Gravity
Part Nine
Sweat, blood and the stale odor that came from days without proper bathing facilities clung to him with a vicious intensity, refusing to relinquish even a little of its hold even when he was able to catch a few moments to attempt to wash it away in a dirty little stream. Neji and Shikamaru had been without any semblance of civilization for six days, and his skin was practically burning with the need for a proper bath, for soap, and a soft bed. Those desires were pushed to the back of his mind, however, as they were not the forefront of his concern, and he didn't have the luxury to allow himself much time to think about what he didn't have. The situation was still too precarious, and at any moment, he and his partner could be ambushed if he allowed himself even a moment of distraction.
It was too silent. He could tell by the tense set of Shikamaru's shoulders that the other man thought the same, but neither had yet to voice their opinion. Idle talk was useless in a situation such as this, and would only alert enemies to their position. Neji didn't plan to be caught unaware, but it was too taxing on his chakra to constantly be employing the Byakugan, especially with no clear end of the mission in sight.
The initial mission objective had been accomplished with little trouble, and inside of the first four days of their departure. The Hokage had instructed them to carry a highly guarded, dangerous scroll to a neighboring country and exchange it for one of equal importance. Tsunade-sama was loathe to let something so potentially destructive out of her hands, but the stakes had been too high. The scroll that was now strapped securely to Neji's back must have been somehow more important than the other, though he didn't know its contents, and he didn't care to find out. All that mattered was that the mission be complete successfully, and that he and Shikamaru returned to the Hokage alive and well.
There was little hope in Neji's mind that they would be able to make their way home as peacefully as they had left it. Power was a terrible thing, and it corrupted man surer than any other force he knew. He was expecting shinobi to be dispatched from the village to not only dispose of them, but retrieve the scroll so that the balance of power would be greatly shifted to the Hidden Grass. That was unacceptable, of course.
The Hokage had anticipated such a course of action, and that was why two ANBU had been entrusted with this task. Neji saw an obvious flaw in this plan, however; the Grass knew their numbers, as well as the fact that they would be tired and their chakra low. It would be a simple matter to defeat them through sheer numbers, as even the most seasoned warriors would eventually fall if constantly barraged with attacks.
A slight noise to his right had Neji's hands flying through seals as he activated the Byakugan and did a quick but thorough scan of the area.
Four, at least. Closing in from the rear. There was a high possibility that more would be coming.
His eyes met Shikamaru's briefly, and he communicated his knowledge through a few brief hand symbols. It was enough for the other man, and he nodded, lips turning down at the corners as he suddenly became more visibly aware of himself and his surroundings.
Neji dismissed Shikamaru from his the forefront of his mind then, knowing that he could handle himself in battle. There wasn't another person that Neji trusted quite so much to be at his side, save for Aburame Shino. More than once, they had saved his life in the heat of combat, and he theirs.
Once more, he would put his entire trust in another man, just as he knew Shikamaru would in him. When the first kunai came whistling toward the back of his head, instinct seized control of him, and he cleared his mind of everything but the moment.
Now there was no live or die. The enemy ceased to be human for a time, and until they were all lying in pools of their own blood at his feet, he would not stop.
Such was the way of the shinobi.
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Neji had been gone for six days. Six days she had paced restlessly, hoping that each night would bring his homecoming, but she had been disappointed each time. The worry was gnawing at her in ways that made it impossible to sleep, as was evident by the dark smudges under her eyes and her distracted manner. She couldn't bring herself to focus on much at all, and when left to her own devices, often stared out the window for long periods of time with an oddly pensive look on her face.
Slowly but surely, she could feel her resolve to believe blindly that he and Shikamaru would come back well begin to crumble. Hinata knew that they would return, there was no doubt of that in her mind, but this mission was proving to be a long one. Hanabi's words, spoken so matter-of-factly, were plaguing her day and night, and she wished fervently that her younger sister hadn't ever spoken them.
"Two, yes. Which means that they are both necessary, and that one might die."
Her stomach lurched as the words resurfaced, dominating her thoughts, and she flattened one hand against it in an attempt to calm it. Thinking about such things... it would do no good. Negative emotion was wasteful especially when there wasn't any reason to experience it. Neji was strong, and he would be fine. There wasn't the slightest chance that he would die. It just wasn't possible.
Turning away from the gentle sunrise she had been watching pensively, Hinata closed her eyes and forced her breathing to even. No matter how much she wanted to, she refused to allow herself to succumb to her weakness and cry. Tears wouldn't bring Neji home sooner, and they would only cause worry to the people who cared about her.
When she opened her eyes again and looked in the mirror, there was confidence in them that she didn't feel at all. She felt badly for hiding away parts of herself and being untruthful, but a little deception was sometimes for the best. It wouldn't do to have Otoya concerned, or forher father to see her break down again. She was trying to prove to everyone that she had strength, and no matter how frightened she was inside, she was going to pretend that she was steady.
"Perhaps if I try hard enough, I'll begin to believe it," she murmured, turning slowly and beginning to walk toward the door.
Leaving her room was like stripping away her last comfort; out here, in the halls, everyone could see her, and there was no corner to hide in or window to look out when she wavered. Her strength would have to become a tangible thing if anyone were to believe it.
Despite herself, when she saw Otoya waiting for her at the end of the hall, she smiled.
"I'm restless this morning, Otoya-kun," Hinata said softly, lacing her hands in front of her as she came to stand next to him. "Perhaps we could take a walk outside of the estates?"
If she had to look into the same colorless eyes as she had been for days, she would surely go insane. The only escape from the Hyuuga eyes was to leave the compound, however. Perhaps, if she wasn't constantly confronted with the same facial features, she could spend a bit of time not thinking about Neji.
Even as she thought it, she knew it would be impossible, but escape, even a brief one, would ease her nerves a bit. And who knew? Neji could have been returning at that moment. If she was in town, she would see him sooner.
She could only hope.
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Their numbers were endless.
The ground was thick with motionless bodies, and the stench of death permeated everything. If not for his Byakugan, Neji wouldn't have been able to see through the sheet of blood in his eyes, his mask having been shattered countless hours before with a deep blow. His body ached in so many places that he had grown accustomed to the feel and couldn't seem to recall a time where he hadn't been in pain. He and Shikamaru had managed to gain some ground and advance further toward Konoha, but they were still a good three hours away, and the enemy was relentless.
At this rate, they would both die, and the scroll would be lost.
He grit his teeth as he landed a blow to his opponent's chest and the man froze immediately, eyes widening a fraction before he fell. Killing gave Neji no pleasure, but in this instance, it was either his life of the enemy's. Very soon, if he and Shikamaru didn't manage some way to get out of his situation, it would be their crippled bodies twisted on the grass, and no one would be the wiser until scouts were sent.
Death had never been something Neji had feared, and even now, he didn't. It was a natural part of life and to fear the end would mean hardly living in the meantime. However, at that moment, he knew that more than anything, he didn't want to die. Before he'd never had a purpose except to accomplish his objective; now, he had a reason to want to return home.
He slipped on blood and leaves and almost lost his footing. Biting down on a curse, he stumbled once to regain his balance and his head snapped up as an enemy dropped from the trees before him. He looked directly into her eyes and instantly knew it was a mistake, but couldn't tear his gaze away.
Slitted yellow irises were the last things he saw before he charged forward, knowing that he was about to be pulled into an illusion, and hoping to beat her to the rush. He had no idea what she would show him, and if he could help it, he didn't want to know. Her head was bowed, so it would be easier to be rid of her unless she looked up.
Just as he was pushing forward with one chakra-infused hand she looked up, and for one blindingly panicked moment, he faltered. The face looking back up at him wasn't some unknown woman's, but his cousin's, and even though he knew it was an illusion, he hesitated.
That moment of hesitation was all the window she needed.
Not a second later, cool metal was sliding through his belly, and he had impaled himself on her sword.
As she began to wrench it upward his gaze slid into gentle unfocus, and even as he brought his hands up to grip the blade and attempt to force it down, he could feel his consciousness slipping. A combination of fatigue, low chakra, and pain was pulling him away, and even though he knew that if he allowed himself to fall he would likely never wake, somehow, in that moment, it really didn't seem all that bad.
Reality slapped him in the face harshly as the pressure was abruptly released from the blade and he swayed, nearly falling forward onto the ground. Vaguely he could see a dark object embedded just between his attacker's eyes, and for a moment, he stared at it, before smiling slightly, even as blood pushed past his lips and began to slip down his chin.
"Neji! God, don't--" Warm hands were pulling him back, and he could recognize the familiar sound of Tenten's voice, though she sounded oddly sluggish. Her face drifted in and out of focus, so much that it made him dizzy, and he closed his eyes.
"Sakura! Get him! I'll take care of the rest."
"Neji-san, you have to look at me. Don't go to sleep. That's right, open your eyes, good. We're here now, it's all right."
His mind was working at a pace that normally would have infuriated him, but he couldn't bring himself to be irritated. It was too much of an effort to even try to focus on the fuzzy pink outline above him. Haruno Sakura? What was she doing here? More, what was Tenten?
He could hear the sounds of battle all around him still, but it was as if through a watery filter. Neji wanted to shake his head and clear it, but that seemed too much effort, and he ached so.
"Don't slip away from me, Neji-san. You have to stay awake. Hinata-san is very worried you know, and you'll want to be awake when she greets you, won't you?"
It was amazing how a simple name was like a splash of cold water on his face. He attempted to jerk upright but found his body wouldn't cooperate, and neither would his nurse. She was holding him down at the shoulder with her knee, and pulling the sword out of him even as she pressed one chakra-infused hand on his wound.
There was pain, hot and bright, but at the same time, a gentle warmth. He barely noticed when she tossed the sword aside and applied both hands to the healing, and likely wouldn't have at all, except the pain began to ease.
Reaching up with one hand, he grasped her upper arm tightly, smearing blood along the pale skin there. "Hinata."
Sakura's features were slowly becoming more defined, and he could see the beads of sweat gathered on her forehead, and the way her brows were drawn together. His hearing, too, was coming back to him, though it was being replaced by a buzzing.
It seemed an effort to breathe, and each time his chest rose it burned, but he forced himself to stay conscious. The woman had wanted him awake, and now she was ignoring him. It was hardly logical.
"Hinata.... she's..."
Sakura glanced over a moment, though her eyes seemed to pass right through him as she murmured, "Quiet now," and went back to work.
He would be grateful for her tomorrow, he knew, but right now, she was quite possibly the most maddening woman he knew.
"Don't tell Hinata... how bad it was. I don't want... her to worry."
He refused to look away until she met his gaze and nodded. With that, it was as though his last worry was lifted, and he sank back against the ground, eyes closing as he did.
For a time, he had a small measure of peace, just in knowing that Hinata would be spared the worst of this.
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Thank you again to all my readers for coming back. I think the story is nearing its conclusion. ;I must admit I'll be sad when it's over, though. But that just leaves room to write more fanfiction. XD
The next chapter should be up soon, I hope.
