Neji's Vacation: Secrets
Author's notes: So Neji visits an old temple and finds out something about his clan. Oh and he writes a letter.
Rated M for sexy times between male characters, swearing, and gore.
I don't own the characters but I'm taking liberties with them and their universe.
Sorry for not updating this sucker as frequently as Bonds. You'll notice I'm making up for it today. Happy holidays. ;)
The next day Neji dressed in his loose black pants, high sandals, and a loose black shirt with no sleeves. He tied his hair into a high pony tail and put his bandana in place over his curse seal. Neji took his wallet with him as well as his room key and strode into the lobby a few minutes before 10AM. Toju was waiting for him and grinned.
"Got the full body massage, huh?" Toju asked.
Neji grinned but nodded. They met with a tour guide, an older man with dark skin, deep wrinkles around his eyes wearing dark shorts, a light shirt, and carrying a walking stick. Despite the man's hunched back and cracked sandals he kept a brisk pace through the village. They met up with another group of tourists along the way and Neji was glad he had decided to wear his bandana. His eyes were getting enough attention.
Their tour guide stopped them a few minutes out of the village in front of a fenced off area with an open gate and a bored looking security guard sitting on a stool near the gate. Neji spotted a gift shop to one side but kept his laughter to himself.
"We are about to enter the ancient ruins of the Lost Temple of Warabi," their tour guide said.
He had a smile on his face, revealing yellowed teeth with one missing. His gray-brown hair fluttered in the light breeze and Neji watched as the man waved to the enclosed area behind them.
"Lady Warabi was a powerful priestess said to be capable of bringing the dead to life. Her powers were frightful to the villagers who lived here many centuries ago and their fear led them to charge her temple, kill her acolytes, and burn her at the stake."
With this their tour guide entered. Neji noted their group consisted of fifteen people, mainly younger couples to middle aged couples all wearing traditional tourist clothes consisting of sunglasses, big hats, sandals, and loose but airy clothing.
Neji kept with Toju and the group as they entered the ruins. The trees were immense and vines of creeping plants grew over the cracked stairs leading up to the temple. The foliage was thick on both sides and Neji felt a bad energy in the air, old and lingering.
The steps themselves must have been bright white at some point but lack of care had made them fade and crack. Arches soared above their heads made of weathered wood that at some point had been painted a golden color. There was writing on each arch but it was too faded for Neji to read.
"Many people believe Lady Warabi's soul never left the temple. At the time the village had been rich in farming lands and full of people, one of the largest villages besides the Hidden Hot Water Village where our shinobi reside."
They started climbing the stairs. The other tourists took pictures of the wild blooms growing in the foliage and wrapping around the trees. There were ropes around some trees with old scraps of paper coming off them and Neji wondered at it.
"Within a year of her murder all the farmer's lands became infertile, rendering everything dead and no one able to grow anything."
Neji frowned as they continued climbing the stairs. The temple before them was massive, easily four stories high with pitched roofs that must have been white at some point. The walls of the temple had been painted gold but it had flaked off.
"The farmers were the first to move on then the merchants. Soon the village shrunk to the stubborn folk who decided to use the bubbling hot springs as a sort of resource."
They came to the final stair and stood in the courtyard of the temple. At some point there had been a garden here but it had grown wild. The paths were reduced to cracked rubble in a haphazard pattern all except the main path to the temple's front doors which would have been wider.
Even so, vines grew over the path in front of them and cracks littered the main path. There had been a five tier fountain at some point but it was half-destroyed thanks to weather. The water in it looked like slime and moss had grown over many places on the fountain.
Statues dotted the gardens and Neji assumed they had been beautiful at some point. Like everything else the statues were cracked, some missing limbs and others missing heads. Oddly enough the statues still had their tarnished gold necklaces with fist-sized gems. All of them were of a beautiful woman, half dressed and Neji assumed this to be Warabi.
"The hot springs began to dry up until the sole village priest began to pray to Lady Warabi for forgiveness."
Neji looked around the depleted garden but thought the place still had a sort of beauty to it. Their guide led them into the temple with a smile. The front room was immense, cracked honey-hardwood floors and paint flecking off walls. There was a full painting on the ceiling dulled now from time but showing the night sky in perfect replication with constellations and a moon.
Their guide kept talking as he led them through to the main prayer area full of gilded statues, honey wood benches, and old wax candles. They stopped in what used to be the kitchens and Neji found the area oddly clean compared to the rest of the ruins. He knew why a moment later.
Two chefs began to prepare lunch for them and Neji listened as their tour guide said their lunch would be prepared in the way of Lady Warabi's time. They ate as the tour guide kept talking. After lunch they toured the dusty library full of ancient books Neji wanted to thumb through. They entered Lady Warabi's chambers, full of musty silks, dirty windows, and dust covered furniture.
The painting of the ceiling was dull but in its prime would have been a bright rainbow between two clouds on a bright blue sky. Every bit of silver and gold was tarnished but still in its proper places. Lady Warabi's hair combs were neatly arranged on a dresser along with her hair brush. The tour guide said anyone who took something from the temple would die within a week. Neji thought it was a good way to detour stealing and gently ran a finger over a hair comb.
"There are many other rooms in the temple and for the next three hours you are free to wander. We will meet at the kitchens and if anyone is late, I and the cooks will come track you down."
Everyone chuckled but people began to disperse. Neji and Toju strode out of Warabi's rooms and waited in the hallway as people began to wander the maze of the temple. The tour guide headed towards the kitchens but Neji did not stop him.
"I'm going to head back to the library," Neji said.
Toju chuckled.
"I thought so. I'm going to find the tapestry room. It's said to hold pieces made of golden silk and gems," Toju said.
Neji raised an eyebrow in interest then grinned.
"You know, with my Byakugan I can get us to the tapestry room in minutes," Neji said.
Toju grinned and nodded. Neji activated his Byakugan and began to search through the hallways. He found the room and described it to Toju who nodded happily. Neji began leading the man through the temple, keeping Byakugan activated and was glad he saw nothing suspicious in the hallways.
He de-activated Byakugan once they got to the door of the tapestry room. Toju's hand trembled a bit when he pulled aside the screen and they stood in the threshold of the room, gaping.
The tapestries were in fact made of gold, actual gold thread and woven with a plethora of gems in every color in the spectrum to depict scenes of waterfalls, forests, and Warabi herself. Neji stepped into the room with its dusty hardwood floors and stared around in amazement.
"By god," Toju said.
"No one's been here in an exceptionally long time," Neji said.
Toju inclined his head in agreement and gently ran a hand over a tapestry of a waterfall. Neji noticed the water fall was made of the smallest sapphires and diamonds he had ever seen. One of these pieces would make a person as rich as the Hyuuga clan. Toju clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"She had a lot of donations to get these made," Toju remarked.
Neji nodded in agreement and they wandered the room. There were fifty tapestries in all simply hanging in the massive empty space. The walls behind the tapestries had been left bare as had the ceiling and a single rotted out pillow was in the middle of the room. Neji stared at the sheer beauty of the place in wonder.
"Well, let's head to the library," Toju said.
Neji inclined his head and activated his Byakugan. Toju shut the screen behind them with a smile and they strode towards the library. They had spent an hour in the tapestry room and had about the same to walk the shelves. Neji did not mind and soon they were looking over dusty, faded covers.
Neji paused at one and ran a finger over the title engraved in the leather with what looked like gold. Toju stopped by him and had to squint a bit to read but once he got the words, his eyebrows raised. Neji carefully took the book off the shelf and opened it as delicately as he could.
"Hyuuga Bloodline Secrets," Toju said lightly.
Neji nodded. Most of the print was faded but he could make out the words describing his clan's kekkei genkai. The first few pages described how the Byakugan could be passed down but this Neji knew. The next chapter covered the basic Byakugan and Neji knew this as well. The Gentle Fist was described as were the techniques Neji knew.
The fact a book like this was in the Land of Hot Waters was the surprise. The fact the book covered everything about the secrets of his Byakugan made Neji's throat dry. He could not take the book nor could he destroy it. He could hide it somewhere else in the place though.
Neji was about to close the book when he caught something of interest on the contents page and frowned. There was a genealogy in the last few pages but the title which made him blink was "Red-Eyed Byakugan."
"The hell is the Red-Eyed Byakugan?" Toju questioned.
"I don't know," Neji replied.
He doubted even Hiashi-sama or the elders knew. Neji flicked to the pages to see them in decent enough condition. The chapter was merely five pages and Neji almost began reading. The tap of a walking stick made Neji have to pick the book up off the floor and he saw the tour guide coming towards them with a smile.
"Found something interesting, Hyuuga?" The tour guide asked.
Neji bit the inside of his lip to keep his lips from parting. Toju's eyes narrowed and Neji widened his own. The tour guide chuckled.
"Remember, you cannot remove anything from here," The tour guide said.
Neji inclined his head but he did not want to let go of the book. Gods, there was a secret in the book the clan didn't know; something that had been buried for centuries in a village the Hyuuga had never lived.
"Am I allowed to return and copy the information in this book?" Neji enquired.
The tour guide smiled but nodded. Neji let out a breath and closed the book. The tour guide led them along but noticed Neji had taken the book with him and the tour guide raised an eyebrow.
"I would rather it be in a place a normal person cannot stumble upon it," Neji said.
The tour guide nodded in understanding and waved him off. Toju smiled at him as Neji activated his Byakugan and took off. He was back in the tapestry room within moments but kept his Byakugan activated. Now he could see the hidden cubbies behind each tapestry. Neji smirked to find most of them concealed books, journals that Warabi had written. Their tour guide had spoken about Warabi's hidden journals and Neji contained his chuckles as he added the book to one of the journals behind the tapestry of Warabi.
"Thank you," Neji said to the tapestry and bowed.
He took off again, careful to shut the door of the room before joining the rest of the group in the gardens. A few people gaped at him and he de-activated his Byakugan. The tour guide chuckled and explained who Neji was.
"So, you're a shinobi?" someone asked.
Neji inclined his head in the positive and people muttered in awe. Neji strode beside Toju as they left the temple and Neji wished he could simply run ahead to grab the journal and pens so he could return to copy the chapter. It would not take him long, perhaps an hour or two but he wanted to know the secrets.
The tour guide said they were free to go at the post they had met the other group at and Neji stopped him before he could wander off. The tour guide smiled up at him and chuckled.
"That is the only tour and normally people are not allowed back into the temple after hours. But, you are a shinobi, high ranking obviously, with a special dojutsu which allows you to see through things, see anyone around you, and likely allow you some semblance of night vision normal people do not have. I would wish you good luck sneaking in later but you won't need it."
With this the tour guide nodded and strode off. Neji blinked and made to head back to the temple but Toju stopped him. Neji raised an eyebrow at the man and frowned.
"Wait till it gets a little darker. Besides, you need something to copy that chapter with and some food in your belly to keep your chakra up," Toju said.
Neji had no choice but to agree with Toju's logic. He followed the man back to the inn but glanced back towards the temple. This would be a better vacation than Neji had ever thought.
Sneaking into the Temple of Warabi at night proved to be much easier than Neji had thought. He simply walked out of his room at the Azure Waters Inn, strode through the village until the sky became dark then walked towards the outskirts of the village. No one stopped him or even inclined their heads in his direction.
Neji activated his Byakugan and took off towards the temple. There was one guard posted at the front entrance so Neji easily entered the surrounding forest by jumping the gate far from the guard. It took a while for him to navigate through the dense, wild foliage but he made it to the stairs at about the half way point. Neji took the stairs the rest of the way up and found the temple and its gardens void of life.
Neji kept his Byakugan activated as he quiet opened the front doors of the temple. He closed them behind him in blinked in the exceptionally dim light, letting his eyes adjust and gathered the little light there was from moon coming through the windows. Neji ran through the hallways towards the tapestry room and gently pulled back the screen.
He closed it behind him before finding the Hyuuga Bloodline Secrets book where he had left it. Neji settled beside the pillow and took the candles he had stashed in his vest out. He lit two of the five far from the pillow and in little metal bowls so they would not drip wax on the floor. Neji de-activated his Byakugan and blinked in the darkness.
He sat beside the candles with his back at the pillow and the candles a good distance away before carefully placing the aged book onto the floor in front of him and turning the pages to the chapter he wanted.
Neji pulled out the journal and a pen before copying out the chapter. He transferred it to code as he copied but still the words came to his mind. Neji had to stop a few times in thought, stunned at what he read before he could continue on. Finally he copied the entire chapter and sat back on his hunches, thinking over what he had read.
Apparently the Byakugan could evolve to take on traits of the Sharingan, namely the ability to copy any jutsu they see and the perception to be able to copy delicate things like pencil movements or read lips. Neji could technically do both all ready. His Byakugan could see in extreme detail to the point he could read lips and he had learned the Hyuuga family jutsu by watching.
The interesting point was the Byakugan evolution did not stop there. Potentially he could gain the ability to use the Sharingan's Genjutsu abilities and hypnotize his opponents. He could also gain the Mangekyo Sharingan and Susanoo. All he had to do was experience extreme emotions while in battle, much like an Uchiha but to higher levels. He had to almost die after getting pissed about seeing a comrade either killed or almost killed.
The transformation from normal Byakugan to Red-Eyed Byakugan might blind him in the process as whatever chakra he had left would go straight to his eyes. If his tenketsu points didn't explode from being over-filled with his angry and want to protect chakra then his white eyes would gain a red hint and a pinwheel formation as a pupil.
He would not be able to deactivate the Red-Eyed Byakugan though which meant anyone who looked into his eyes would be under his control. He would constantly see things in great detail and be able to copy whatever he saw. His Byakugan would still have to be activated along with the Mangekyo Sharingan and Susanoo. He would also be able to see color with the Byakugan instead of inverted black and white as well as gain almost double whatever his furthest distance field was. If he had the blind spot (which he didn't) then it would be gone. Nothing would be able to trick his eyes, no genjutsu or any other ocular technique.
The downside of becoming blind from overuse would not apply to him but it would take a lot of chakra not only to get it but also to keep it. Anyone who did manage to activate it lived till their sixties if they were lucky. Shinobi mortality was high for anyone in their forties who was active but according to the book even if he stopped going on missions when he was in his thirties and spent his days safe in a village he would die before turning sixty because of the Red-Eyed Byakugan.
In the final decade of life he would barely be able to look into the night sky without pain in his eyes which meant he would pretty much have to live with his eyes covered, blind until he activated the Byakugan. The few who had made it towards the upper fifties had experienced extreme light sensitivity even with their eyes covered and killed themselves because they could no longer take the pain.
Neji let out a long breath and ran a hand through his hair. He closed the book and replaced it in the cubby, giving thanks to Warabi for allowing him entrance and the ability to copy and hide the book. Neji settled in front of his journal and frowned.
It was no small wonder why no one had activated the Red-Eyed Byakugan. Hyuuga were taught from birth to be calm, cool, and always in control of their emotions. A Hyuuga getting upset and angry during a mission while seeing a close friend dying would simply not happen. The Hyuuga would grind down the emotion, take out the enemy then help their dying friend.
Hell Neji had almost died taking out an enemy to protect his friends as a genin during the Sasuke Retrieval mission and he had not activated the Red-Eyed Byakugan. There were a few times where Lee or Tenten had almost died on a mission and he had been angry and upset but not activated the Red-Eyed Byakugan.
Neji sighed again and scowled at his journal. The technique would be monumental to activate and he might be permanently blinded if he did try. Despite the benefits of genjutsu, Mangekyo Sharingan and Susanoo, the Red-Eyed Byakugan was not worth the risk of trying to activate it. Nor was it worth giving up his life and living his last decade in constant pain because of light sensitivity.
Neji tucked his journal back into his vest and activated the Byakugan. He blew out his candles and made sure nothing looked disturbed in the tapestry room. No one had found it since him and Neji doubted anyone would after him. Even if they did they would not look behind the tapestries unless they took one down and no one with normal eyes could see the opening for any cubby.
No, only a Byakugan user could find the book with its secrets. Neji put a seal on the cubby anyway before leaving the way he had come in. He left one of his candles at a statue of Warabi where it did not threaten any kind of burning and gave her thanks again. Neji left the temple and headed towards the inn with his discovery. Now he had to consider whether or not he told Hiashi-sama about this. At least he had three more days to think on it.
Thursday morning greeted Neji with birds tweeting in the gardens. Neji sat up in bed and yawned. His journal sat on his night table where he had left it. He did notice the clothing he had left from his first day here had been laundered and returned while he had been out during the day. All his clothing except the clothes he wore to sneak into the temple had been hung up in his closet for him.
Neji put the traveling clothes he wore last night back into place before going through his morning bathing, and grooming routine complete with moisturizing and hair brushing. He sat on his bed when he was finished, still naked and considered what he could do today.
He knew he would meet Toju and Kado in the hot springs sometime around thirteen hundred hours, three hours from now. Neji had not minded spending the past few days with the two but today he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. Neji dressed in his comfortable pants, a mesh shirt and his low sandals.
He made sure he had his journal, a pen, and the book he had not finished before walking towards the sushi bar. Neji ate a rather large breakfast before stepping out into the gardens. He walked along the paths, ignoring the few people out and found an empty bench somewhere deep in the gardens surrounded by red roses.
Neji smiled at the fragrance of the flowers before settling on the grass in front of the bench. He sat in lotus position and mediated for an hour before going to his journal and re-reading what he had copied last night. He came to the same conclusion when he was finished: The Red-Eyed Byakugan would not be worth activating despite its obvious benefits.
By all rights Neji should tell Hiashi-sama about his find. Neji knew his uncle would reach the same conclusion about the Red-Eyed Byakugan as would Hanabi-sama and Hinata-sama. The Hyuuga elders might not. They wanted every advantage the clan could garner even if it meant putting certain members through horrible trials. The Red-Eyed Byakugan would mean the Hyuuga clan could replace the Uchiha clan, not that the Uchiha had a chance at revival.
Sasuke was the only Uchiha left and unless he impregnated a dozen regular civilians every year for a few years, the clan was dead. Even if he did the amount of Sharingan users coming from Sasuke and a few dozen civilians would be minimal. If he got a dozen Sharingan users out of forty-eight it would be remarkable.
No, the single way to keep the Sharingan from extinction would be to allow Orochimaru to experiment on Sasuke and create shinobi with Sharingan, fake Uchihas, such as it was. Neji hoped Sasuke would never sink to that level.
Neji had a feeling Hiashi-sama would keep the secret of the Red-Eyed Byakugan to two people: Neji and Hiashi-sama. Hiashi-sama knew how the Hyuuga elders would think and would not dare risking anyone's life to replace a dead clan. Neji knew (as would Hiashi-sama) the first Hyuuga they would try to activate Red-Eyed Byakugan in would be Neji.
His Byakugan was the strongest in the clan so it would make sense he would be able to activate the secret technique before anyone else. Neji would not, could not do something like activate an evolved form of his dojutsu not when it required him to potentially lose it when seeing someone close to him almost die, not when it would potentially blind him, shorten his lifespan and make him live in pain the last years of his life because of light.
Neji sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. He had to tell Hiashi-sama in absolute privacy about this. No one could overhear it, no one. Once told he would burn the first few pages of this journal to ash so no would could find it and break his code. If he could destroy the book in the temple he would but so far he had been the only Hyuuga to find out about this in four centuries. The chances of another finding it or the book lasting so long were mote.
Neji put the Red-Eyed Byakugan out of his mind and turned to a fresh page in his journal. He tapped his pen against the blank page then started detailing his past few days, adding in a bit more emotion than he normally would.
Neji flushed when he got to Roku's massage and did detail his thoughts about Kankuro throughout. He left out his discovery in the temple yesterday and sneaking to the temple that night then hummed. The pages were in a different code but he would not be so embarrassed about someone finding this.
Neji went to another blank page and tapped his pen against it for a while, thinking. He nibbled on his lower lip as he thought about what he wanted to say to Kankuro. He would write it out as he was hardly good with spoken words, having the same issue as Hinata-sama when it came to feelings. Plus he could not travel to Suna to deliver a message to Kankuro. It would have to be a letter with a flower.
Neji scribbled a few words, frowned and crossed them out. This process continued over two pages until finally Neji had something he was okay with:
Kankuro,
I am not sure if you have been informed but shortly after I had the heather sent to you I went on vacation for a week. The break was meant for me to get away from Konoha and to think about Shikamaru and you.
A few things happened while I was in the Azure Waters Inn and Spa in the Hot Waters country. My first night out I met a handsome man and brought him back to my room. We kissed but I realized it did not have the same spark in it as when you and I kissed, as when Shikamaru and I kissed.
I did not get instantly hard. I did not want to thrust into him or let him in me. I pushed him off and he left with just a taste of my lips which makes me feel horrible. I know we are not official but I felt (and feel) as if I cheated on you by allowing some nameless stranger to kiss me. I apologize for allowing it to happen.
I know being drunk is not an excuse but I should mention it. You know how messed up my feelings have been and the booze did not help matters. Regardless, a kiss was all the man got. Not even a good one as I did not respond as I do with you.
The kiss did make me realize something. I do not love Shikamaru. I had a crush on him, I feel connected to him because of what we shared and how we seem to know and understand what the other wants and feels without having to ask. But that is not love.
I also found out I have powerful feelings for you. I am still unsure if it is love but I know I do not want another man besides you to kiss me and touch me. I want to be with you, to care for you, and to have you care for me. I do not know if these feelings are forever or if they are being made stronger because of what happened between Shikamaru and me.
I doknow I want to take a chance on these feelings. I want to be with you. I want to be loved by you. I want to date you, to kiss you, to have you kiss me, to make love to me, to touch me, and to comfort me and talk with me, cuddle me and laugh with me. I want you.
These feelings were further emphasized when I got a massage from one of the people here. He asked if I wanted him to straddle me but I instantly thought of you and said no. The massage was full body but I did not allow him to touch me anywhere intimate nor did I let him take care of any issues that arose because of the massage. I wanted youthere to take care of those issues and thought of you when taking care of it myself.
Even sitting here now penning this letter and thinking about the times we've been together makes me smile. It's not just the sex either. It's your kindness. The little smiles you give me, the conversations we share and your general caring towards me. You make me feel wanted, special, and loved. I want to make you feel the same.
I want us to be official and exclusive. I want us to be boyfriends. I hope you feel the same?
Yours,
Neji
He read over the letter twice before deciding it was as perfect as he was going to get it. By the time he had it tucked into his journal he realized it was almost seventeen hundred hours. Neji stood and walked towards the sushi bar again, ordering and eating happily. Once he finished dinner he strode to his room.
Neji found a note taped to his door and blinked before ripping it off. It was from Kado, simply telling him to enjoy the day to himself and met the two in the morning if he wanted. Neji grinned and entered his room.
Again Roku had been through to tidy things for him and Neji smiled. He ate an apple while watching the sun set over the gardens through his window then went about reading until it was too dark. Neji undressed, locked his door, and settled into bed.
He could not send the letter to Kankuro until he got back to Konoha in a little over two days. Even so he would need to speak with Ino about the proper flowers to send. Temari would not have the same plant book so Neji would have to make sure he sent along a note in the flowers so Kankuro had the correct meaning.
Neji sighed and closed his eyes. A smile came to his face. It would be a complex few days but this, unlike the Red-Eyed Byakugan, would be worth it.
Reviews welcome, next chapter coming soon. It'll be the last "Vacation" chapter.