Aniki
It was a gorgeous, merry, happy day and everything in sight was happy, bucktoothed and bouncing up and down, up and down, up and down with absolutely no sign of tiring whatsoever. TenTen pranced gaily through the happy bustling town square as everyone greeted her happily with happy smiles on their painfully happy faces. Even the sun was happy and cheerful with its happy pink sunglasses and goofy, happy grin. Everything was lovely colorful and happy and... whoops...wrong story.
TenTen dragged herself through the deserted village and sweated almost every last drop of perspiration from her dreary body. The village was full of melting, drippy color and the buildings faltered and drooped from utter over-exertion. Even the sun seemed exhausted and just barely managed to vomit up its seering, sticky rays of defeated sunshine upon the unexpecting citizens and our poor, defenseless, innocent ninja assasin friends.
Everything sucked.
"I hate today. I wonder where Neji is...I hope he's dying in a vat of chunky peanut butter. He's allergic to peanuts. Ha ha...dweeb"
Our lovely flower murmured to herself. Little did she know a certain lanky chunnin was listening to her death wish. (Care to guess?)
"Is he now?" said teenager mumbled with interest. TenTen whirled around to see our favorite (My favorite, hence ShikaRoX -LOL)
Shikamaru meandering towards her, stopping a couple of feet away. He smirked and raised an ebony eyebrow. His smirk reminded her so much of another's...
"Yeah...stupid ain't it? When he eats a peanut he like, starts choking and like, dying...It's HILARIOUS!", our mouse-eared heroine managed to squeeze out between her bouts of uncontrollable laughter. He shook his head, chuckling unbelievingly.
"You have a VERY interesting sense of humor. Listen... I need a girl's advice on something..."
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SOMEWHERE THAT IS NOT HERE
(More commonly known as "meanwhile")
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"WELL? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?" screamed a very angry man.
"...I-I don't...I don't think N-Niisan-"
"WHY ARE YOU CALLING HIM THAT? HE'S NOT EVEN WORTHY OF A NAME, THAT ABOMINATION! HE'S JUST TRYING TO ENTICE YOU OUT OF YOUR POSITION AS HEIRESS WITH BROTHERLY BEHAVIOR! HE'S USING YOUR TIMID AND TRUSTING NATURE AGAINST YOU! CAN'T YOU SEE HE DOESN'T TRULY VALUE YOU AS A HUMAN BEING?"
'Neither do you...father' she thought to herself. She could feel tears burning her sealed eyelids.
"Lies!" shouted Neji. His headband and the bandages covering his curse were sprawled on the floor, and his dark chocolate tresses lay, unwound on his shoulders and across his flawless, bare back. "I only think of Hinata-sama as a sister! SHE'S MY FLESH AND BLOOD, AND I WILL CARE FOR HER AS SUCH!" He whipped his head over towards her, hair flying into his face and falling obediently back into place. His eyebrows knit together in worry, "You don't believe him do you? You know I care about you as if we were really siblings don't you...Neechan?" She gasped and a little smile found it's way onto her crying face.
"How dare you adress Hinata-Sama in such an informal fashion, branch member!", one of the guards holding him back yelled. He had one on each arm. Not even Neji could tear away, but he did give them hell. He jerked violently forward, sending the weaker guard to his knees.
"Shut up! Let me go! Hinata-Sama! Tell him the truth! Tell him what you told me! Gah...AAAAAHHGGHHH!" He fell to the ground squirming and writhing in agonizng pain. His seal burned green.
"NO! FATHER, STOP! You'll kill him! Stop! Stop please, father, stop! PLEASE! PLEASE!...Please...stop...please...he's all I have don't kill him, please!" She sobbed in desperation. Her well-trimmed fingernails scraped the linoleum floor as she knew what she had to do. "I'll do anything! Anything you want! I will spend every moment training to be a proper heir! Just...please...let Niisan go!" she yelled, determination and struggle burning within her soul. Her father nodded curtly, and she heard Neji gasp for air. She immedietly ran to her beloved cousin's side and took him in her arms, caressing his exposed back and crying into his dampened, disheveled hair,
willing him to calm down as he lay, limp and broken and barely conscious in her lap.
"Don't cry, Hinata...Neechan...I'm...I'm...okay. Be strong...I-I know...you can do it." He murmured between labored breaths. He smiled weakly and fell asleep, chest heaving in exhaustion.
"Aniki...You're all I have. I will go on.", she resolved, a new, fierce flame contrasting against pale lavender in her eyes.