Author's Note: I started writing this a long time ago, before the Second Arc/Time Jump came out. If the feeling doesn't match up to the series later on...it not supposed to I guess.
Warnings: I do not believe this should be M since it is not very explicit, but it does strongly imply sexual acts so take the rating seriously. If you are not mature enough to read this, please turn back now. If you STRONGLY feel that I should bump the rating, please me leave me note and I will.
Rating: Hard T.
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NIGHT
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It is not miraculous. It was not tremendous. It was not implausible.
It's nighttime and he's here, and she's here. There are two of them and one bed. It's not a shame, it's not a disgrace and it was not dishonourable.
His breath comes in small pants uneven and a bit erratic. His touch is firm and not hesitant at all.
There is no reverence in what he does. There is no divinity in his touch.
It doesn't hurt as much as it used to. Her heart doesn't beat frantically in foreboding. Her body doesn't shake in trepidation.
She doesn't beg for mercy anymore in the trembling voice of hers.
It's not a miracle. It's not a dream come true. It's not what she had always imagined it to be.
:-:
" You're getting older. Marriageable age."
She looks down at the floor. She doesn't raise her eyes to meet her father's. " Am I to marry?"
Silence, and then a small sigh. " Would you like to leave the Leaf, my daughter?"
:-:
Shaking. Trembling. Shuddering.
His touch sends shivers down her spine. His smell envelops her.
His eyes never leave hers.
:-:
" We are willing to name you the Heir."
Shock. Silence. Everyone stood surprised, except for her father -whom had made the statement-, and the Elder Council members - who stood solemnly staring at the young youth standing in front of all the Hyugas' in ceremony.
And a look of betrayal, in both daughters' eyes.
:-:
His breath brushes her neck. His lips flow down from her cheek. His body presses onto hers.
She is shaking.
And her hands are spread, reaching for something that is not there.
:-:
Hanabi stands up straight. The young girl refuses to show any signs of weakness. Her eyes stare straight ahead unblinkingly. And her hands open and close in a rapid succession of pain.
Hinata stares pityingly at her younger sister, and thinks. Maybe she should accept the marriage proposal, and leave the Leaf.
:-:
He kisses her. Not quite new, not quite experienced.
His hand brushed her hair from her face. It's grown since their battle. The bangs are still longer in front, but the rest is chin length now. His fingers trail down the side of her face.
Her eyes close, trembling.
:-:
" Let us know when you have made your decision."
The Head of the family turns away, and the Elder Council follows him out of the room. The rest of the clan are left to stare at him. The Branch Member, who was going to change everything.
Hinata walks up to him. Meets his eyes, and her head bows down a bit as she looks away and walks past him. Hanabi follows her older sister, and then everyone else leaves.
:-:
His form pushes hers down to the mattress. The coverlet is smooth. The pillow is soft. Both their bodies are naked.
Her hand is fisted into the covers.
:-:
" Do you think Neji-nii-san has made his decision yet?"
They are seated across from each other on the floor in her room. Hanabi takes a small sip from her cup of cooling tea. She stares at her older sister for an answer.
" I don't know." Hinata replies.
There was never much animosity between the girls. Just too much competition, as both struggled to prove themselves to their father.
They gotten used to hiding in Hinata's room now.
" What do you think he'll decide?" Hanabi's gaze is earnest, and sad.
It always hurts to be a disappointment.
" He's always wanted to be the Heir."
Hanabi looks away. " Are you going to accept the marriage proposal, and leave Konoha?"
Hinata is quiet as she stares at the cup of tea in her hands. The door slides open and she looks up to see Neji. He is waiting to escort her to another meeting. She looks back at her younger sister.
" I don't know." And gets up.
:-:
He trails kisses down past her shoulders and stops. He wraps his arms around her waist. And suckles.
She whimpers, not sure why. And ties to curl up into herself.
:-:
" I have made my decision."
The Head of the family stares at the teenager. Young man. They are in his office, alone. And he knows. There is a look in the boy's eyes.
" What is your price?" Hiashi questions.
Neji looks at him, unwavering.
" Hinata." Without the suffix. Without the honorific.
:-:
He moves back up, but his hand travels down. He grips her hips gently. He soothes her. She lies still and his thumb trails delicate circles on her skin.
She can't bring herself to look at him, and stares with her eyes half-lidded at his shoulder.
Her bottom lip is trembling.
:-:
Hiashi stares shocked. Stricken.
Neji looks at him from under his lids, as he bows. " The Main House owes me that much, at least."
And walks away.
The father in Hiashi doesn't know what to do.
:-:
His hand reaches for hers. He turns to stare at them, as he uncurls her fingers. His thumb touches the slightly calloused palm. He turns to look down at her.
Her eyes are open, vulnerable.
:-:
She is having tea with her father. There is no one in the room but them. The side doors are open to expose the garden.
She wonders if she should tell him now that she is thinking of accepting the proposal. Thinking to marry, and leave the Leaf behind.
Leave all of this behind.
She puts her cup down, and looks from the garden to her father. He is staring at her with an unknown expression on his face. One that she can barely remember and hadn't seen since the time her mother was still alive.
Pain. Love. Sorrow.
She feels a pang in her heart. It was almost like her mother was still alive, and her father hadn't turned cold yet.
She wonders if she should say it now.
" Hinata." He begins, and looks away.
There is a sense of foreboding.
" Neji has asked for you." He says.
She blinks, not understanding.
He turns back to her, his eyes filled with all the sorrow and apologies in the world. " He wants you, in exchange of being the Heir."
She won't be leaving the Leaf.
:-:
He intertwines their fingers, and brings their arms over her head. He bends down to kiss her softly. His knee parts her legs, just barely. He moves, as if ready to steal the last part of her she has kept from him.
Her eyes tremble close, and she blinks at his burry image.
:-:
Hiashi waits for his daughter's response.
She is not shaking. Her form is still. She is quiet as she stares down at the cup of tea.
" What do you plan to do?" she asks.
Hiashi is silent for a while. " Marriage?"
She thinks about it for a bit, and nods. " Alright."
She picks up her cup of cool tea, ignores the floating stalk, and drinks it. She places the empty cup back down and gets up.
Hiashi stares at the daughter whom he hadn't acknowledged for a long time.
" You don't have to do it." He burst out as she walks across the room towards the shoji doors. His heart feels like it's being squeezed. " He is still your cousin. I can tell him-"
:-:
There is a slight pain as he enters her being. But she is a kunoichi, and she takes it in stride. He pauses for a while, and his form is heavy on hers.
He stares down at her, and doesn't move, until she meets his eyes.
:-:
She stops before the open doorway. " The Hyuga's have been inbreeding for generations. To keep the abilities within the family, Chichi-ue."
His eyes are pained as he stares at her unmoving back.
" You haven't been a father for a long time." She said. Her voice is quiet. She got that from her mother." You don't have to try it now."
There is a silence.
She turns her head towards him. " But, thank you." Pause. " Otou-san." Her eyes softened. " I always wanted to say that once." She stepped one foot out of the doorway. " Haha-ue wanted to be called Okaa-san."
She stepped out, turned, and walked away.
:-:
Sensations rack her body. Her form is trembling all over again, but this time, it's different. She cries out softly. His lips covers hers and he swallows all the sounds she makes tonight.
He leans back a bit, when he feels the moisture touching his cheeks.
There are tears running down her face.
:-:
Hiashi sits and stares at where his oldest daughter had sat before him. His tea is getting cold and there are papers to be done in his office. From the outside, he can hear his younger daughter practicing in the dojo. He doesn't bother to get up and leave.
Somehow, he's failed.
:-:
He leans over and kisses the tears away. He trails his lips along the wet streaks on her cheeks. Leaning over a bit more, he places a gentle kiss on her forehead.
She calms. Her breathing becomes less panicked. She stares up at him.
This time, when he moves, she moves with him.
:-:
The ceremony was small, just the Priest and immediate family. Even the rest of the clan hadn't been informed.
She dressed in the most beautiful kimono she has ever worn. It's colourful, stunning, striking, and it makes her look ethereal and sensual at the same time. Her make-up is impeccable, her hair glossy with shine and decorated with ornaments. Everything she has on is new and beautiful, as she's been told, and she hasn't ever looked so beautiful before.
She nods and smiles as if she believes them. She's told her kimono is decorated with birds, and she takes their words for it, because her eyes have been blurry all day, but she hasn't cried. She hadn't shed any tears yet today, but it gets harder and harder by the second and almost unbearable when she's walking down the aisle towards her family.
It isn't her mother's kimono, but she could live with that. She hasn't had a mother for a long time, and she's lived through it. It shouldn't hurt any more when she sees him dressed in what she's sure was his father's kimono.
It only hurts because her father isn't, can't bring himself, to look at her. Her sister is staring as she walks down the aisle, but it's not her Hanabi sees. His mother is nervous and fidgeting while staring at him. The priest is feeling awkward and has his face buried in the text he brought with him.
So the only one looking at her is him. The only one whose eyes meets hers then pulls back to take in the full effect of what she had spent hours putting together. The shiny hair, the pretty ornaments, the beautiful but new kimono, and the blurry eyes, which are misting over more and more with each step she takes.
When she reaches him, she stares blankly ahead. He doesn't say anything and motions for the Priest to go ahead. She agrees numbly with the Priest in all the parts she is supposed to and she says 'Yes', which is the most important thing. Then he repeats the same steps quite steadily, and there, it's over.
It's over.
:-:
She trembles in his arms and he warps her closer to him. She buries her face in his neck to muffle the sounds that escape from her, and he tucks a finger under her chin to make her look at him. Her eyes are shaky and they flutter as they fight to remain open.
He stares unwavering at her flushed face and every reaction she gives as he continues to move. Emotions flicker through her eyes so fast and deep and he knows. So he bends down and covers her lips with his.
:-:
They're married and the Priest said they are now husband and wife. Tied for life, in more ways than before. She looks up at him, but she can't quite get past her unshed tears. Her father clears his throat, her younger sister shuffles and his mother wrings her hands. The Priest looks uncomfortably from one to the other.
Her father thanks the Priest for service rendered and politely walks out with him. His mother smiles shakily at the two and takes her sister's hand, and leads her out. The two of them are still staring at each other.
Her body is shaking, but she still hasn't cried. He's staring down at her, and she doesn't know what he sees or thinks. He nods and takes her elbow, and leads her towards the stairs. And she knows, that beyond the stairwell is her new life.
She paused in front of it, feelings overwhelming her and she wasn't sure what she would have done - run? Walk? But he solved it for her when he smoothly scooped her into his arms and continued moving, up the stairs, towards a place she doesn't know.
:-:
Her eyes flutter close and slowly, she responds to him. Her frail arms, despite all that she understood, encircled his shoulders and held on.
His rhythm was getting faster and his breath was coming harsher. His hands groped her around the waist and up her back. His grip was rough and she knew that both of them were close now.
Sensations racked her body and her mind was no longer in control. There was no resistance left from the little willpower she had from the beginning. When his fingers flickered across the sensitive spot on the base of her neck, she couldn't stop herself and surged up against him.
She lost the last trembling grip on the small amount of defiance she had held and he lost the rest of his control.
And their world shattered.
:-:
It was the morning after and Hinata is looking around the house, which will become her new home. Each unsure step she takes leads her to another place she hasn't yet explored. She's trying to find the bathroom so she could take a shower but the revelation still hasn't left her behind and holds her in the hall.
This is Neji's house.
She has never been here before. In fact, very few people have. Even his teammates have never came before. It had been a year or two since he had moved out of the house he had lived with his mother, but no one had really seen his new house.
She walks slowly and looks around. Every crook and crevice here belonged to Neji. Every chair, table and painting belonged to him. Everything in this house was his.
Including her.
:-:
Her breathing comes in small gasps. She doesn't try to move much as she recovers her strength. Her arms are still around his shoulders, but she doesn't meet his eyes.
His body encompasses hers in warmth as he lies on top of her. He doesn't seem to show any signs of wanting to move at the moment either. He stares down at her with an unreadable gaze.
She's comfortable but nervous.
:-:
He found her later, dressed in her white silk, long sleeve pyjamas, decorated with sakura blossoms. She sat tucked in the corner of his couch, arms wrapped around her knees, as she stares blankly at the black screen of the 32 inch TV. Her hair is still slightly damp from her shower.
He doesn't speak and she doesn't move. He stands next to the couch and she's not sure what he's waiting for. She trembles in the slightest degree as she waits for his next move, but nothing happens. He stands there, look at her and she locks her eyes to the black screen.
" Come back to bed." He says calmly.
She doesn't move and her gaze never wavers. There are no signs of her having heard him except her shivers have just gotten worse and her knuckles are now white, holding tightly around her as if she could stop her body from trembling. He waits but she doesn't make a move towards him for the longest time, so he comes around the couch and stands in front of her. He blocks her sight of the black TV screen but she still doesn't raise her eyes to his.
He leans down and scoops her up into his arms. There are no words as he heads back towards the bedroom where they had consummated their marriage a few hours before. She shakes the whole way in his arms until he stands in front of the mattress. She wonders what is going to happen and thinks maybe she should prepare herself but he doesn't do anything but place her under the covers and climb in after her. He wraps her in his arms and tucks her in next to his body.
There are no words and his breathing even out to a soothing rhythm. She stares into the darkness for an unidentified amount of time, before sleep over takes her.
:-:
He moves off of her but he doesn't let go. He pulls her into his arms and she lies tucked up next to his form like she belongs there.
:-:
She doesn't understand why he insists on sharing a bed every night. She's grateful for it though - for his arms around her body proves something to her, that he wants more from her than -
She stops and looks down at the kitchen counter. She's chopping up vegetables he bought for the soup and she's in the middle of making their dinner.
She hasn't left the house and it's garden since they had gotten married a week ago. She wonders if her teammates are worried and what they had told them. She wonders if she would have to tell them the truth of what happened when she leaves this house finally.
She stiffens as an unexpected pair of arms warps around her waist and he buries his face in her hair. She hadn't heard him come in.
" Tadaima." He says.
She nods faintly and drops the vegetables in the pot. She stands in front of the empty cutting board and waits.
He doesn't let her go.
:-:
Quiet. Neither speaks and she hears their steady breathing like a lullaby in the silence. Another defence goes down and she almost falls asleep, her eyelids slowly drooping closed.
His hand on her hip draws slow circles, calming circles. His breath is warm by her ear and he holds her as close as he can. They stay in silence and peace for long moments.
Her consciousness fades and he murmurs indecipherable words to her ears
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. : owari : .