the scroll in front of it. Neji could feel his hands trembling. Shikamaru had taught him the signs he needed to make for the summoning jutsu, but he felt tension getting the best of him. He had never in his life done something illegal. But he had a right to hear his mother's message, he told himself. Knowing what his mother's message was more important than not breaking the law. He took a deep breath to calm himself down. He could do this. He put his hands together and began the sequence of seals.
When he finished, he whispered a few words, and then reached to his belt. He had hooked a small pin Shikamaru had given him. He took it and placed his hands on top of the scroll. Without hesitation, he sank the thin tip in his thumb. He felt a prick of pain, but didn't remove the pin. He wait a few seconds, until he saw a few drops of blood fall on the scroll.
That was it. Neji released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Shikamaru was doing the same thing with another tank. The Nara worked fast and concentrated intently. Neji mentally shook his head. This was no time to get distracted. They still had to get out, and then back in again. It was time to move on to the next tank.
When they finished the task, they knelt behind the loosened wooden plank again. Neji made note of the movement of the guards. They were both walking around the warehouse, simply patrolling. Neji raised a hand to tell Shikamaru to wait. The Nara frowned, annoyed, but stayed still.
They lost fifteen minutes waiting for the guards to get to the door again. When they finally did, the two boys removed the wooden plank and hurried out of the warehouse. After replacing the loose plank they made their way into the bushes.
The pair walked slowly to avoid making any noise for a while, but when they were far enough away, they started running. They left Konoha with Neji leading to assure no one would see them.
Suimmin was waiting for them not far from Konoha's main gate. The animal moved his ears at seeing them, and tried to lick Shikamaru's face when he put a hand over his furry back.
"No time for greetings, buddy", the Nara said to the deer. He grabbed one of the big antlers and pulled himself up easily. He extended a hand to Neji. The Hyuuga hesitated for a second, but he took Shikamaru's hand and let himself be pulled up. He sat over the deer behind the Nara, wondering if it would be much different from riding a horse.
An instant later, Shikamaru patted Suimmin on the side and the animal started running. Neji had to hold tight to the Nara's waist to not lose his balance. The deer was not only fast, he ran while jumping somehow, covering much more distance than a horse. They traveled under the starlight for almost half an hour until Shikamaru patted Suimmin's side again, telling him to stop.
They were in the middle of an empty meadow on top of a large hill. Shikamaru walked to the highest area and took out the scrolls to spread them over the grass. Neji joined him, ready for what came next.
One by one, they summoned the four tanks. Now they had to empty them and replace the contents. Shikamaru had insisted on emptying them in a distant area quite high up where the gas would disperse more easily due to strong air currents. Scattered in so few quantities it wouldn't be dangerous to anyone.
It took them a couple of hours of painstakingly slow work, but they finally had them completely empty. Now they had to place the bombs and adjust the valves so that they would give in easily. If the fall they had planned went well, the loose valves would open and the bombs would explode with the impact.
It was still night, but it would not be long before dawn. They had to go back to Konoha and return the tanks. They mounted Suimmin again and began the ride back. About half an hour later they were back in the village, sneaking into the warehouse once more. After getting their eyes adjusted to the darkness once again, they repeated the summoning jutsu and placed the tanks back where they had taken them from. When they got out of the warehouse for the second time that night, they still had an hour left before the sun began to rise.
The cargo would be transported to the hospital early in the morning, so they had to wait yet again. The two ninjas sat in the bushes in silence as time crept by.
Neji wished he could stand up and walk in circles, just to ease the tension. But that wasn't possible. At his side, Shikamaru looked much more confident than Neji felt. There was a calm coolness in his face, the same Neji had seen before during missions.
Four men finally arrived to load the tanks into a cart. When the cargo started moving, the two boys did the same. They knew the route, as Shikamaru had studied it for months. The tanks would be taken through the main street, and then the driver would turn right, going around the Hyuuga domains towards the hospital. The two ninjas reached the road first and hid behind a tree, waiting for the cart to appear. By the time they saw it approaching Neji's heart was racing.
"Remember", Shikamaru whispered next to him. "If we find the necklace, you have to hear the message then put it back".
Neji was quite aware he couldn't take his mother's gift with him, even if it did belong to him. The Main House could realize it was missing. He hated it, but it was the most logical thing to do if they wanted to pass unnoticed.
"I know…", Neji answered, not taking his eyes off the approaching cart. "Now, get ready.. It is your turn".
Shikamaru nodded, and formed the secret seals of the Nara clan. Less than a minute before the cart arrived, a long black tentacle crawled through the street, hiding with great skill under the loose soil. They stood still, waiting for the precise moment. The most difficult part began now.
Neji raised a hand, ready to give Shikamaru the signal. The first wagon wheels passed over Shikamaru's hidden shadow. It was time. Neji lowered his hand. Shikamaru poked his head around the tree so he could see what he was doing. In an instant the shadow curled around one of the rear axles of the cart. Gathering all his chakra, his shadow tightened around the shaft until it broke. A second later, the cart fell to the side and the tanks rolled over the ground until they crashed against the fence of the Hyuuga domains. The bombs exploded and the purple smoke began to rise.
The rider who had fallen to the ground as well, and the two men escorting the cargo, started screaming wildly as they covered their mouths and noses.
"LEAK! WE HAVE A LEAK!", they yelled. "EVACUATE THE AREA! EVACUATE THE AREA!".
Chaos descended over them. The people heard the screams, which made them panic. The sight of the purple smoke spreading through the air caused fear to take control. Everybody began screaming in terror, covering their faces to avoid breathing the poisonous air. The smoke was scattering fast, and in only seconds it had reached the Hyuuga domains.
"EVACUATE THE HYUUGA COMPOUND!", a shinobi who came to help bellowed. Neji saw Hyuugas jumping the fence that surrounded his clan's domains to escape the zone as quickly as they could. He had never seen fear reflected in a Main House members face, and it was beautiful. As he saw some of the Hyuuga's he hated the most scrambling around like scared children he wished the gas actually was poisonous.
He didn't realize he had gotten distracted, but fortunately Shikamaru pulled him back to reality with a soft nudge of his elbow. Neji checked the perimeter with his Byakugan, waiting for everybody to be far enough away. He nodded to the Nara, indicating they could go. Shikamaru returned the nod, and stood up. Neji did the same, and they both walked towards the fence that separated them from the Hyuuga domains.
The smoke remained dense in the air, while the wind spread it gently. That helped cover them a bit from the shinobis who might still be close trying to help civilians. Shikamaru took the opportunity to search for the remains of the smoke bombs in the grass gathering them up as he walked. Neji walked into the purple clouds behind him and, without hesitation, they jumped the fence. He landed on the other side seconds after the Nara.
It was such a strange thing to see. The Hyuga lands, completely empty. Neji swallowed with difficulty, the magnitude of what they were doing finally dawning on him. He stood, paralyzed for a moment. But next to him, Shikamaru was definitely not hesitating.
"C'mon", he said in a low voice. "Take us there".
Right. Neji knew where the most possible location of the necklace was, so he had to guide them there. He started running, knowing that Shikamaru would follow him. His eyes ached from the extended use of his Byakugan, but he couldn't deactivate it and risk letting someone see them. If the Main House found out…
Focus…, he told himself. You can not back out now. Ignoring all the possible consequences, he headed for the stairs of the Council Palace.
Shikamaru's POV
He followed Neji into a huge white building. They ran down a long hall. Looking around, he noticed lots of rooms with big tables and uncountable chairs, some of them with a dais. It was obviously a place for meetings and discussions. These rooms were probably for commission meetings or that kind of stuff. Shikamaru assumed that simply because they were pretty fancy, in the ways of the Hyuuga clan, but not fancy enough. There was probably a huge room on the upper floor, way more ostentatious, for the Hyuuga Council meetings. That was how most clans worked, even his. The head, the council, and below the different ranges, imitating the ways of the village.
He knew Neji was leading him in a very specific direction. He wasn't sure if it was because the Hyuuga already knew his way around, or because he was seeing it now with his Byakugan and deciding in the moment where to go. He knew he didn't need to find out now. He needed all his focus on the task at hand.
Neji stopped suddenly and Shikamaru almost ran into him. But he stopped just in time and saw that the older boy was standing in front of a tall steel door. The surface was shining with a strange glow. He searched for the Hyuugas eyes.
"I have no idea what is behind this door", Neji said, and Shikamaru could hear a weak tremor in his voice. "I only know the Byakugan does not work in there, because Hyuugas have secrets from Hyuugas too".
Shikamaru tried to control his expression. A whole room, or maybe more, full of Hyuuga secrets. His heart screamed in frustration. Fuck, he would never have another opportunity like this. But he couldn't take the time to dig around. They had only a small window of time to act. If the Main House were to discover them, they could try to kill Neji with the Curse Seal, and then discover the seal he had placed on him to protect him. Besides, Neji would know he still wasn't done with his whole plot against the Main House. He had to control his impulses.
Surprisingly, the door wasn't locked. It was a weird thing for a place that held so much secretive and clandestine stuff. But they were in the Hyuuga domains, where the Hyuugas could see and feel everyone. They probably thought they didn't need security, because they could detect any intruder at all times. Arrogant assholes. They were paying the price for their superiority complex.
Behind the door there were three large rooms, all of them full of rows upon rows of cabinets and shelves. They got to work fast, and started checking every drawer and shelf. Shikamaru's heart sunk at seeing the countless number of folders with documents he couldn't take the time to study. Time was running out, and they didn't know how long Neji's mother's message would take to deliver. He couldn't get distracted by anything. They needed to find that necklace fast and get the hell out of there before people started coming back to the area.
After several minutes he was starting to lose hope. They were already in the last room, and nothing. Maybe it wasn't here after all. If they didn't find it soon they would have to leave, and everything would have been in vain. He reached for a tiny box on the top of a very high shelf, thinking about telling Neji that they had to go back with dread.
When he pulled the lid off the box a faint flash blinded him for a second. Inside there was a small golden disk on a chain. In the center he saw the engraving of a majestic bird. The glow indicated that there was a jutsu placed on it. He called Neji.
"Is this it?", he asked.
The Hyuuga approached and stared into the tiny box. His eyes went wide.
"Yes!", he exclaimed. Neji extended his hand and took the necklace. He let it rest in his palm and admired it. Shikamaru could see he was shaking slightly. "How do I activate the jutsu?".
The Nara stared at the object too. "I don't know. I thought it would be enough for you to touch it".
Neji frowned, thinking. He slid his thumb over the bird in the center of the disc, and the glow intensified. The brightness made them both close their eyes and take a step back. Shikamaru held his hands to his face trying to block the light, when he heard a voice inside the room that wasn't his, nor Neji's.
"What is this place? Where am I?", it said. Shikamaru opened his eyes with a startle, and found the back of a woman standing between Neji and him. Or, it wasn't a real woman. He could see right through her, because her skin and clothes were translucid. Was she part of a trap of some sort? She seemed young, and her thick chocolate hair went down to her shoulders. She was looking around in confusion. Shikamaru looked at Neji through her transparent body, and saw the boy was staring at the woman with wide eyes. He was pale and looked stunned. "Where am I?", the woman repeated. "Where is my son?". In that moment, she focused her scared eyes on Neji. "Who are you?", she asked.
Neji opened his mouth to answer, but no sound came out. Shikamaru saw his eyes were filling up with tears. He clenched his teeth, trying to control himself. He took a deep breath and finally choked out… "Mom...?"
The ghost woman stilled, looking petrified. She opened her eyes wide, and then frowned deeply. Shikamaru was just as shocked. MOM?!, he thought.
The woman took a step towards Neji, hesitating. "Neji...?", she asked. "Kami, is it really you?"
Neji was now clearly shaking from head to toe. The tears started running down his cheeks. He couldn't talk, so he simply nodded. The woman covered her mouth with her hands. "Gods, but it can't be. How old are you?".
Neji took a few seconds to normalize his breathing. "Twenty", he answered, with his glassy eyes nailed to his mother. The woman opened her mouth, stunned.
"It's impossible", she said, still studying her son's face. "Your father should have given you the necklace when you turned ten".
Once again, Neji couldn't answer right away. He repressed his cry and tried to control his tremors. "He… Died soon after you did…", he responded in a weak voice.
The woman eyes filled with pain at hearing those words. "What?", she asked. "Hizashi is dead?". Right, Shikamaru told himself. She didn't know anything about what happened after her death. She took a hand to her heart and closed her eyes. "How…?".
"The…", Neji started answering, but he stuttered a little. "The Main House…", he completed. His mother frowned deeply and made a fist with her hand, pressing it hard against her chest.
"Kami…", she whispered. But an instant later, she seemed to realize something. "Oh, my dear", she said, opening her eyes and staring at Neji with a sad look. "Does it mean you have been alone for all this time?".
Neji contained another sob, and shook his head. "No... Uncle Hiashi took me in. I… I lived with him and his daughters". A wave of emotions ran through Shikamaru's whole body. Neji's tears wouldn't stop falling, and watching it was heartbreaking.
"My poor baby…", the woman said, with her voice shaking as well. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all that". She closed the distance between her son and her, and put a hand on Neji's soaked cheek. Shikamaru wondered if the Hyuuga could feel her contact. "My sweet little angel…", the woman whispered with a bitter smile. Neji leaned forward, intending to embrace her, but his arms passed through her. The poor boy stared at his mother with a tormented expression. "I am sorry, sweetie. You can't touch me. I saved a bit of my chakra in this necklace to be able to see you one more time. But it doesn't mean I'm here. I'm just a fragment of the past...".
Neji lowered his head and took a fists to his eyes to dry up his tears. "I am sorry…", he answered between sobs.
The woman smiled again with tenderness and put her hands on her son's shoulders, though she couldn't really touch him. "My little boy", she said with great emotion. "You must have had to be very brave to grow up in that horrible clan without your parents looking out for you. I'm so sorry, my child. But how did you find my necklace now?".
Neji stopped drying his tears and looked up at his mother's eyes. "I didn't find it…", he answered. And a second later, he focused his stare on Shikamaru, who had been watching the scene in silence, not daring to interfere.
Noticing Neji was looking at something behind her, the woman turned around and saw Shikamaru. "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there", she said. But at seeing the boys face, she frowned softly. "You… You remind me a lot of someone I knew. A shinobi. His name was Shikaku".
Shikamaru nodded, as he bowed to the woman. "Yes, ma'am. He's my father".
At hearing this, her eyes went wide. "So you are Yoshino's baby?". Shikamaru nodded shyly again, and she gave him a huge smile. "Kami, she was my closest friend. How is she?".
Shikamaru hesitated. Neji was still shaking under his mother's hands. "Good. She has told me a lot about you".
"I am so glad you boys turned out to be friends", she said, and Shikamaru could tell she was being absolutely honest.
"Mom…", Neji called weakly. The woman turned around to meet her son's eyes. "Do you know… why did you die?".
Her smile disappeared in a second. "What did they tell you?", she asked.
"An unknown disease, caused by a virus or something similar", Neji answered with a painful voice. The woman clicked her tongue.
"Lies. Those cowards did it. They knew I would never let them touch you, so I got in their way every chance I got. They wanted me gone. Besides…". The woman hesitated for a moment, but continued speaking. "Terrible things happened to the Branch Member kids inside the clan, and I was just starting to realize that. When I married your father and moved to the Hyuuga domains, I saw the real face of the Hyuuga clan". She lowered her head and paused. Shikamaru imagined she was remembering all the terrible things she had discovered. This woman had died trying to keep her son safe from those monsters. She raised her head and continued. "I don't know how they did it, but I know it was them".
"I…", Neji suttered, still not completely recovered. "I know… Mom...". He was still shaking slightly under his mother's hands.
The woman twisted her mouth in a sad smile, and raised a hand to caress Neji's cheek with her translucid fingers. "My sweet baby...", she whispered, and her words made the Hyuuga's eyes fill up with tears again. He closed his lids hard and frowned, assaulted by a penetrating pain. Silver threads began to fall down his cheeks again.
"I miss you so much…", he murmured with the saddest voice Shikamaru had ever heard coming from him.
"Oh, my darling", the woman exclaimed, taking her other hand to Neji's cheek, probably wishing he could feel her touch. "I will always be with you. I know you are a good boy, and that you will be a good man. Whatever happens I will be proud". Neji opened his eyes and met her stare. "You are my little piece of heaven".
Finally, Neji smiled at her. He was still crying, but at least there was a tiny smile and Shikamaru couldn't be more relieved. The woman returned a tender grin, full of love for her son. It was a beautiful moment, but the Nara hadn't forgotten time was ticking. They had to move.
"I hate to interrupt", he said in the most polite voice he could manage. Neji's mother turned and they both stared at him. "But we have to go".
Neji shook his head, remembering he had to check the perimeter. His eyes were still throbbing with the Byakugan. He concentrated on their surroundings. "The smoke is dissipating", he said, and then focused on his mother's face again. His eyes turned sad again, at realizing he had to say goodbye. His mother saw his hurt expression and caressed his cheek again.
"Go, my dear", she said tenderly. "Always try to be happy, and remember that your mother loves you. So very much."
She leaned forward and put a soft kiss between Neji's eyes, right under the ribbon that covered his forehead. Then she reached for the necklace on the Hyuuga's hands. A blinding glow made both boys close their eyes.
When they opened them a few seconds later, the woman was gone. They looked at each other for a few seconds. Shikamaru could see Neji was still shocked by what had happened, but he looked a bit better than a few minutes ago. Anyway, he would have to check on the boy's state of mind later. Right now, they had to get out of there. He made a sign to the Hyuuga that he caught immediately.
Neji walked firmly to Shikamaru and handed the necklace to him. The Nara knew it was hard for him to do that. To just give up on having the only thing his mother had left him. He took the necklace and put it back in its box, and placed it back on the shelf where he had found it. He stared at Neji, who simply nodded and turned towards the door.
They left the building as fast as they had entered. Once again, they jumped the fence and landed on the other side. They ran and didn't stop until they reached the safety of the Nara forest.
For a very long time, they didn't speak. Shikamaru didn't know what to say, and if Neji wanted to be in silence, he respected that. They sat in front of the creek over a huge root, like they had done the evening Shikamaru told him his plan. It was a nice symbolic image, he thought.
Neji had deactivated his Byakugan when they entered the forest. The skin around his closed eyes was an intense red. He had definitely held his jutsu for too long, but he didn't seem to mind, so Shikamaru didn't mention it. He watched the Hyuuga from the corner of his eye, and saw a tiny smile. Neji took a long breath and let it out slowly.
"Thank you", he whispered. Shikamaru felt his chest swelling up. Finally something turned out right. The Hyuuga opened his eyes and turned his face to look at him. His eyes were full of emotion, and his smile was the sweetest Shikamaru had ever seen. He smiled back.
He really didn't know what to say. "You're welcome" sounded a bit stupid. So he simply leaned and gave Neji a short kiss on the cheek. The Hyuuga let out a soft giggle. He looked happy, and more beautiful than ever. Shikamaru thought he wanted to spend his whole life trying to make him as happy as he was now.
Neji leaned closer to rest his head on Shikamaru's shoulder. The Nara just closed his eyes and smiled to the sky.
Hi!
Hope you have enjoy this chapter! I'm very sorry for the long wait, and thank you so much for being so patient.
A special thanks to my wonderful editor Miranda Z. I think she has done a great job with this chapter. If you could read the before and after of her edits you would notice the enormous difference! So thank you Miranda Z for all your hard work and your amazing help!
If you liked this chapter please let me know!
Till next one!