Thanks for all the reviews!
For those who liked, there will more about Neji's family in the following chapters!
Chapter VI – To Handle Everyday
Hinata woke up early in the morning following her wedding, just to see that the other side of the bed was empty, untouched.
Neji had not slept in their bedroom.
She walked to the bathroom, refreshed herself and peeked at the study room. A futon was on the floor, his pajama pants thrown ungraciously in the middle of it.
Walking to the living room, she couldn't find her cousin anywhere. He had been in the kitchen, there were signs of use and some fruits in the garbage. He was not in the apartment at all.
So, she had breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, and dressed up to train in the fields.
No, she wouldn't be looking for Neji. It was clear that he didn't want to be disturbed by his wife, or by anyone as matter of fact.
Reaching the training grounds, Hinata met her sister training her Kaiten.
"Nee-chan? Isn't a bit early for you? What about Neji-niisan?"
"I- I- I don't know where he is…"- Good, she started marvelously her marriage, without knowing her husbands whereabouts.-"Can I train with you?"
"Noooo…you are supposed to be in honey moon…"
"There i-i-is n-n-no h-h-honey m-m-moon with the b b bride only….."
"Maybe he is with father? Let's go check?"
"NO" – If her Father discovers that she has no clue about Neji he would say that since she is unable to take care of a family, how she can lead a clan!- "I'll go look for him. Alone! And don't tell father!"
"Problems in paradise?"
"There is no paradise….." – Hinata murmured while running through the compound.
By midday, she had found no trace of Neji and decided to go to her garden, to get some flower samples to put in the apartment.
Passing by the dojo, Hinata heard the fighting noises.
Entering she saw her Father and husband sparring. The fight was being watched by several Hyuga children, from Main and Branch Houses. They were all open mouthed with the stamina and abilities of the fighters. Hinata was also amazed by the fight.
Hiashi was not as fast as Neji, but had experience by his side, anticipating every move of the young one. Neji knew that his uncle was a Master of Hyuga Fighting Style and more experienced than him, so battle had to be decided in a smart way.
He dashed towards the old man, right hand in front, juuken position. Hiashi waited Neji get closer so he could change the boy's hand trajectory, avoiding a dangerous blow. When Neji got an arms length from his uncle, he suddenly ducked, stretching is right arm directly to Hiashi's stomach. Hiashi couldn't deflect this blow, receiving the damage and falling backwards in the floor.
Neji stood up and resumed the fight position, while Hiashi flipped onto his back to also put himself in the fighting stance. Blood was coming out of the old man's mouth.
Getting close to each other, the avoided blow after blow, panting heavily.
Hinata didn't know if she was proud of the two men or if was enraged with herself for being the only member of the family NOT training.
She left the dojo, sat near the garden, cursing her laziness. And it was there that Neji found her.
"What are you doing?'
"A a a nii-san…..I I I'm ….a a a a"
"Are you……." – moving his hands in curves meaning that she had to finish the sentence.
"I'm…..doing nothing" – she finally admitted to herself, and to him.
"I can see this. I'm going to lunch with my mother".
"T t t that's good…."- Hinata was not going to invite herself to the lunch. If he wanted her, so he would have to say.
"Fine then." – Neji turned his back and was moving to the Branch section.
Hinata stayed in the bench, staring his back and thinking that she would have to lunch alone. Then, he suddenly said, without turning:
"Are you going to stay here or are you coming?"
She gave no answer, just walked beside him.
"Nice fight you and Father had"
"You were watching?"
"Yes. But I couldn't see the end"
"He won"
"A a a , I see….."
Neji's former house was very nice, very traditional. Even though his father was removed to the Branch ranks, adopted by a trustworthy Branch family, the Main family always provided all Hizashi and his adopted parents' needs. That was part of the adoption deal.
Natsume was also from a traditional family, one of those who provided the Main House good fighters and skilled servants. Sort of elite in the Branch.
Hizashi was jounin, a very competent one, which the Sandaime and the Yondaime always entrusted S and A rank missions. He couldn't be ANBU because it would require Main House permission, and also because he was Hiashi protector.
After her husband's death, Natsume took care of the house, and her child's education. Hizashi had left a good amount of money, enough for her and Neji. Her son also became a skilled shinobi, raising the family's funds during his genin, chunnin, and now jounin years.
They left their shoes in the entrance and Hinata followed Neji through a large corridor until the living room where his mother happily welcomed him.
"Mom. I'm home!" – Funny, that house was not his home anymore.
"Oh dear, I so glad you came!"
"Hinata-sama came with me"- he said pointing the small figure partially hidden in the door frames.
"Hinata-sama, welcome." – said Natsume in such a cold tone that Hinata blushed and started shaking, staring her own feet and, of course, poking her index fingers.
Hinata should greet her mother-in-law, but she didn't know how to call her: Natsume-san, auntie Natsume, Nastume-sama….She remembered that Neji never addressed her father as "uncle", but "Hiashi-sama", and so:
"Good afternoon, Natsume-san." – said timidly, still poking her fingers.
Ignoring her daughter-in-law compliment, Natsume turned to her son and said:
"You are not planning to have lunch in this sweat and stinky outfit, are you Hyuga Neji?"
"No. I'm going to have a shower before lunch, Natsume-chan!" – cupping his mother's face in his hands, placed a sweet kiss in her forehead and rushed to the stairs.
And the poor Hinata stayed there, in the hallway. Natsume went back to the kitchen, to finish lunch.
"D-d-d-do you w w w want some help, Natsume-san?" – Hinata shyly asked.
"No". – said the older woman, without turning her back. And then, Hinata just learned from who Neji got that awful habit.
Observing her mother-in-law, Hinata saw a woman, about the same age of her father but looking much older. Natsume should have been beautiful in her young days, but suffering, grief and anger are now forever printed in her face. Her long black hair has some white strips, and to cover the cursed seal she wore a fringe.
Since the older lady didn't give her visitor much attention, Hinata decided to explore the house. She remembered once being there when young; Neji and her discovered a secret passageway in the Manor but to open it would be necessary proper tools. Hinata had no idea where the Manor's tools were kept, so they went to his house to get his father's tools. Unfortunately, they were caught by Hizashi and received a big scold!
Lingering in the corridor, Hinata stopped by a room that leaded to the backyard. An old lady was sat in that room, contemplating the garden.
"Come in, child."
"A a a. G g good afternoon, madam…."
The old lady was also a Hyuga, her white eyes could never deny it. Her hair was completely white and she had a cheerful face (something really rare in the Hyugas).
"Are you my grandson's wife?"
"I I I I am. Nice to meet you"
"Ha-ha. Hinata-sama, your grace and cuteness are legendary! I've not seem you since Hizashi's funeral! My, I've grown so much alike your mother!"
The lady was talking like she had known Hinata for years, no trace of resentment, anger or what so ever! She also had the cursed seal on her forehead, and wears nothing to hide it. Hinata was just staring that seal and the woman seemed to read the young one's thoughts:
"Oh, I don't bother to hide it anymore! I'm too old to get a boyfriend, huh?" – She was clearly amused by Hinata's look.
"A a a…I'm a a afraid I h h haven't got y y your name, madam…."
"Oh my! How careless! I'm in front of the Heiress and didn't say my name! Sorry, my name is Hyuga Sanae, nice to meet you!"
"N nice to meet y you too, Sanae-san!" – It was amazing how warm Hinata felt around that old lady! And to think that she was Natsume's mother and Neji's granny!
"So, tell me Hinata-chan (and she was the first Hyuga that EVER called Hinata that way), how is your honey moon?"
"W w w well….."
"Oh my! Don't me that my little boy is pestering you?"
"No! He has done nothing to me…………………nothing at all…………"
"I see….Look, Neji-chan is a little stoic and harsh at first, but deep inside he is a sweet boy! Just give him the chance, and he will show this side to you!"
Chance? What chance? Hasn't she given him all the chances in the world? He didn't pay any attention to her! She was completely invisible to him! Not that she was madly in love with her husband, not that she wanted his unconditional attention, but "good morning" and "good evening" could be used by him sometimes!
"Can I tell you a secret?" – said the old lady, removing Hinata from her "desperate housewife" world.
"What?"
"He used to tell that you were the cutest thing in the world when he was young! I think he had a crush on you…."
And that was some revelation! Hinata always thought of Neji like her "boyfriend" when they were little. She used to make him play "house" with her, and he was the daddy and she was the mommy. He never complained, but asked for a consideration, and they would have to play tag, hide and seek or dungeon exploration (dungeon a.k.a Hyuga Manor).
They were close friends, and she had a childish crush on him. But after his father's death, he became aggressive, more and more distant, and so entered in her life the lovely blond disaster Uzumaki Naruto. That crush had long disappeared….
"I d d don't t t think he still h h have t t t this feeling, Sanae-san"
"Me too. But since you were so cute together, I thought things would workout somehow in this marriage."
"Grandma! I didn't know you were here!" – Neji stepped inside the room and gave an affectionate hug in Sanae-san.
"Hi sweetie! How are you!"
"Fine. And you? Lot's of boyfriends running after my cute grandma?"
"Hahaha! No, I'm too old for that. But I suggest you keep a close eye in your wife, or someone may steal her, because she is too cute, like a porcelain doll!"
It was only then that Neji noticed Hinata's presence in the room. The smiling face he had until now simply vanished at her sight. He became, again, the old stoic Neji. Granny Sanae noticed his chance too and was ready to make one of her comments when Natsume-san called for lunch.
There was nothing really interesting in that family meal. Sanae-san talked all time, gasping time to time making Natsume-san to tap her back. Neji only made a few laconic comments, just like his mother. Hinata remained silent. Even though she was trying her best to look invisible, it seemed like her presence was causing an extreme discomfort in that family.
They left Neji's former home, taking the path to their house. Hinata was feeling like a shadow, very depressed, and told her husband:
"I'm going to the dojo." – turned her back and walked in the other direction.
She opened the dojo's doors and simple felt no will to train. She went back to her garden where, at least the flowers seemed to acknowledge her presence emanating its delicious scent. And there, for the first time in those two weeks, she cried.
Let out the tears that carried the sorrow for her decision, the lost love for Naruto, the indifference from Neji, the hate from Natsume, how she missed her home in the Manor, its servants, her sister,…..her dad…..
She cried more thinking how she tried her whole life to be invisible, to do not disturb the others, to make herself useful, and gained nothing from it. Now she wanted to be noticed, by Neji, by Naruto. She wanted to scream in everybody's ears how sad she was, disturb their meaningless lives. She wanted to be selfish, to have all her desires come true.
After arriving in the apartment, Neji was in the bedroom putting some clothes he brought from his mom's house in the wardrobe.
He used the advantage of being alone to meditate, his hobby.
When the kitchen's clock marked 19:00hs and no sign of Hinata, he started to worry.
I think I was a little hard on her. It is not her fault. Maybe I should make up for my behavior…
Like a lovely husband – that he wasn't – he decided to make dinner! He could cook…a little….something….that tasted like…..something….
Ok. He was not a good cooker. Lee used to cook in the missions, his mom used to cook at home, and when he was alone he would eat anything that seemed harmless in the refrigerator and would keep his stomach full. So, no idea of what or how to cook. And this lead to another problem: he had to find Hinata, so she could cook something or they could go to somewhere to have dinner!
He had just left the building when saw her coming home. Her head was bowed, her eyes didn't meet his.
"I'm sorry, I'm late…."
"Where were you?" – Damned! He was supposed to say something nice!
"At the dojo"
"No, you weren't. You are not sweating from training"
"Do you care to know where I was?" – Her gaze met his, hard and cold, like a mirror of his own.
"Yes. I care. I was going to look for you?"
"Because you are hungry? Because you need me to fix some clothes? Because you want to throw your anger and disappointment in someone……….."
What was she now? A human lie detector? That was his role! He could feel the sadness of her words, even though he couldn't say he was sorry. He reacted to her words like he did I all his life:
"What is it now? It is not like you are my personal object of torture or something! Don't blame me for YOUR family's acts! As far as I can remember, I had no choice!"
"I hadn't either, Neji-niisan! I have no guilty in this matter too!"
"But at least you are free! There are choices that you can make that I can't! I'm caged!"
"No. you are not!"
"Yes, I am"
"Then, look at your hands"
He did as she said, noticing the in his hands were only the apartment keys.
"You see." – She said, tears falling- "From the very first moment, you were the one who held the keys".
Neji felt his mouth go dry, and a convulsion in his stomach. He embraced her, and said:
"Let's go eat something"
"Okay, but I need to wash my face…."
"Get the keys. I'll wait here".