Persepolis130
Notes: Though I'm thoroughly satisfied with it, I sense that some people are going to have serious issues with the upcoming turn of events. I feel like such a drama queen! I've been planning this from the beginning though, and if it makes you feel any better, Neji certainly isn't thrilled about it either. And for the record, I don't have a flipping clue what Gai-sensei is talking about. Feel free to make something up!
CHAPTER 17
"So let me get this straight. After you left here, you somehow managed to get everyone in town believing your teammate, who's in love with you, is a whore. Then, though you swore you'd never touch her, you fell passionately in love with your cousin, but she's only sleeping with you to keep you from your uncle and just told you she's in love with someone else. On top of all this, some Sand girl you just banged in an alley left a bite on your neck so deep you'll be explaining it for weeks. So now your task is to convince the whole village of your teammate's integrity, keep yourself from ever being alone in your uncle's presence again, and come up with some plausible way to account for the Love Bite from Hell. And all you really want is Hinata back in your bed. Is that about right?"
Neji scowled, fingers pressing against the still-bleeding wound on his neck. "Yes. Fix it."
He'd never understood the woman's sense of humor. Or anyone's sense of humor, really. But he was fairly sure this wasn't funny, and he felt undeniably perplexed when she burst into loud peals of laughter. He looked on in irritation as she clutched her stomach beneath her silky blue dress, gleeful tears running down her elegantly reddened cheeks.
"This is serious!" he told her finally, feeling both guilty and annoyed. "I don't know why I keep doing these terrible things!" Sighing, he slouched down in the chair beside the woman's desk as she attempted to compose herself, wiping the dark streaks of mascara away as she chuckled quietly.
At length, she replied, "We all have a weakness, Neji. It seems this is yours."
Fidgeting with the pages of an open journal, he muttered, "What a shitty weakness."
He rolled his eyes as she began laughing again, but she caught herself and walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing a kiss onto his cheek. "I'm afraid this is something you have to deal with yourself. I know hundreds of ways to get someone to undress, but very few to get them not to."
"But why does it have to be so complicated?" he demanded, "If it were just sex, like with you, I'd be fine. It's all this about ... relationships and... feelings... none of it makes any sense!"
She hugged him tighter, her eyelashes fluttering against his cheek, as he ran his finger aimlessly down a long column of numbers. "It's all part of growing up," she said. "You need to decide for yourself what's best, especially after the girl tonight. How much do you really love Hinata if you can do something like that? And is it really right when she's so closely related to you? You can't have everything, you know."
Frowning, Neji sighed, sure that if Fate weren't against him, he could. "What is all this, anyway?" he asked motioning toward the book.
Reaching over to flip a page, she told him, "That's the accounts book. The letters here are girls' initials. They pay rent on the rooms plus a per-customer premium."
Neji shook his head as he came to the last recorded figure. "But that's a small fortune!"
She pulled his hand away and eased the book shut, sliding it into its place on the nearby bookshelf. "Business is good."
Crossing his arms, Neji scowled, neck stinging. "Someone should report you to the Hokage. No good could ever come of a place like this, or people like you."
"You think you're so smart, don't you?" she snapped. He couldn't identify the look in her eyes, but it was anything but friendly. "Would you like to know where I'd be if I hadn't come here? What I'd be doing?"
"Not particularly."
"When I was fourteen, my grandfather en--"
"I said I didn't want to hear."
Her hand came down with a sharp crack on the edge of the desk. "You know, Neji, to look at you, one would think you'd be just like your father, a good and decent man. You look so much like he did at your age. But on the inside, you're nothing but a selfish brat."
"I am NOT selfish!" Neji fumed as he jumped from his chair, mortified by the reference to his father and infuriated that someone else had labeled him with the term. "I'm NOT! I'm just more important than other people!"
They stood in silence for several moments before the woman shook her head, a sad look on her face before she turned to gaze out her window. "I'm sorry things turned out this way with you. Your father was a great man, Neji. I loved him with all my heart."
Neji was taken aback. "What?"
"I loved him. Madly. Heart-wrenchingly. I suppose in a way, I still do. Maybe that's why I'm so hard on you," she shrugged. "That and the fact that you're an egotistical little prick."
"Stop insulting me!"
"After his training, I asked him to come back. Not as a customer, mind you."
"Don't tell lies about my father!" Neji accused, "He'd never have done something like that!"
"I wouldn't tell you anything I didn't think you needed to know. But he said something that might help you with your girl problems."
Neji crossed his arms and glared at the floor. "Fine."
"You know he was trained just as you were, but most often by a man." Though Neji had presumed this, he still flinched, but she continued without pause. "I never asked him about it, and he never complained about his duties, not once. In fact, he never even mentioned his other training or whether he ever made use of it, though we both know the truth."
Neji swallowed, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "Please don't talk about this."
She nodded, hand gently touching his shoulder. "I know. But you see, I know he did use the training I gave him. He told me."
"What does this have to do with me getting Hinata back? I don't care about the rest."
"Neji..." she said with a sigh, "If I'd thought this would happen, I'd never have agreed to train you. I know you think you want to be with her, but it's best that she have someone else."
He frowned. This wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"I don't know quite how to tell you this Neji, but Hinata... may not be your cousin..."
Baffled, Neji could only gape. "Of course she is! What are you talking about? If she weren't my cousin, she wouldn't have the byakugan!"
"I'm not saying..." she faltered, shaking her head. "You know both your uncle and your father were active jounin before Hiashi became head of the family. They were both gone on missions frequently. Shortly after your birth, your uncle was away for some time, and your aunt..."
Eyes wide, Neji shook his head in disbelief. "...you're lying..."
"Neji, those who marry into the Main House are also entitled to its... benefits..."
"No. Don't say things like that!"
"Of course, no one could ever know either way, since your father and uncle were identical twins, and genetically, Hinata is--"
"No, No, NO!" Neji shouted, fists clenched. "You can't say things like this! You can't lie like this, telling me things that aren't right! You CAN'T!"
"Please calm down. Hiashi has no idea, and--"
"Calm down? You tell me something like this about the woman I love, and you tell me to CALM DOWN!"
"Neji! If you don't lower your voice--"
"You think she's my sister? My SISTER!"
"Neji--"
"But I'm going to marry her! She can't be my sister! You're LYING!"
"I'm sorry, I truly am," she soothed. "It's just something he told me. It may or may not be true, even he wasn't entirely sure, but... you can't marry her, Neji... "
Suddenly, it was just too much to take, and Neji slid down to the ground, clutching his ears to block her out, to shut out the truth, as he heard himself shout over and over, "No, No, NO, NO!"
Still shouting, Neji heard pounding on the door and felt strong hands on his shoulders, but it all seemed very far away and unimportant. His head felt thick, almost like he was underwater, like he was drowning, and the world darkened around him.
Hinata was all that mattered to him now. He couldn't imagine his life without her in it, without her shining eyes and sweet laughter, her soft hands and warm kiss. He'd have done anything to have her as his and only his. It couldn't be true!
He dimly felt himself being lifted, his head lolling back like a newborn's. Suddenly, he felt a swift smack to his back, and he gasped, barely having time to recover before the hand struck him again, even harder this time, and he let out a startled little "Ah!"
Pulling his head forward as he struggled hazily to extricate himself from the firm grasp he was being held in, Neji's eyes came to focus, and he saw only one thing: eyebrows.
Blinking, he backed up slightly, tottering a little, to see a concerned Gai-sensei bent down, his hand gripping Neji's shoulder. "Neji! Speak to me!"
It took Neji a moment to realize exactly what was happening along with the fact that his sensei was minus his ninja vest and had his green bodysuit pulled halfway off one shoulder. It wasn't a particularly pleasant sight.
"Ah, the complexities of youth!" his flamboyant sensei declared, one hand striking Neji's back, though not quite so hard that it brought tears to his eyes this time. "The lessons we must learn!"
Neji scowled and pressed his palm over Temari's bite, hardly in the mood for another lecture on the Springtime of Life. "Shouldn't you be... running laps around the village or... climbing a tree upside down or something?"
Gai gazed at him as if Neji had just said the most brilliant thing ever. "Climbing a tree upside down! It's perfect!"
Neji groaned.
"However!" Gai declared, pulling his student closer, "I think you and I need to have a little talk. A talk about," he gave a thumbs-up, "LOVE!"
No. Not that.
"I understand your frustration, Neji! This sort of thing can be terribly embarrassing, especially for someone so youthful!" Gai announced.
Oh, what the hell was he talking about...?
"I will tell you," Gai leaned closer and lowered his voice, expression conspiratorial, "that most men have this problem at some point in their lives. Even I, the stunning example of manhood that I am, was once afflicted!"
Neji closed his eyes. "You always misunderstand everything."
"Ah!" Gai laughed, hand rubbing at the back of his neck, "Is that so?"
Neji sighed, sagging against his sensei, feeling oddly comforted by his presence. When big arms came around his back, he didn't push away but allowed himself to be held, leaning his forehead against Gai's chest and feeling very young and vulnerable. He stayed there for some time, steadying himself against the only person in his life who never demanded anything of him but what he was. And for whatever reason, as wrong and Lee-like as it was, the world somehow seemed like a better place.
"Sensei... I know we don't see eye-to-eye and you're terribly embarrassing and it's really disturbing how you and Lee dress alike and cry all the time, but..." Neji mumbled against his chest, "I'm glad you're my sensei."
Gai tugged him closer, patting his back gracelessly. "Don't worry another second, Neji. Nowadays, they have pills for this sort of thing!"
Neji sighed and wrapped his arms around his sensei, wishing it were really that simple.