Introducing Hyuuga Hatomi
Author's notes: Neji cross-dresses, which means no, Hyuuga Hatomi isn't a new character. Hatomi is Neji wearing make-up and in a dress. 'Nuff said.
Oh, wait: I'm lukewarm towards Ino's character and can totally see her hogging all the attention from the other girls when she wants a guy. She does redeem herself...eventually.
Also: remember this story came out of nowhere. I was free-writing and this kind of happened, just like everything else thus far. And yeah, Neji ends up liking his female half. Eventually. Enjoy. ;)
Rated M for sexy times between male characters, swearing, drinking, and gore.
I don't own the characters but I'm taking liberties with them and their universe.
Neji knocked on Sakura's room door at seventeen hundred hours. He had packed an over-night bag, eaten his ramen and taken a nap from thirteen hundred hours to sixteen hundred hours before going out to shop for ice cream. Sakura opened the door and as typical he took off his shoes before heading to her bedroom to change while she made popcorn.
She wore shorts in red and a white tee shirt as pyjamas and Neji changed into his black jogging pants and a thin sleeved black shirt. He rolled out his sleeping bag, grabbed his teddy bear off her bed, and put his clothing away. He made sure his journal with Kankuro's note was within easy reach before sitting in lotus position on his sleeping bag.
Sakura came in without knocking but he did not mind. She had seen him naked before. Sakura kicked her door closed then placed the popcorn in front of him along with movies. Neji let her set up another movie they wouldn't really pay attention to but stopped her before she could start on his hair.
"Read the notes first," Neji said.
Sakura raised an eyebrow at him but sat in front of him to read Kankuro's note. Her eyes went wide and she stared giggling. She gasped when she read over Neji's letter to Kankuro then screamed and hugged him.
"Oh my god! I guess I don't have to ask how your week was! Don't you think you're moving too quickly though?" Sakura asked.
Neji shrugged. He fiddled with the bear's foot and Sakura instantly saw the nervous tell. She groaned and waved her hands in the air.
"Urg, I don't mean to burst your bubble but last Friday you were still confused and hurt. Though I guess trying to make out with another guy and being rubbed down by one put things in perspective," Sakura said.
Neji chuckled. She hugged him. Neji grinned and she put his journal and Kankuro's note next to his bag as she got behind him. Neji hummed as she started brushing his hair. He began snacking on popcorn.
"So what kind of bouquet did you give him back?" Sakura asked.
"Lilac, hyacinth, pansy, red and yellow tulips," Neji answered.
Sakura stopped brushing and went to her closet where she found her old Flower Language book. She gasped when she got to tulips then shook her head with a smile on her face.
"First love, sincerity, loving thoughts, declaration of love, and hopelessly in love. God, you must have made Ino fall off her stool and we'll be able to hear Kankuro's happy screams from here," Sakura said.
Neji laughed.
"That's the intention," Neji said.
Sakura tossed her book back into the bottom of her closet then sat behind him again.
"Or he'll come running across the desert without even asking permission, go find you, then grab you, spin you around in his arms and kiss you," Sakura said.
Neji flushed as she giggled and brushed his hair.
"That would be nice," Neji muttered.
She snickered at him. Neji snacked on more popcorn as Sakura began styling his hair. Neji enjoyed the scalp massage and half-closed his eyes. He kept his hand in the popcorn bowl, too relaxed to raise it and heard Sakura laugh at him.
"So, how hot was this other guy?" Sakura questioned.
Neji opened his eyes and grinned.
"A little taller than me, amber eyes, thick blond hair, not long enough to hit his shoulders but you could get a grip in it if you wanted, a nice toned body and tanned. Good ass too," Neji replied.
Sakura giggled and Neji felt her braiding his hair. The braid somehow tied in the hair on his scalp not just the free-flowing length of it and Neji found this curious. He made no remark as she kept braiding.
"Good kisser?" Sakura asked.
"Yes but, well, you read my letter," Neji answered.
She hummed in response. Neji said nothing as she started on the other braid. She finished both with pink ribbons tied into bows and he smirked. She stuck her tongue out at him and re-arranged his bangs.
"How was the rest of the trip?" Sakura asked.
"Good," Neji said. "I met two retired jonin who ate with me, talked with me, and went out to drink with. Toju went with me to the Temple of Warabi and I spent three or four days in the hot springs. It was amazing, really, thank you for recommending the place and getting Tsunade-sama to pay for it."
Sakura grinned.
"No problem, you deserve it after everything you've been through. Though, that does add another month to our sleep overs," Sakura said.
Neji chuckled as she applied lipstick to his lips. She had done his eyes while he talked. She finished with a pink ribbon around his neck and smiled at him.
"Done," Neji said.
Sakura shook on it then went to her earrings. She clipped dangling hearts to his ears and he hummed. Sakura gushed, took the picture then handed him the mirror. Neji blinked at his deep red lips with faint blush. His eyes were smoky, thickly this time, and he had hints of sparkles on the lids. His hair was braided from the front of his scalp down to the tips in a sultrier look, made a bit less sexy because of the ribbons.
"Huh," Neji said.
"What?" Sakura asked.
"If you change the ribbon to red elastics, take off the one around my neck, and change the earrings to something more, elegant, I might actually wear this out," Neji answered.
Sakura gaped at him before almost tripping over her feet to do as he had suggested. Neji winced when she pulled a clip on earring off a bit hard but she didn't notice. The ribbons were changed out to red hair elastics and the clip on earrings changed to large silver hoops. The pink ribbon was pulled off and tossed to a side. Sakura grinned, took another picture then gave him a look.
"Yeah, you're right, that looks better. And you look totally hot," Sakura said.
Neji snorted at her and looked again in the mirror. The hair elastics and earrings went better with his hair and make-up now. He did look hot.
"Please, like I don't look hot without this," Neji said.
Sakura laughed at him and he put the mirror down. Sakura fixed his bangs again and Neji smirked before eating more popcorn, minding his lips. Sakura chortled at his care before sitting in front of him and grabbing a hand.
She hummed as she looked over her nail color options then picked out a deep red shade. Neji watched in interest as she painted his nails the dark color and tilted his head when she finished with his right hand. He had been able to take excellent condition of his nails so they were a bit long, more of a woman's length and rounded nicely. The red polish was dark and would be black in low lights.
"I like this color," Neji said.
"Oh yeah?" Sakura asked.
"Yes. You're not taking it off tomorrow," Neji told her.
Sakura stopped in painting his left hand and looked up at him with wide eyes and parted lips. She blinked.
"Seriously?" Sakura questioned.
Neji nodded. She shook her head in awe and went back to his hand. When she finished he held his hands steady and away from everything so the polish wouldn't smudge. He blinked when she pulled his legs out of lotus position and began to paint his toes nails.
"Wow, your feet are really soft too," Sakura said.
Neji flushed then shrugged when she looked at him.
"It helps I've been in hot springs and getting massages for a week," Neji said.
Sakura giggled at him.
"Yeah but I've got a feeling they're normally this soft and well taken care of," Sakura said.
Neji blushed when she met his eyes. She had to stop painting his toe nails she was laughing so hard then went back to it when she got over her giggles. Neji sat still as she finished her task. When she finished she got him to wave his hands around a bit then checked his nails.
"Still a bit tacky but you should be good in like five minutes," Sakura said.
Neji huffed. He had never bothered waiting for the pink to dry because it would come off in the morning. Now he wanted to keep this color and waiting would be difficult. He flushed when Sakura capped the nail polish bottle before tucking it into his bag to take home. She put his journal and Kankuro's note back in his bag then gave him a look.
"You know, you're about my size," Sakura said.
Neji did not know whether to feel insulted or not at the implication. He could not get up or move since he wanted his nails to dry nicely so watched as she went digging in her closet for something. She made a sound of victory and pulled out a black dress.
Neji raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing. The dress was short, would only hit Sakura's mid-thighs and instead of sleeves tied up around the back of the neck. It was made of a shiny black material and dipped low in the back.
"You want me to put a dress on?" Neji asked.
"It'll go with the hair and make-up, plus it's black," Sakura said.
As if the color solved everything. Neji frowned. Sakura tossed the dress onto her bed then went back into her closet. She brought out a two gel like things and sat them beside the dress. Neji kept quiet as she found a pair of black heels and held them up to his feet.
"Nope, your feet are too big," Sakura said with a pout.
Neji felt relief. She checked his nails and pronounced them dry enough he could move. Then she tackled him and started trying to strip him. Neji yelped and pushed her off but damn it she was using the insane strength of hers to keep him down and take off his clothes. Neji was nude before he realized it and she had his bag and his night clothes.
"Sakura, what the Hell?" Neji questioned.
He ignored the fact his voice had cracked and got to his feet, not bothering to cover his groin as she had seen him naked. She took off and he gaped as she left the room. Neji peered into the hallway and saw the curtains were up in the front room. Unless he wanted to run past open curtained windows naked he was not getting to Sakura.
She came back down the hallway without his belongings and Neji scowled. No, she had one belonging: his thong. She pushed him back into the room and Neji huffed.
"Seriously?" Neji asked.
"If you want the rest of your clothes back: yep. Oh and unless you put on the dress you're not getting your stuff back," Sakura replied.
Neji huffed. He grabbed his thong out of her hand and tugged it on before going to the dress. She giggled when he gently took if off the hanger and blinked at it. She gave him a look.
"I don't know how to put it on," Neji said.
Sakura laughed at him before coming over. She told him to step into it and he did. She tugged the top up over his chest before undoing the knot holding the collar together and flicking both pieces over his shoulders. Sakura tied the dress in place before stuffing the plastic things down the top. Neji gaped at his sudden breasts.
"Huh, so that's how you make yours look bigger," Neji said.
She smacked him but he chuckled. Sakura tugged the hem of the dress down a bit and Neji saw it was scandalously short on him, barely covering his ass. Sakura adjusted his fake breasts then fixed his mused hair and make-up from their struggle on the floor.
"Wow," Sakura said.
She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyebrows raised and she had a grin on her face. She had stepped back to take in his full form and Neji blinked.
"Seriously, wow," Sakura said.
He tilted his head to a side in curiosity and she pulled him towards her full length mirror. Neji looked into the mirror and stared. There was no way the person in the mirror was him.
The woman in the mirror was made up of mostly legs, soft curves and petite breasts. Her skin was porcelain smooth, her hair elegantly done and her make-up emphasising high cheek bones, pouty lips and large eyes framed with dark lashes. Her entire body was slender, graceful, and elegant.
Neji turned as did the woman in the mirror and he saw the scars on his back. Sakura hummed at this then went to her make-up bag. She began patting down his back with a white puff thing and the scars began to disappear. Soon they were gone completely.
"Too bad my shoes don't fit you. We could totally go out and no one would even recognize you, Hyuuga eyes or not," Sakura said.
Neji nodded. He kind of wished her shoes would fit him. Damn the look on Ino's face when she spotted the Hyuuga goddess taking all the attention away from her. Neji ran his hands down his sides to smooth out the dress and turned to face his front again.
"Is it bad I'm actually comfortable in this?" Neji questioned.
Sakura giggled at him.
"Well, you do like guys," Sakura said.
Neji inclined his head in agreement. Their tousle on the floor had made a few fly away strands of hair appear in his braids but it helped, not hindered. Neji bit the inside of his lip then looked down at Sakura. She blinked at him.
"My sandals wouldn't work with this, the higher ones obviously?" Neji asked.
Sakura gaped then ran out of the room. She came back with his bag and his sandals. Neji tugged them onto his feet and stood. Sakura grinned.
"Perfect! Oh my god, let me take a picture then get changed. We are so giving Ino a run for her money tonight," Sakura said.
Neji struck a pose for her and she smiled before taking the picture. She made his tattoos disappear by wrapping thick black ribbon around his wrists. Neji left the room so she could dress and she was out in ten minutes. Sakura wore a red dress with no sleeves that went to her knees and clung to her curves.
Her makeup matched his: smoky eyes, sparkles along the lid, red lips, and a bit of blush. Her hair was held back with an elegant hair comb and she wore red heels on her feet. A red purse was over her shoulder and she gave him a little twirl. She looked amazing.
"Wow," Neji said.
"Not as wow as you," Sakura told her.
"But damned close," Neji said.
Sakura giggled at him then glanced at his legs. Neji followed her gaze and she started laughing.
"What?" Neji asked.
"I totally forgot you shave your legs," Sakura said.
"And underarms," He added.
Sakura chuckled but nodded. They strode towards her living room with purpose and Neji almost walked into her when she stopped half way to the door.
"Why do you shave?" Sakura asked.
Neji shrugged.
"I don't like having hair there," Neji said.
She nodded. She snapped her fingers than looked him over.
"You need a name," Sakura said.
Neji hummed. He considered.
"Hatomi," Neji said.
Sakura grinned then nodded. They left her parents' house without a backwards glance. Neji might not get to taste Chocolate Fudge ice cream but potentially giving Ino competition would be worth it.
The club was packed when they got to it but Neji did not mind. Sakura stuck by his side as they navigated the crowd and headed towards the bar. Neji did not need Byakugan to see every male turn to gape at him with wide eyes and dropped jaws. For a moment he thought they had seen through his disguise of sorts but they began grinning and getting hard. Neji smirked then stood beside Sakura at the bar.
"There's Ino," Sakura said in his ear.
Neji spotted Ino in a clinging purple dress that went to her mid-thighs and had no sleeves. Ino's long blond hair was free and she wore purple earrings in her ears. Her make-up remained light, likely a bit of liner and some gloss on her lips.
Surrounding her was a harem of men, all pleading to dance with her and give her drinks. Tenten looked off put in her white dress and hair hanging freely down her back. Some of the other women in the bar looked upset as well as Ino took the attention of every man with her blond hair, buxom curves, and blue eyes.
"This is going to be payback for every time she's ruined Tenten's chances at a guy, my chances at a guy, and every med-nin's chances we know at a guy," Sakura said.
There was fire in her eyes and Neji chuckled. Neji knew all about Ino's ability in completely destroying a friend's chances at a man. Tenten had complained about it enough and Neji knew the blond did it deliberately, especially if she was single. Ino did not want to be the single woman in the group so until she had a man she liked, every other kunoichi she knew would remain single.
"So, what do I do?" Neji asked.
The guys who had seen him walk in were still staring but the ones around Ino hadn't noticed. Neji couldn't just walk over there and, oh shit. Sakura was pulling him towards Ino and Neji was glad he did not fit in Sakura's shoes. He would have fallen over on those heels.
Neji spotted Tenten look up out of the corner of his eyes and she gaped. She almost fell over her stool in her haste to catch up and Neji wanted to laugh. Wait. He couldn't talk. His voice was too damned deep. Ino and Tenten would recognize him immediately. Shit!
"Ino, hey!" Sakura called out.
Everyone turned. The men around Ino gaped as Neji was brought into the circle. Ino's eyes went wide and her smile faltered when she caught sight of Neji. The men had begun to move away from her.
"Sakura, and, a Hyuuga," Ino said with fake sweetness.
"Hatomi, one of Hinata's cousins," Sakura said with the same fake sweetness.
Neji gulped as Ino studied him up and down. Tenten was still gaping and Neji felt something hit the back of his neck. Charka, Sakura's chakra and it was doing something to his vocal cords. Neji blinked then smiled lightly.
"Hello," Neji said.
Holy shit. He sounded like a girl. Damn Sakura was good. No wonder she had put her hand on his back.
"Hm, Hatomi, huh? How come we've never seen you?" Ino asked.
Neji flushed but Sakura giggled.
"Ino, come on! There's a ton of Hyuuga and Hatomi's a branch member so of course we haven't seen her! No offense, Hatomi," Sakura said.
Neji nodded and forced a blush to his cheeks, standing in a way he had seen Hinata-sama do more than once when she was nervous. He bit his lip to add to the effect.
"Anyway, Hinata told me Hatomi wasn't feeling that great because of her boyfriend dumping her so I decided to help out," Sakura said.
Oh my God, Sakura was amazing! Ino blinked but smiled. She believed the story but did not like the look of the competition. The guys had gathered around Neji and were grinning at him the same way they smiled at Ino.
"Well, nice to meet you Hatomi," Ino said.
"Likewise, Ino," Neji said.
Sakura smiled and Neji followed when she said they were going to get something to drink. Half of Ino's men left her side and Neji did blush when he noticed they were following him. Tenten was following as well and Neji said nothing when she sat beside them. Neji had no idea how to sit in such a tiny dress so stayed on his feet.
One of the guys bought his drink and Neji flushed and thanked him. This made the man grin and tell him it wasn't a problem. Suddenly there were more men coming towards him and Neji gulped. Ino had one or two hovering by her but all the others were either looking at Neji from afar or standing near him. This was insane.
Neji sipped his drink and answered the men where he could. After an hour, Sakura dragged him to the bathroom and Neji noticed Tenten was following. Neji said nothing as the hoard followed him (completely ignoring an irate looking Ino) before he was brought into the bathroom.
Neji yelped when Tenten checked under all the stalls then locked him and Sakura in the bathroom with her. Senbon appeared in her hands and Sakura raised an eyebrow at her. Neji gulped and stepped behind Sakura. Normally he would not but he couldn't fight in this dress.
"That's Neji, isn't it?" Tenten asked.
Neji said nothing as Sakura smirked. Tenten raised her eyebrows and Neji offered a wave. Tenten grinned, put her senbon away then started chuckling.
"Wow," Tenten said.
"I know, right?" Sakura returned.
"Damn, Neji, you look hot," Tenten said.
Neji let out a breath and leaned against the counter. The women's bathroom was not so different. All it missed was the urinals and the smell of urine that normally accompanied most public bathrooms. Instead this smelled of too much perfume.
"Getting back at Ino for all the times she hogs the attention?" Tenten asked.
"Yep," Sakura said. "Though it was kind of unintentional, I have to admit. I did up his hair and make-up we made the change to red elastics and took off the pink ribbon, added the hoops and went darker on the polish. Then I stuck him in a dress and thought "yep he's hotter than Ino and she so deserves this." So here we are."
Tenten giggled before stepping up to Neji and looking him over closer. Neji stood a bit straighter and tilted his head to a side. Tenten shook her head, hands on her hips, but had a grin on her face.
"This is so not fair by the way," Tenten said.
"What?" Neji asked.
She laughed at the higher pitch of his voice and he pouted.
"That you make a hotter girl than most girls," Tenten said.
Neji shrugged. They all jumped when someone knocked on the door. Tenten unlocked it and Ino came stalking in with her fists clenched and narrowed eyes. Neji gulped. Ino glared up into his face and Neji did what Hinata-sama would do: cowered.
"Aw, leave the poor girl alone, Ino," Sakura said.
Ino huffed then crossed her arms over her chest. She still glared up at him and Neji shifted along the vanity until he could get behind Sakura who effortlessly stepped in front of him. Yep, he definitely liked playing the shy Hatomi.
"So how come Hinata and Neji have never mentioned you, Hatomi?" Ino asked.
Neji began fiddling with his fingers.
"Ah, well, I don't know Neji-san well even though we're part of the same house. He's intimidating," Hatomi said.
He added a little shudder for effect. This made Tenten cover her mouth to stop from giggling. Ino didn't notice Tenten's reaction. Ino hummed but kept her hands on her hips and her gaze narrowed.
"And Hinata?" Ino questioned.
"Oh my god, Ino, stop grilling the poor girl," Sakura said.
"Yeah," Tenten said. "She's just trying to have a good time. No need to go all jealous-bitch like you do whenever Kurenai-sama decides to go out with Anko-sama."
Ino huffed. Neji almost burst out laughing which would have ruined this but kept it back. Finally Ino flicked hair behind her shoulder in a royal way and stepped back. Neji relaxed.
"Fine, whatever, but I am so asking Hinata about her cousin Hatomi tomorrow," Ino said.
She stalked off and Tenten followed her out. Sakura frowned. Neji let out a breath then started laughing.
"What?" Sakura asked.
Neji waved her off.
"It's okay. I'll send a message to Hinata-sama tonight and explain. She'll talk to Hanabi-sama and it'll be fine," Neji said.
Sakura grinned. She high-fived him and they left to give Ino more of a taste of her own medicine. It was going to be a good night.
I kind of figured Tenten would recognize Neji no matter what. Plus she's seen him in make-up once before. And I figure there have been occasions (though not mentioned in this story as of yet) Neji had to use his ability to pass as a girl when certain altercations are made while on a mission. Plus Neji and Tenten have known each other the longest so yeah, Tenten would see through any disguise.
Reviews welcome and the next chapter will be coming soon.