Sorry for the long update, I have no internet at home, so I have to work on the school computers...TT
Chapter 2: Shimmering Sensations
Somewhere
They made quite an odd pair, the Hyuuga and the blonde. Naruto, for some reason unbeknownst to Neji, had a smile the size of Japan smeared like grease all over his face as he eagerly dragged the Hyuuga along the sidewalks towards the small plaza in the middle of the city. Neji, out of a rare impulse to humor the blonde, readily complied, though with a decent level of wariness due to the fact that he'd just met Naruto and wasn't quite sure what to make of him. After a short while, Naruto stopped skipping and slowed to a light, buoyant walk as he spied his destination. He tugged on the Hyuuga's sleeve and abruptly pulled him into the nearby booth, sitting both of them down at the counter.
"Oi, Oji-san! Miso chashu today, please!" The peals of Naruto's tenor danced through the air, and a kindly looking man dressed in a chef's uniform wandered out of the back room, smiling warmly at the blonde.
"Right away, Naruto-kun." He turned to Neji. "And what about you?" Neji's brow creased in perplexity.
"I'm sorry…I don't quite understand…." He could've sworn that Naruto's eyes surpassed their regular size by a factor of four.
"You mean you've never tried ramen before?" He said in a tone that suggested at instant death for those never indulged in the heavenly food. Neji shook his head. Naruto immediately assumed a visage not unlike that of a trained expert commenting on a largely knowledgeable subject.
"Okayyyy…first of all, you're not allergic to anything, right?" At Neji's negative response, the blonde grinned.
"Great. We'll start with shrimp chashu first, okay? Oi, Oij-san! One shrimp chashu please!" He turned and immediately started inhaling his soup, pausing only long enough to mutter a garbled "Itadakimasu" to any available audience.
A rare smile touched Neji's lips as he watched the blonde's enthusiasm. Naruto positively reeked of innocence, always seeming to find something right with the world. His mind started to wander back to their first encounter but was quickly distracted by a steaming bowl of noodles and a pair of chopsticks set in front of him. He looked up, startled, into Teuchi's kind, wrinkled face. The old man smiled and invitingly waved a hand at the meal.
"Go on, eat up."
Neji thanked him and savored his first bite of ramen, the bursts of spice exploding along his tongue in little spurts of hot. Naruto, now halfway through his seventh bowl, exhibited a most fascinating display of chewed noodles at the Hyuuga as he grinned, then finished his bowl and called for another helping. Neji slowly finished his own bowl and settled for sucking gently on his chopsticks, staring thoughtfully at Naruto through opalescent eyes. Eventually the blonde looked up and returned Neji's stare with his own glittering azure counterparts.
"Is something stuck in my teeth?" He asked, head cocked jauntily to the side. The sarcastically innocent way he said it startled a laugh from the Hyuuga.
"I don't believe so."
"Then why are you staring at me like I have something stuck in my teeth?" Naruto retaliated. Neji raised one delicately amused eyebrow.
"You are the one who assumes I'm staring at you in such a manner." He countered. The blonde giggled.
"No really, why are you staring at me?" He prodded. The Hyuuga arched one chiseled, sloping shoulder.
"Is there a crime in watching you?" He asked. Naruto shot a glance at the ceiling in thought.
"Noooooo….it's just that you do it all the time." He widened cobalt eyes that sparkled mischievously.
"Am I really that alluring?" He said in a low, mockingly seductive tone. Neji, blatantly missing the innuendo by a distance of at least four miles, answered honestly.
"Yes. You're very good-looking, you're extremely humorous, and your attitude seems to be perpetually positive. I admit I do find interest in watching you and how you act." He said in a perfectly calm voice. Naruto's face could reduce an egg to charred remains.
"Uh…uhm…w-w-we-eeellll…thanks, I think….b-but really, you bestow upon me too much esteem…" He muttered, suddenly finding drastic interest in the scratched counter of the booth. Neji blinked.
"Did I do something wrong?" He asked. Naruto turned an even deeper shade of red, his face promptly setting the air around it on fire.
"Wellll…unless you're…uhm…in love with the person and she knows it, you're generally…not supposed to…uhm…tell them how you feel about them." He mumbled, fingernails drawing intricate designs into the wood of the counter, his only answer a crimped mouth from the other.
"Why not? I find a very strong attraction towards you. That is not a negative comment, so why should I mask how I feel?" The Hyuuga probed. If blushes could light a fire, Naruto's countenance would have blown up the world.
"Erm…well…it's like a…a society thing, you know?" He blurted out. Neji leaned back, what looked like comprehension flickering in his snow-white eyes.
"I see…so though I seem to find you very fascinating, I am not to tell you?" The universe was officially toast as far as Naruto's face was concerned.
"Too late now, you've already told me…" He said in a barely comprehensible garble. Neji wouldn't say it wasn't hard to keep a straight face, Naruto looked so outrageously red.
"You're lucky to experience this with me…anyone else, particularly a girl, would either try to snag a piece of that ass or punch your lights out…" Naruto articulated, complexion and expression reverting back to normal. "Be thankful I'm so nice." Neji laughed and fluidly stood from the booth, laying a handful of bills on the counter.
"My treat." He said with a conspirational wink. Naruto grinned in surprise.
"Thanks. I'll pay you back later; right now, I have to get to class." He flipped open a piece of paper and studied it carefully.
"Let me see…oh, you have science next?" He said thoughtfully. Neji inserted slim fingers into his pocket, suddenly alarmed.
"Would you care to tell me how you came upon that information?" He asked. A lazy smirk dripped idly onto Naruto's features as he waved a small piece of paper.
"Does this look familiar?" He artfully spun a small square of paper between supple digits. A scandalized look appeared on Neji's elegantly carved visage.
"You have what is mine!" Laughing, Naruto, handed it back, his sultry smirk widening to the point where he looked more like a fox than a human.
"How did you manage…" Neji trailed off, at a loss for words. The blonde shrugged casually, inspecting one long, slender nail.
"Past experiences." His expression indicated closure of the matter, so Neji didn't press him. Naruto whirled past him with a flourish, and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.
"You'll want to go that way to reach the science buildings. I've got Macroeconomics next, so I probably won't be seeing you soon." He grinned and waggled fingers at the Hyuuga.
"Cheerio, dahlin'." And with that, he sauntered off in the opposite direction.
Neji watched him go, a most unusual look of amusement on his face. Naruto was a indeed a great enigma, with his hauntingly captivating eyes that seemed to hint at some form of latent, desperate sadness. Two slender fingers touched his lips in thought as the Hyuuga turned away, the rest of his day spent lost in the mists of reveries.
Memo
To: QPC
From: SRN
Subject: Target analysis
Sir,
Cause of subject's emotional error revealed to be past subject 791-543. Observations show no sign of instability; further interactions with present subject may produce unstable effects. Please advise.
Memo
To: SRN
From: QPC
Subject: Re: Target analysis
Continue closed observations. Report any signs of instability in target or present subject.
It wasn't until later that night that it suddenly occurred to him to look in the mirror. Elegant brows came together as the thought crossed his mind, and Neji stood up, eyes zeroing in on the lavishly adorned mirror sitting on top of his dresser. The Hyuuga crossed the room and peered into the reflective surface, painstakingly studying every detail of himself. His hair was rather long, but he liked it that way…and then it hit him, the small detail that had been plaguing his mind all day. His eyes were completely white. Well no, not completely…they had a silvery-lavender tint, but he noticed that his pupils weren't visible. He supposed this wasn't common; people in his classes were constantly muttering about whether he was blind or not, and he had yet to meet someone other than Hiashi or Hizashi to claim the same eye color. Hizashi…that was it. He would ask the vivacious mentor himself about the matter at hand.
He stood in front of the embossed wooden door and rapped tartly on the frame; there was a brief scuffle, and a minute later Hizashi's form stood in the doorway. The older man smiled welcomingly at Neji's tall figure.
"Is there something you need?" He asked, then gestured Neji inside, closing the door with a sharp click. The Hyuuga crossed the room and sat at the invite.
"Why do my eyes lack color?" He inquired, interlacing his fingers upon his lap. Hizashi let out a brief, quiet sigh and indicated a hand at his own two orbs.
"As are mine?" At Neji's nod, Hizashi continued.
"My brother and I are part of a very prestigious clan known as the Hyuuga clan. The Hyuuga, as a result of a radical genetic mutation that happened generations ago, possess the ability of heightened eyesight, also known as the Byakugan. By channeling energy to our eyes, we are able to see up to fifty meters' distance, 365 degrees in either way. Now, ever since Hiashi has studied bio-engineering, he's been obsessed with creating the "perfect Hyuuga", a being with above-average traits. In the process of creating you, he deliberately altered your genetics to match that of a Hyuuga. So in essence, you are part of the Hyuuga clan as well." Neji nodded, absently soaking up all of the information laid in front of him. A thought occurred to the younger Hyuuga and he looked up.
"How do you access this so-called trait which I have?" He questioned. Hizashi smiled cryptically.
"Oh but you have done so already. Have you not ever felt a hot, liquid sensation in your eyes, especially after a certain amount of straining them?" Neji sat bold upright, stark realization chiseled on his finely-sculpted features.
"Then…then, that's what I experienced? I just assumed there was something wrong with me." The comment sent Hizashi into a brief period of laughter.
"You are above average in all of your traits, Neji. One more shouldn't surprise you." He stood and clapped one warm hand on the younger Hyuuga's shoulder.
"It is getting late, and you have school tomorrow. Sleep now." With that, he ushered Neji out of the apartment and gently closed the door behind him, leaving the younger Hyuuga to sort out the heavy barrage of thoughts that had just crossed his mind.
So, what do you think? Oh, and by the way...THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS! schnuggles you all
