---Inevitable Love---
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Inuyasha.
Sorry for the late chapter guys. I meant to upload the chapter yesterday, but didn't find the time to... Sorrows of Yesterday's chapter is almost finished, I just have to figure out how to do a part of it. Road to an Eternity of Wars really hasn't gone anywhere yet and I'm just so busy that I can't fix all of this. (Wahh!)
-Neji will be pretty OOC, gomen nasai, I'm trying to speed up the 'romance' progress a bit since this is going to be a fairly short story. He's going to be talking a lot more than normal… TT
Yes, slowing down the romance, speeding up the logic. Though, should I really be doing that? (Ehh?)
Chapter 2: Coming to a Ragged Understanding
I deny it,
But the butterflies in my stomach say differently,
And I know,
It's always correct.
- Tenshi-Battosai
"Ah…" Kagome rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, dropping her suitcase and sitting on it with a thump, "So…"
Neji just stood there silently, "…"
"…do you know where I could rent an apartment, by any chance…?" Kagome asked, almost hesitantly.
The Hyuuga turned to her, "Ads in the newspaper" Without leaving any more room for explanations, Neji picked up the suitcase, unnoticeably wincing as he discovered how heavy it was. It wasn't heavy for him, but he was fully expecting something lighter for a suitcase and not an…elephant of sorts.
How the hell did the woman carry this thing?
"Uhh…excuse me, Neji? Where are you going?" She rushed to catch up with him, a tad bit shocked that he just sort of walked off.
"My house" His reply was blunt.
"What?"
"…"
The Hyuuga Compound (Branch)…
"So…this is where you live?" Kagome asked curiously, peering into a random room.
"Yes, this is the branch house. The main house is much larger" Neji said this apathetically.
He didn't have a lot against the main house anymore. Hiashi and he had come to a grudging truce, though it was very sparse.
Thankfully, he had gotten on good terms with Hinata. Neji felt that she was the only main house member that he could really trust nowadays.
"You can drop your stuff off here" Neji gestured, "This is my room, if you don't have a place to stay by the end of the day, then you can stay here" He opened the door, "Any other room is currently occupied"
"Thank you!" Kagome smiled. She carefully examined his room.
It was neatly furnished. In one corner, held a tidy double bed with a wooden desk not too far away from it, papers stacked and pens weighing it down on top. A black chair was tucked in. A soft rug was sprawled on in the middle of the floor, an end lightly brushing against an armchair at the other end of the room, coffee table to the left of that. It was pretty spaced, with an innocent kunai lying haphazardly on the middle of the floor, closet opened a crack.
The Hyuuga watched Kagome examine his room with slight scrutiny. She wasn't inspecting it, just scanning the area like Neji had a habit to do. Neji, for some reason, suddenly felt more open to this girl than anyone else.
Tenten, Lee, and Gai-sensei…he hardly ever spoke more than two sentences to them, apart from discussing team plans, that is.
"So…could I see the main house?" Kagome questioned, pursing her lips together.
"Whatever, the newspapers are kept there. Apparently, the newspapers are delivered there, and not to here"
Kagome frowned, 'What a screwed up clan…If there's so many people in it, why only have 1 or two copies of a newspaper?'
"Anyways, it's nothing for you to brood on. Let's go"
The Hyuuga Compound (Main)…
"Wait here for a minute, I'll get the paper" Neji pulled out a chair in the living room near the door so she could make herself comfortable and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
Kagome shifted uncomfortably in her seat, now trying to relax with the notion that she was alone in somebody else's large…mansion.
The house seemed pretty empty at the moment. Actually, you could call it a mansion and still be fairly off… For such a big house, where was everybody currently at…?
The door creaked open and shut again, footsteps approaching the miko.
Kagome jerked her head up – it wasn't Neji… 'Alright then…so somebody is home…'
"Who are you?" The man asked bluntly, startling Kagome.
"Kagome…Kagome Higurashi, Lee's cousin"
The older man only seemed to frown on that topic, "And who invited you in here…?" He questioned, placing his coffee on the table and sitting on the living room loveseat.
Kagome then smiled cheerfully, "Neji! He's getting me the newspaper" 'Is this the guy Neji mentioned before – Hiashi?' She inwardly raised an eyebrow.
Hiashi's frown turned into a horribly upset look, "Neji…isn't he supposed to be training at the moment?"
Kagome got perplexed. What was up with this guy? "Well, I find it very kind of him to be helping me look for somewhere to live today…I'm new here, and don't really know my way around"
"Mmmhmm" Hiashi pursed his lips together, offering a small smile when he sensed her discomfort.
She returned a little uneasy smile.
"Why does Neji need the newspaper?"
"…I need to rent out an apartment, so he went to grab one for me"
"I see"
"So, I heard you were the clan leader of the Hyuuga clan?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact" Hiashi nodded, wondering how she knew if she just came here. But it was possible to know if you were from other villages. After all, they were a very big clan.
Lee had told her about the Hyuuga clan's conflicts. It made Kagome think about their problems and how the leader acted as a leader, "What helps you keep the clan together?" A curious question. Pretty innocent, but slightly demanding.
"…" The Hyuuga did not answer, choosing to go for the ignorant attitude now.
Kagome got a bit frustrated. He wasn't intimidating her, he was being complicated. She clenched her teeth together, recollecting her thoughts.
"You know…" The miko broke the silence, sighing.
Hiashi looked up from his swirling coffee, attentively listening.
"Neji's not such a bad guy, I don't think. Even if he's from the Branch House, I think you should treat everybody equally. Everybody's humane. Okay…maybe not everybody, but I'm hoping I got my point across"
He nodded slowly, "I'll think about it"
Neji stopped outside of the closed door with a new newspaper, absorbing the silence on the other side of the door. Slowly, he turned the doorknob, noting the click when it reached as far as it could turn.
He froze though, when he heard Hiashi's voice…talking…to Kagome.
"Perhaps I was being a bit brash, but you must understand that the Branch Family lives to serve the Main House"
"But why?" Kagome let out a deep breath, exasperated.
"We sort out the noble blood from the second born. The second born protect the first so the bloodline can be safe"
"You can protect the bloodline whatever with many other strategies" Kagome noted dully.
Hiashi was a stubborn man.
"Yes, maybe, but this way is more infused within the family"
"Why does that matter, making yourself seem more superior to others, just because you have power? They resent you because of your actions"
Hiashi remained silent.
Neji slowly pushed the door open and calmly walked right past a frozen Hiashi. His face had a look of indifference, though he was a bit confused.
Kagome looked up and nodded at Neji, seeing him motion for them to leave.
Together, Neji and Kagome closed the second door behind them, walking out of the property.
Neji was lucky. If he stayed a second longer, Hiashi would've considered turning the Hyuuga seal on him. But perhaps, even if he stayed, there would be no reason for a fight. It was just his resentment to the main house that made the Hyuuga think such thoughts.
There was a feeling of respect radiating from Hiashi and Kagome by the time the front door closed.
A feeling of maybe, understanding.
A Park in Konoha…
"That was thoroughly unnecessary" Neji stated thoughtfully, taking a seat on the bench next to Kagome.
Kagome sighed deeply, "I didn't really do anything, truthfully. I just said what I thought, and watched him listen"
"Though that seemed to change something in him" Neji replied observantly, taking a long look at the young woman that had her eyes closed.
The miko seemed to settle down a bit after the unexpected conversation, "So…is there an ice-cream stand around here somewhere? I'm in the mood for a sweet treat," She explained, having the need to eat something light.
"Aa…" The Hyuuga nodded, standing up and walking her towards the shop.
Ice Cream Stand…
"One dollar and fifty cents, please" The man stated monotonously, holding out a hand for the money.
Kagome bit back a smile, whispering to Neji, "He's really got to lighten up"
A small smile spread on Neji's face. He held his hand out, stopping Kagome's hand from reaching the wallet, "This one's my treat" he explained politely, drawing out his own cash.
"Thanks" She muttered softly, graciously taking the ice-cream cone in her hands.
They took a seat on a nearby bench; both considerably content just sitting beside each other.
'How ironic…' Neji thought, 'Lee's cousin…is like this…She's nothing like the teammate we know…'
'He's trying to be so helpful…' Kagome bit her lip, 'I hope I'm not troubling him…'
She absently licked her ice cream and offered some to Neji, "Want some?" Kagome mumbled, licking some of the melted parts off her lips.
"Sure" Neji, who was yet still deep in though, entwined their fingers together around the cone and bit into the cone, swallowing it.
Only afterwards did they realize what just occurred.
"OH! I'm so sorry! I-I forgot!" Kagome's eyes widened, nearly dropping the cone in shock.
Neji's eyes did the same, "Gomen nasai! I wasn't thinking properly!"
The miko swallowed a lump in her throat, a wild, untamed blush racing across her cheeks, "It was my fault…"
"No, really it wasn't" Neji glanced away from her face, hiding his flustered face, even though she probably wouldn't have seem it anyways, 'Why am I acting like this…?'
"A-anyways…I should really start trying to find a place to stay now" Kagome quickly changed the subject, feeling lightheaded with all the days events.
"Aa…yeah" Neji snatched the newspaper up from the bench and opened it to the classifieds section, running his finger down to the part where it mentioned, 'Apartment for rent' or 'House for sale'.
"We should start there," Kagome pointed to an ad, both of them forgetting what just happened moments ago.
"Sounds good…it's right by the Hokage's Tower" Neji beckoned Kagome to follow him, racing down the streets.
I hope you enjoyed the second chapter…I wouldlike to thank you guys who are supporting this story! It really helps me drag myself along.I did warn you that it would be quite OOC…Anyways, read and review onegai!
Sayonara,
Tenshi-Battosai