Persepolis130
Notes: "Nindo" means "way of the ninja," as in one's own personal beliefs; I started reading Naruto in French, and that's how they write it, but I don't know if it's translated that way in English. I think it sounds better though. Also, Hinata has her reasonsshe hasn't suddenly become a dirty ho. Though that might be fun, too...
CHAPTER 11
The serow mountain goat population in the fire country had outgrown its native habitat, and the animals had recently been encroaching on neighboring soybean farms. The result was devastating for the already hard-pressed farmers, resulting in severe damage to crops and huge financial losses. In order to maintain environmental equilibrium, the animals needed to be tagged and numbered before determining an appropriate course of action.
This was Neji's first command mission.
On the surface, it didn't seem like much, but it immediately became clear why a ninja team had been employed. The logistics ended up being rather tricky, considering that the animals needed to first be captured, and then tagged, a feat that involved almost a week and any number of goat-inflicted bruises. Come to find out, serow had incredibly keen senses of both smell and hearing, and the males especially were more rambunctious and harder to catch than one might think. Before the first day was over, Lee had two black eyes.
Neji thought long and hard about apologizing to Tenten. Just thinking about what he'd done made him feel agonizingly guilty, and he knew it was the only honorable thing to do.
Surprisingly though, his teammate seemed fine, if a little quiet. Being a girl, she'd decided the hideous, malodorous goats were exceedingly cute and seemed content with nabbing the smaller ones, soothing them with soft pats as she tagged them.
And what if his apology upset her, caused her even more grief? Or what if she took it the wrong way and thought he wanted to get back together again?
In the end, he decided he couldn't risk it. If she could bear it, then so could he. Besides, he'd never apologized to anyone before, so he wasn't quite sure how to go about it.
On guard duty four nights later though, near the end of their mission, he noticed Tenten curled up in her sleeping pack, arms around a tiny, sleeping kid whose mother was nowhere to be found. He'd been angry at her before for taking care of the goat, wanting to tell her it would just die anyway, but she'd been so enamored of it, he let her keep it. Looking at the tiny, helpless creature now, sleeping soundly in her arms, he felt an intense wave of jealousy wash over him.
That's where you should be, part of him murmured, warm and safe in her embrace. You liked it there.
He knew it wasn't his brain talking though, or even his heart; it was another part of his anatomy, one that only got him into trouble, so he shut it out. Given that he hadn't been with a woman for over week, he found his restraint commendable. After all, even though he'd had a bad experience, he'd been doing it with delicious regularity for what seemed like forever.
He now decided he missed it.
So it went without saying then that when he got home two days later, all he wanted to do was clean the grime and goat smell off his skin, give his wind-damaged hair a good conditioning, and jack off. This in mind, was it a shock to him to see the figure in front of his door, bearing an elaborately wrapped package, barring his way to orgasmic paradise?
Of course not. When did he ever get what he wanted anymore?
"N...Neji-niisan..."
"Hinata-sama. You look well," he told her, not really looking. She was wearing her usual heavy coat and baggy pants anyway, her head tipped toward her toes, so what good would it have been?
"Ah... thank you..." she began, shy eyes not meeting his as she held out the package, "Father wanted me to give this to you..."
"Could you set it inside?" he asked, opening the rice paper fusuma door. "I'm filthy still from my mission. I'd only ruin it."
"Mmm," she nodded, following him into his bedroom, a blush spreading across her cheeks. Once inside, she set the large box on his bedside chest, standing beside it with down-turned eyes. He doubted she'd even been in a boy's room before.
"Thank you. Your father is very kind to give me such a gift, and you're very kind to deliver it for him," he told her, hoping she'd leave shortly. He couldn't have cared less about the present, not planning on opening it any time soon, but his loss of alone-time was really perturbing him.
"Ah... um... Father said you had something to tell me... about... training...?" she asked, seemingly fascinated by the way her index fingers joined.
For a split second, Neji panicked. He felt his face get hot, heartbeat speeding in his chest. He hadn't expected this. He wasn't at all prepared. How the hell could he explain?
But he realized almost immediately that he couldn't explain. There was no way on the face of the earth he could tell Hinata something like that. Tell his own cousin that he was her own personal sexual outlet. That he'd been taught sex with the objective of pleasing her every carnal whim. If he did, she'd be doing a lot more than staring nervously at her fingers. Like passing out.
So he made a gamble, praying that it wouldn't backfire: "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."
She shifted her feet, bringing her hands nervously to her mouth. Her dark bangs hung down over her eyes, partly obscuring her confused expression. "...oh."
"You'll have to ask your father if you need to know. I can't help you." He could always claim to his uncle that he'd misunderstood her question; he was tired and she'd been too vague. It was best that Hiashi explain it himself. After all, how could he talk to his sweet, innocent cousin about something so dirty and immoral without sending her straight to the hospital?
Crossing his arms, Neji waited for Hinata's reply. She looked like she wanted to say something, but as his cousin usually did, she decided the better of opening her mouth and nodded a goodbye.
Neji felt unbelievably relieved when the screen closed behind her, leaving him finally alone.
Even more relief came in the bathroom ten minutes later as he breathed hard through clenched teeth, imagining Hinata's mouth in place of his fist. He had to bite his lip to silence himself as he came in jerking spasms.
He felt sickeningly dirty afterwards, in disbelief he was capable of something so perverse, inventing such a scene involving his gentle, modest cousin. But he told himself it wasn't his fault. If she hadn't come into his room, he never would have thought of it. And anyway, it was just a fantasy, and everybody had them. He'd be abnormal not to think of such things.
Right?
After his bath, urges sated, he decided to look over some of his father's old scrolls, so he settled down at his small desk, studying contently until a servant came in with dinner. She was an old, hunched woman with failing eyesight, and Neji thanked her graciously for her effort. She smiled and shuffled out, leaving him alone for the rest of the night, save for an hour later when she came to retrieve his tray. Neji liked her; she'd once told him he did his father's name honor.
Neji had just decided to call it a night, eyes sore from examining the old documents, when he heard someone outside his door. Thinking it was the old woman again, he said she should come in.
He was more than surprised to see Hinata enter his bedroom, wearing a thin violet nightgown, face red as she closed the door behind her. Standing shakily in front of the door, her hands clenched so tightly together in front of her that her fingers were turning white.
"Hinata-sama! What's wrong?" Neji asked, jumping up from his desk.
"I'm... not scared," she told him quietly.
"What are you saying?" he asked her, worried, "What happened?"
"Father told me," she said.
Neji swallowed. "Hinata..." This was surreal.
"I want to," she said, voice shaky but determined. "I want you to do it to me."
"You don't." Neji shook his head, moving toward her. "Hinata, I don't know what he told you, but-"
"No." She looked up, and Neji saw the set of her jaw, the way her eyes shone, and it reminded him of when he'd faced her in the chuunin exams, when she'd resolved to die instead of giving up. She wouldn't back down. Not then, not now.
"But... why?" he asked, stomach tying itself in knots.
"Because..." she took a deep breath and brought her hands to her collar, pulling her nightgown open over large, firm breasts, "it's my Nindo."
Neji averted his eyes, not wanting to be looking at his own cousin this way but knowing he had no choice. Hinata knew the consequences as well as he did, and he couldn't even pretend he didn't want her.