AN: Hey! Since my first Naruto one-shot was so good, I decided something new would be nice. Now, I have a Neji and Hinata. My last one was an Itachi and Hinata fic. It's odd, I know, but I LOVE odd couples. Or, as my friend might say, the "crackpot" pairings. What can you do? ((sigh))

Summary: Two-part story. Neji/Hinata. His hatred for her was strong because she differed in birth from him. But, over time, hatred turned to passion, a lusty feeling engulfing his soul. He had always thought it was unrequited, so he kept quiet as he always had. But can a one-sided passion turn into a two-sided love?

Warnings: Spelling errors and some OOC-ness. Umm... maybe some perverted thoughts later, but nothing too gross.

Disclaimer: All rights reserved.

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Seduction of a Caged Bird

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I hated her.

Her and her disgusting main house family.

I hated what they had reduced me to.

What they reduced my father to.

But, it wasn't their fault. My father chose his destiny, the only choice he had ever really made in his entire life. No one had forced it on him, held a kunai to his head and stabbed him to death. But he placed his own life, his family and all else behind him, for the chance to make his first and last decision. How selfish he was, to put his needs and wants, before his immediate family. To give up everything because he wanted to make due with what little freedom he had. How honorable he had been to give himself up, while I thought he was an idiot.

I hope to have the same chance as him one day.

Although my separated family was trying to join, everyone knew there was tension. They, the main house, still held power over us because of our seals burned into our foreheads by their own hands. The thought that someone would use such a curse upon us had never left our minds. We, the branch family, were still as powerless as the day each of us were born.

What can you do when the fate of your entire life is held in another's hand?

That was why I hated her.

Hinata wasn't the one who placed the curse on me, but I still wanted to despise her. I tried so hard to loathe her, but I couldn't. She challenged me, a genius a hundred times more powerful than her, and she pushed herself to a limit no one knew she had. A level no one would ever see. I was the only one who would ever see such potential.

Her hands, although naturally calloused by her training, were still weak when she struck. Her stances were still flimsy and I could have easily swept at her feet. I watched her try to keep in sync with me, but it was fruitless. She wasn't anywhere near my level of strength or experience. But, no matter how many strikes I hit her with, no matter how many times she bled over the stone floor, she refused to stay down. She wouldn't give in, no matter how much I hurt her.

She did it all for him.

Even when she had lost, he, Uzumaki Naruto, had come down to see Hinata. I watched as he took her blood onto his fingertips. He held them to me, showing the crimson liquid drip, and made me a promise in front of everyone. He swore to avenge Hinata's defeat and defeat me himself. Back then, I thought it nothing more than a grudge, something he'd forget as soon as he was out on the field.

Oh, how wrong I was.

He took her sullied blood as a treaty to defeat me. And he did. I was shamed by his hands, tricked by a shinobi with his own way of the ninja. I had lost some of my dignity by losing to the blonde-haired fox. But, in return, I gained his respect, and he had mine.

After that, the days blurred together again. No more battles like the one Naruto had given me, no more than the regular training routines with Rock Lee, TenTen and Gai-sensei. It was merely another day, another mission. Gai-sensei and his embarrassing declerations against Kakashi-sensei. Rock Lee and his embarrassing declerations against me. All the while, TenTen watched with passive eyes, taking in everything with a neutral look. However, I'm fairly sure she was holding back her laughter as I was "taking care" of Rock Lee's disturbing habits of running around with Gai-sensei and performing different little spectacles. How these two were such excellent ninjas was way beyond me, but their attitudes suited them, I suppose. Yes, everything was returning back to its normal schedule, but not all things were the same.

At least, not inside the Hyuuga household.

Within the estate, however, the habits were beginning to change. Branch members, though still cursed, were learning to adapt to being "equal" to our main house counterparts. However, the seals we held were still very much in effect. Although there was a way to create the seal, we had no way to reverse it.

It was a half-baked plan.

But, no one had ever thought that the rules would change, or that segregation would now end. The Hyuuga family's attitude had never been easily adaptable to new ideas. Tradition was everything to the main house, so no one had ever thought a counter would be needed. It looked as if the main house had underestimated time. After all, everything had to metamorph and evolve. Life wasn't going to remain one way forever.

I learned that the hard way.

Because I fell for the head of the family.

Because she changed into a person even I could admire

I hadn't noticed because I was so caught up in hating her for what she was not. I wanted to destroy her because she was born differently, just as I had been. Neither of us had been at fault because fate had a funny way of working. Power had shifted among the separated family because I had been born with the strength that everyone envied and fought for.

But, I didn't want it. I saw no need in becoming the best. I trained to avenge my father, but I had nothing to avenge him for. His choice to die was his own, now my number one goal was no longer in play. So, I trained, still as hard, pushing myself to levels higher than even the most efficient of ninja. I wanted to fight Naruto again, and when I did, I would beat him. I would gain back my pride, and those depthless, white eyes wouldn't stare at the blonde-haired boy anymore.

No. Those eyes would be mine.

However, training had ended for today. I had just newly wrapped my knuckles with bandages as I came across the small dojo of the house. I could hear light panting, knowing who was the one behind the doors. Her distinct gasps weren't hard to hear. The air was still, so sensing her breathing wasn't hard. A smirk crossed my features as I heard her fall to her knees, her pants harsh as she struggled to regain breath.

Knowing she would need someone to train with, I slid the door open. Her eyes came up to mine, confusion and surprise catching the light of the well-lit room. I gave her a nod of my head, while she bowed her own down. She was uncomfortable in my presence still, but not because I had tried to kill her once before. She was merely afraid of me. She had always been afraid of me.

Placing my feet one after the other, I trudged to stand by her. She looked up again and climbed to her feet. She stumbled as she tried, so my hand shot out to meet her forearm. I pulled her up gently, while she found her balance again. She gave a nod of her own, out of thanks, and bowed to me. I returned it, as I watched her come into the well-known stance of the Hyuuga family.

Taking my own, I began the analysis on my cousin, watching for every strength and flaw she had.

And in those few moments that our bodies brushed, my body became elated, while my heart skipped a beat.

Yes. I, Hyuuga Neji, genius of the Hyuuga clan, had fallen in love with Hyuuga Hinata.

My clan leader. My rival. My cousin.

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AN: Okay! Done. I was hoping to do more stories of "WTF?" pairings. Once again, I have an Itachi and Hinata one-shot. Please try it out, it's not too bad, so please read it! AND REVIEW!

Well, till next time!

Much love,

Adobo-chan