Unexpected
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Thank you.
Neji stood near thedoorway to the courtyard of the Hyuuga residence, silent and still. He took several deep breaths. He wanted to get in some early training before meeting Gai and the rest of his team at their training ground. He was about to move on when he heard a small noise of surprise from behind him. He turned.
Hinata stood there, looking startled.
"I-I'm sorry, Neji-nii-san," she stammered, lowering her eyes. "I didn't know you were…I mean…" She whirled around. "I'll leave."
Neji seized her wrist as she stepped forward. She turned back to him. At first, she couldn't bear to look at his face, but finally she forced herself to glance up at him from beneath her eyelashes. To her surprise, he didn't look angry or annoyed. He just looked…
…It seemed strange to think it, but he just looked sort of…sad.
"Y-yes?" she asked, her voice just barely a whisper.
Neji looked away. To Hinata, he seemed to be struggling for words, and it bothered her, because he had always been confidentin himself. He had always known what to say.
"I…I never…apologized…for what I did during the Chuunin exams…" he said finally.
Hinata was horrified. This was too unexpected. This was all some kind of crazy dream, she decided frantically. But she could feel his hand tight around her wrist.
Not a dream, then, she thought.
"Neji-nii-san, you don't have to – "
"I do, Hinata-sama. And I'm sorry."
"Well, that's…that's all right. I'm not mad." This was hard. Hinata wasn't used to accepting apologies. Usually, she was the one apologizing.
"Truly?" Neji asked. He looked back at her, and she could see that some of the self-assurance had returned to him.
"Um…uh-huh," Hinata replied, nodding vigorously.
"And also," he continued, "I apologize for what I said. It was wrong of me."
Hinata didn't know what to say. "Oh…well…that's all right, too…"
Neji sighed, and Hinata thought he looked…lighter, somehow. As if there wasn't such a weight on him anymore. She wanted to tell him something nice, something that would make him feel better. Maybe even make him smile, though that was unlikely.
"Neji-nii-san…thank you," was all she could think of, so that's what she said. Then, she added, "I'm…um…that is…I'm glad that…you're my cousin."
Neji didn't say anything, but he looked surprised. Then, he pulled her forward gently into a hug. Hinata's eyes widened in shock, and she just stood there in his arms for a moment.
"Thank you, Hinata-sama," he whispered.
Hinata smiled, closed her eyes, and slowly put her arms around him.
