Acceptance

Author's Note:

Someone e-mailed me a request for Hinata/Neji, with the following guidelines:

There must be an elopement.

The story must begin with a romance scene

The story must end with neither Hinata nor Neji present.

Nearly everyone must be together in one room at some point in the middle.

Lee must give wise advice.

I was interested in writing another Hinata/Neji story, but the requirements were a bit odd for me. I decided to do it and put something together in response. I think it is unlikely they would elope, so I believe they are slightly OOC at that scene, though I did try to keep them in character. The part to fit with the fourth requirement seems sort of thrown in when I re-read it, but other than that, the story seems -mostly- reasonable. Here it is.

She knew that he liked watching her. The ways they showed that they cared for each other may not have been considered terribly romantic, but it was those subtle interactions that let her know he loved her. It was simple, such as when he would watch her sip tea out of a cup and admire how gracefully she did it. Or when she would watch him as he rested after a tiring spar and offer a drink as refreshment. They knew they loved each other, by the simple gestures. At nineteen and twenty, their places in life in relation to each other had progressed beyond the former relationship of merely of Heiress and Protector. It had gone on to the stronger bond it had been growing towards since they had met each other at the young ages of three and four.

At the current moment, they were staring at each other. This situation had happened many times, where they would look at each other, examining the soul and mind with their eyes, but never physically touching. It let them know that they were truly not so different, and that the only thing separating them was a seal upon the forehead denoting status as a member of the Branch Family. It was a fact that Branch and Main members of the Hyuuga Clan rarely mixed. When it happened, the mixed children generally went to the Branch Family for having tainted blood. It was all to protect the purity of the Bloodline.

They had never kissed or even hugged.

Just stared.

They often looked at each other and examined the thought processes of the other. They were not so different. Underneath the seal, he was just like her.

He was not permitted to initiate contact. One time, she touched his hand, and he stiffened before accepting it. He could not touch her because of the vows he had taken, so it was surprising to them both when he suddenly lifted a hand near her face and touched her lightly with a fingertip. She held back a gasp and stayed still, to tell him she accepted it. He understood and attempted to trace with his digit for a moment before rigidly moving his hand away and clenching it.

He could not touch her.

Then, they parted.

When Hinata awoke the next morning, she was afraid it had just been a dream. Anxiously, she reached her fingers out, as though trying to grasp it before it could disappear. A slight thud against the wooden floor was heard, and she opened her eyes wide. She had accidentally pushed a wooden cup of water to the floor.

There was a knock at her door before Hanabi slipped in. The younger child glanced at the spilled water. "Our father wishes to see you in half a hour."

Hinata's eyes darted to the liquid on the floor and then back to Hanabi. "I…"

The younger Hyuuga girl frowned at the delay. She understood that Hinata wanted to clean up evidence of the spill before anyone else could see it. Hanabi stepped inside and then closed the door behind her. "I will take care of it. Just start getting ready." The elder female nodded and stepped behind a screen to where her clothing was. Meanwhile, the younger silently retrieved an abandoned towel from the floor and soaked up the spill before wrapping the chipped cup inside.

"Thank you, sister," said Hinata quietly as she stepped out from behind the screen and started to arrange her hair.

"It will be about your…" Hanabi swallowed, rolling the vile-tasting word around in her mouth while considering whether or not to release it. She would have preferred to leave it inside, so that she would be able to be tormented by it alone, but someone else would tell her sister even if the young child chose not to speak it. No, it would be better for the news to be given by closest kin. "…betrothal…" she ended.

Hinata gasped slightly and froze.

"It is Akira," continued the child blithely, choosing to ignore the terror she could feel in her sister. "Our honorable father and the elders believe it is good for the Hyuuga clan. He is from the Main House, as we are, and they say he will treat you well…" She trailed off, realizing how downcast Hinata seemed. The uncomfortable silence became longer, and then Hanabi added a line. "Because you are the heir to Hyuuga."

The blue-haired female lowered her head and pushed her index fingers together nervously. She did not wish to speak. Heir to Hyuuga… that was a reason for many things.

"You do not want to marry him, do you?" asked Hanabi, though it was not really a question. She settled the towel onto the floor carefully and walked over to start brushing the blue hairs for her sister, as Hinata seemed to have become motionless. In response to the question and statement, the heir gave a slight nod, which her sister noted. "I know about our cousin, your protector, but it cannot be. You are Main; he is Branch."

The younger girl watched for a reply with her clear eyes.

No words were required to explain what was thought.

The crumpled smile on Hinata's face was enough.

"The marriage will take place a month hence. It is an auspicious day. We have decided that four weeks should be ample time for preparations."

Hinata listened respectfully to the words of her father. She disagreed with the "we" a bit, since she had not even known until after it had been decided, but she understood what was expected of her.

"What is that around your wrist?" asked the Head of the Hyuuga Clan suddenly. He gestured towards a nearly concealed paper band peeking out of the sleeve of Hinata's jacket. His daughter silently opened and closed her mouth while trying to decide what to say. Impatient and curious, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her sleeve up to take a closer look.

"Father…"

"Silence," ordered the Head. He rotated her arm to see more of the paper band. His blank eyes narrowed as he realized that the paper was of woven reeds and that words on the paper were written in blood. It said, quite clearly, "Our blood cannot be denied." The mind of Hiashi Hyuuga spun as he tried to decide who it could be from. In a few moments, he had a guess. However, he did not speak of any names. "You should remove that band. It is unseemly for an engaged woman to wear the blood of another."

She nodded obediently as usual, but it was not yet certain to herself whether or not she would obey.

"He may or may not attend your wedding, as he wishes, but any interaction between the two of you will be delimited after that event." With that final comment, he signaled her dismissal.

"…and that is what happened," ended Hinata, smoothing a crease in her jacket. She had left out the matter of the blood. Hanabi looked solemnly at her elder sister while Neji stared emotionlessly at the same. They were in various positions, scattered around in a more restricted area of the gardens. None were permitted to enter but those given permission or those of the Main House, so it was likely the three cousins could have a conversation uninterrupted.

Hanabi was sitting on the ground and had been playing with the stones and a dagger. The game consisted of throwing the weapon at certain stones. "So what happens now?" she wondered. Her hand moved as she spoke. There was a sharp sound as another dagger hit a chosen target.

The only male present turned almost coldly to the youngest. "She will wed."

"Why?" asked Hanabi. "You could elope."

A moment of silence greeted the unrealistic suggestion. "Hanabi, you are a child," stated Neji. The brown-haired girl bristled at what she felt was an implied insult. "Do you not understand?" continued the boy. "It is all that can be done."

"Hanabi, if I were no longer an element, you would take my place," interrupted Hinata softly before Neji could continue. "It would be you exposed to the arranged marriages, the problems, the scrutiny. I cannot leave you to such a fate."

The one being addressed lifted her head and looked directly at her elder sister. "I cannot leave you to such a fate," she echoed.

"Stop your nonsense," said Neji. Hanabi turned her gaze on him. There was a pause as the two stubborn Hyuuga's stared at each other coldly. Hinata looked worriedly at both of them, unsure of what to say or do. It would have to be settled between themselves.

"I see," said Hanabi finally. "It is Hyuuga or you." She pulled on her sister's garment and started to draw Hinata away from the gardens and away from their cousin. "I tire of this conversation. We will leave. Good-bye, cousin."

After they were out of view, the Hyuuga heiress removed a paper bracelet from her wrist and gave it to Hanabi to take care of. The younger glanced at it before quietly slipping it into one of the folds of her clothing. Neither was expected to speak, and neither did.

A week later, Neji was feeling a bit depressed, which was why he was training. Somehow, whacking the practice post let him feel more controlled in a way. It was the fact that she had chosen the Hyuuga clan over him that made him feel this way, even though he understood the choice. It was for the good of the clan. Neither of them had any real ability to make decisions. Still… what if… he shook his head. He was getting distracted. The Hyuuga genius gave another vengeful hit at the post.

Someone put a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened at the contact and turned around to see his teammates, Lee and Tenten. He looked impassively in their direction. Both of them seemed uneasy. Tenten's hands were clasped behind her while Lee's arms were limp at his side.

"We heard about your cousin's engagement," said the green-clad one.

"Can I help either of you?" asked Neji monotonously, hoping to end the encounter quickly.

The female touched a hand to one of the tightly pinned buns on her head, signifying her awkwardness. "We are concerned about you," she blurted.

"Ten---" started Neji.

"Injuring yourself will not help."

The Hyuuga narrowed his eyes. "I am training."

"Take a break with us," broke in Lee. "All great men must enjoy some of the springtime of youth."

"We insist that you come," put in Tenten.

Neji then realized that they were going to stay here until he agreed. So, he went with them to Lee's home. He told the story to his two teammates, and then…

"You should do something," shouted a voice. Naruto Uzumaki came into view, looking down at them through the ceiling before he fell down in a heap in front of Neji.

"Who else is here?" demanded the genius, getting ready to use his Byakugan if they refused to show themselves. Somehow, he knew that there was not only one eavesdropper. From different locations, some of the students who had been in Hinata's year appeared. Ino and Sakura stood up from behind the table. Shino climbed in from a window, followed by Kiba and his dog, Akamaru. Sasuke dropped in from the same hole in the ceiling as Naruto.

"This is so troublesome," complained Shikamaru as he came out from a shadowy doorway.

Neji looked sternly at the children around him. He considered them children, at any rate, even if they were only an year younger, mostly at nineteen, than he was, at twenty. "There is one more of you." He knew there had been nine. Taking away Hinata made eight, and taking away the first one who had appeared made seven. Only six had materialized.

"Chouji is in the kitchen," explained Ino. The boy in question walked out of the mentioned room a few moments later, munching on a sandwich.

"What are you all doing here?" questioned the clear-eyed male.

Shikamaru shrugged and crossed his arms. "I got dragged along because of them." He nodded his head towards the others.

Sakura frowned at his remark. "You do not want to see Hinata marry that person any more than we do. Admit it."

"And some of us care about you," said Tenten. It was obvious from the nonchalant poses of Shikamaru and Sasuke that neither of them belonged in the "some of us" category.

Neji inwardly groaned at what had happened. If he had any doubt before that they were children, any questions were eradicated now. How could they hope to alter anything and how could they think that they could alter anything? This event was set. It could not be changed. But how had they found out? He voiced it.

"Does it matter?" asked Naruto. "We have to do something!"

The Hyuuga had little doubt if Hinata still had the same affection she had for the blond a few years ago, she would have been speechless with pleasure at how concerned he was on her account. Unfortunately, she no longer held that degree of attachment and the clear-eyed boy found it only annoying. It was expressed so loudly. And the situation itself was irritating. Here were eight children who wanted to do… something for something that could not be helped. He doubted they could help.

"Hey!" shouted the rather loud blond. "You are not even listening to us."

With a calm, emotionless façade, Neji studied Naruto for a moment before turning to the others. "You can do nothing." He left the room and the people left heard the front door close.

"That was useful…" sneered Sasuke. He had thought this was a waste of time from the time it was suggested.

"Now we can have a party instead," cheered Naruto.

The next morning, Hinata was visited by three friends. Sakura, Ino, and Tenten walked in. From their perturbed demeanors, Hinata knew they wanted to talk about something. She had a good idea of what it was. It would be about her betrothal, even though none of them were supposed to know that she was not so inclined towards it. Someone had obviously been loose of tongue.

The Hyuuga heir smiled at them. "Greetings… what brings you here?"

"Naturally, your wedding," said Sakura cheerfully.

Part of Hinata wished to ask them not to mention it, but she did not desire to show any unwillingness on her side to the arranged event. "Thank you," she said quietly, turning her eyes to her index fingers as she pushed them together.

"We came to tell you that we are going to come to your wedding," put in Ino.

"Thank you," repeated Hinata, still not looking at them.

"Why make yourself unhappy?" sighed Tenten. The other three were surprised at her hasty remark and turned to her. "And not only are you unhappy, but so are other people."

Hinata knew that if Tenten had belonged to any of certain clans with Bloodline Limits, she might have understood her situation better. Of the three who had come, only Ino Yamanaka came closest. The Yamanaka family had, in more recent generations, been showing more skill in the Mind Transfer Technique. Before, it had been random, skipping around between generations and siblings. They had attempted to strengthen it by making the blood purer until it was discovered that it was matrilineal. If there were to be no more Yamanaka females, the developing Bloodline Limit would be lost. On the other hand, there was something like the Sharingan, which was of a dominant gene and generally passed on to all descendents.

The Byakugan depended on purity of blood. Of course, there were sometimes deviations, but generally, the purer the blood, the more likely it was that a child would carry on the trait. This was why Hinata had to marry inside the Main House, where the blood was purest.

Luckily, Ino replied while Hinata sought to explain her responsibility to continuing her line with purity of blood. "You feel duty towards your clan to do as they say."

"So it has to happen," stated Tenten, sighing as she spoke.

"Yes," confirmed Hinata almost inaudibly.

In another part of their village that same morning, Neji was training again.

"Training too much is not good for one's health," remarked Lee as he watched.

Neji did not speak, but aimed for another hit.

"Indifference to the worry of others is not good for one's health, either," continued the green-clad boy.

"I am trying to train," stated Neji firmly. "Please leave me."

"Training is all right, but training to hide from problems is not," replied Lee wisely.

Neji stopped and walked to his teammate. "What do you want?"

He received a cryptic reply. "Sometimes, you need to protect important people you care about." Then, Lee shot off.

A long while later, on the morning of the wedding, Hanabi was helping her sister prepare. The sisters had turned away all the maids, preferring to have as much time together as possible before the event.

"You look really nice, Hinata," complimented Hanabi.

"Thank you," replied Hinata quietly.

In the silence, Hanabi slipped the bracelet she had been given onto the table. Hinata leaned back slightly, to look at the item properly.

"Hanabi, what are you…" started the bride-to-be before trailing off. The younger gave a slightly twisted smile in response before tying the paper around her sister's wrist. The bloody words stood out somehow, and they repeated themselves in Hinata's mind and shifted. "Our blood cannot be denied… our bond cannot be denied… our love cannot be denied…" It was true. Hinata could not deny the blood, the bond, and the love they shared. The blue-haired female understood what her sister was encouraging her to do. She sucked in a breath of air noiselessly while trying to decide what she would do next. "I need to go," she said softly before leaving the room, bracelet still around her wrist.

Hinata ran to where her cousin was. She knew that he would be in his room, preparing to attend the wedding. He was her Protector and would have been at the front to see her attached to another. "Neji…" she called, while standing In the doorway.

He turned to her, surprised to see her considering the wedding was that very day.

She stepped inside and closed the paper behind her before speaking. Her voice was soft and her words were quick. "Your duty consists of protecting me, but it also includes protecting my happiness. The only way I can be happy is to be with you."

He shook his head, not choosing to understand what she meant. "It is not possible."

"Possible, but improbable." She paused and walked across the room to where he was and put a hand lightly on one of the long sleeves of the ceremonial robes he wore. "Unless you would be unhappy."

"Hinata---" he started before cutting himself off abruptly.

"Neji?" she prompted.

"Yes," he answered, taking her hand in his and clasping it firmly. He did not draw his hand away soon afterwards.

It was the second time he had ever touched her and initiated the contact without permission. But it meant much more than just a breach of conduct. Hinata smiled inwardly in joy. It was unnecessary for the heiress to ask what her Protector agreed to. She knew him well. However, she knew nothing could come of it if they stayed. "We… we could go." Her suggestion was soft and barely audible.

He smiled slightly, the first change of expression he had made since she had arrived in his room. "I always have wanted to see the Land of Mist," he remarked.

"Mayhap we could see it."

Activation of the Byakugan was not permitted during special ceremonies unless explicit permission was given, so it was easier to leave the Hyuuga compound that day. Nearly everyone was already in the Ceremony Room, and once inside, they could only use their usual vision. The only ones in their way were some servants, who could be ignored, and a few scattered guards, who were quickly overpowered. Then, the pair was on their way to freedom.

The heiress looked back only once, to say farewell to her home.

Hinata's yearmates and Neji's teammates were waiting for the wedding to begin when Hanabi sauntered up to them with a satisfied grin on her face. "The wedding is not in another half hour, but I am afraid the bride has disappeared," said Hanabi much too cheerfully to seem worried or disappointed. The constant talking others did around them shielded the rather delicate topic of their conversation.

"Disappeared?" asked someone.

"Yosh! The power---" started Lee loudly before Tenten clamped a hand over his mouth. It would not do to draw too much unnecessary attention.

"You really should go," advised Hanabi, idly glancing up at where some of the Hyuuga Council and other important members of her family were seated. "It may be… difficult to leave later on."

They took the suggestion, realizing that it was indeed a sound recommendation. Who knew what the other Hyuuga's would think at finding their heiress gone and the outsiders who disagreed with the event that had been going to happen still around? Suspicion would have to fall on someone, and it was as likely as not that they might accuse the other children of poisoning the elopers' minds or something similar. The ten left, whispering amongst themselves of this and that.

Of course, Hanabi had expected this all to happen since the beginning--- she was the one who had attempted to manipulate everyone else by dropping choice hints here or leaking a bit of information there. If asked, she could always claim she was just practicing for her future position as chief interrogator of Konoha. (Positions like that often required the skill of manipulating people.) Either way, it had all turned out fine.