Well, is it hard understanding
I'm incomplete?

A life that's so demanding
I get so weak
A love that's so demanding
I can't speak

I am not afraid to keep on living
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey, if you stay
I'll be forgiven

Nothing you can say can stop me going home

~ Famous Last Words - My Chemical Romance

Bonus Prompt:

Change

They say that change only comes with time. They also say that not many people can adapt to abrupt change or are in any way susceptible to sudden emotion.

Such has always been the case with Neji.

"I will change the Hyuga!" Naruto had once proclaimed to him.

Even as Neji lay defeated on the ground, he had scoffed at the absurdity. Preposterous. How was an outsider supposed to change centuries worth of lineage and carefully followed tradition and structured values? Fate had marked him at birth. Destiny could not be changed.

Yet, here she lay, the mother of the brat's child. A child born of passion, breaking decades of tradition, if not centuries. The lineage had indeed changed, and change in their clan had not come in a way neither of the men had imagined in the past or were ready to accept.

No matter how many times he tried to deny that destiny could be re-written, it was not the first time he had escaped every man's true, inevitable destiny, for her or because of her. The first time had been when their village was invaded by Pain.

He could've left her there, alone. She was dying anyway and it was a risk to his own life to breach the barrier. Yet his legs had carried him amidst the wrath of a false god and a Kyubi's crossfire to retrieve her broken body. Had Pain not been distracted by the sudden eruption of the Kyubi, he would've clashed with him. Neji would have died honorably, blade in hand.

The second had been at war. If not before, then he was definitely supposed to die in that war, fulfilling his destiny as a Branch member of the Hyuga protecting the Heiress of their clan. Yet, he had somehow survived, even with the kiss of death all over his body. He had opened his eyes to see Hinata twisting fate, like she proved to do once more in the future, her lips on his. That fated kiss was breathing life into him. She had fed him with her life energy, and he had hated every single breath he took to inhale the green chakra emanating from every tenketsu of her body. He had tried opening his mouth to argue, but he had coughed blood. She continued to pour her life's force into him till she had dropped down over him, fainting herself. He had not been able to argue with her, and the matter was never talked about.

Always protecting her, always pitted with her or against her, and always bonded since birth, he had actively tried to seek death as an escape. He wasn't suicidal, no. He just liked to be actively in charge of his own destiny. The only destiny Man cannot change is Death. Yet, somehow, Death liked to play a strange game of trickery with him. It spared him, as if he still had a mission left to fulfill.

He carried her in his arms. It was a miracle that all the commotion hadn't alerted the women standing guard outside. Blood dripping to the hardwood floor, she lay meek and beautiful, staring back at him with glazed eyes. She tried to smile, but the pain changed her expression into a grimace.

He tried to heal her. His knowledge in medical ninjutsu did not surpass hers in any way, and he knew that, but he knew enough to ensure that her condition did not worsen. His chakra turned green as it emanated from all 361 of his tenketsu, trying to do what she had done for him before. He called out to the women outside. They were skilled medical nins.

She coughed blood as she tried to smile once more at his futile attempts.

"What-what are you… trying to do?" she chokes.

He was spared an answer as the women rushed inside and gasped at what they saw. The younger one almost uttered a scream, but Hinata's midwife slapped a hand on her mouth. She had a feeling Neji wasn't the one to have hurt her - based on the mere fact that he was trying to heal her - and that he did not want to call this to the clan's attention.

She rushed in to help, emanating a stronger green chakra compared to Neji's. She found the fatal spot and concentrated hard on the wound. The other woman, finally getting a hold of herself, rushed in to the same.

"S-stop trying to h-heal me… It's-it's o-over…" Hinata says in a faint voice.

The midwife, Hinata's and Neji's caretaker since they were young, started to realize just how deep and precise Hinata's wound was. She knew exactly where she was aiming, and she had done a clean job. There was not much that could be done. With growing horror, she looked at Neji. Her face clearly spelled out that Hinata had more or less sealed her fate. She had meager minutes to live, depending on how fast she bled out.

"Neji-sama, there's not much we can do," she says, terrified, like her own blood was running cold. "We're just wasting our energy. She needs advanced facilities. She has ruptured her heart, and it's… it's…" She gulps. "Hinata-sama has a maximum of fifteen minutes to live. We need advanced facilities."

Neji met her eyes, and she looked at him back in some sort of meaningful satisfaction. It was over.

But his mind was spinning. This was all happening so fast. He had still not even grasped what had happened. But… he thought he knew what needs to be done. If fifteen minutes was all he had, he was going to try to make it work.

But… why was he suddenly so intent on saving her life? Her life had held no meaning to him, except bondage. Her death would actually smooth over everything. He no longer had the responsibility to protect her.

It was the same reason he had chosen to end his own life in the first place and not hers.

He took her in his arms and stood up. He walked towards the window, kicking the locks open with a mighty blow. The women fell back at the sudden eruption. The wood broke apart, shards and splinters raining over them. He jumped out, landing skillfully out on a nearby tree before jumping on the next before the previous branch had even taken time to register the impact.

Hinata snuggled against his chest to try and remain secure. She was having more and more trouble breathing. All she could do was whimper as she felt any sort of strength slowly leaving her body.

"Where… where are you… taking me?"

She had spoken quite softly, but his trained, attuned senses could make out even a drop of water from the opposite end of their compound.

"To Tsunade-sama or Shizune-sama," he said, his voice strained in urgency. "I cannot involve senior Hyuga medics if there is even the slightest chance you can be saved. The clan would get involved. Shizune-sama knows how to heal a wound dealt to a Hyuga. I had my own life saved by her back when we tried to retrieve Sasuke."

"N-no," she protested. "Do not… Do not make me hate you more!"

"Enough!" he shouts. "You've done enough!"

She thought it was her shivering, but she began to realize that it was actually his arms which were trembling. He, Neji, was scared.

But it wasn't his place. She had decided that her life was in her own hands. If she could not be with her child, if she had to treat him as deceased and worry for his life every waking second, then she had no reason to live for anyone. Staying alive meant staying without her child, which devoid any reason to live whatsoever.

She conveyed to him as much.

"I will never forgive you if you deprive me of my last wish."

He stopped suddenly. He adjusted carefully again, feeling her clammy forehead and the pulse on the side of her neck. Then, just as suddenly, he changed directions.

He was no longer headed towards the hospital.

"It is your life to decide what you want. The least I can do, as your protector and husband, is to give you what you want."

She looked at him, surprise taking over her dull senses.

"I'll take you to meet your child," he says softly.

Joy! It was only when her life was in peril that she was being given what she wanted. If she had known before, she would've taken a previous attempt on her life more seriously.

It was the night before their wedding. She was in the bathroom, darkness enveloping her, kunai held in her wrist over the drain as water fell on her from the shower. With a quick slash, she slit her wrist. She gasped as her life's blood poured out of her veins and dripped down her fingers.

Just as quickly, before she lost her nerve, she slashed her other wrist. She fell on her knees, head against the wall, sobbing her heart out. She had been in good control over her emotions so far. She had put on a brave front and a meek appearance in front of her clan, but in the darkness of this world, here she stood alone.

There was a knock on the door, three knocks followed by each other as if hesitant.

She sniffed, catching a hold of herself and trying to sound composed.

"Who is it?" she hiccupped, still on the floor as she watched her arms bleed out.

Nobody answered. She closed the shower tap, still sitting. Just as she had started to think she may have hallucinated due to the loss of blood, she heard silent footsteps slither slowly away. Her senses were attuned just as well too.

Sighing, she healed herself. Maybe she had the strength to go through with the marriage. Nobody could stop her to continue to see Naruto if she wished. Neji may have her body, but not her heart.

At the shrine the next day as they held hands while they read their vows, she cursed her life. He held her wrists and his thumbs were placed exactly where she had slashed herself, and she once again thought how she wouldn't be there if she hadn't chickened out.

As she lay in bed with him that night, unwilling at first but passionate when he surprised her with a unique sort of pleasure she soon grew to love, he had gotten up in cold sweat after having had a bad dream. He looked back at her, as if scared that she wasn't real. At that moment, Hinata understood that he hated his life as much as she herself hated hers. His demons were real too.

She put a finger on his lips as he had tried to speak. "You don't have to," she had murmured.

His eyes had closed as serenity cloaked his face. He opened them and she knew that he saw the marks on her wrist, the ones of self-harm. Self-conscious, she slowly retracted her finger and took it away. He lay back in bed and, out of character, he reached out tentatively and pulled her closer. She dug her fingers into his hair once more.

Hinata wished now that she had allowed him to speak. She was curious now as to what had gone through his mind. Was it him who had knocked on her door the eve of their marriage? If so, why was he there?

They had reached a door. She slowly opened her eyes as she saw her husband barge in uninvited. They saw Naruto, the father of her child, eating instant ramen as he watched the television on mute. He started as he saw them.

"What the fuck?" he said as he rushed towards Neji.

There was a backpack on the edge of the couch he had been sitting on. In between them was a carry cot.

Superhuman energy crept into Hinata's veins on the verge of death as she was when she heard a baby cry at the sudden noise.

The two men helped her on the couch, and Naruto swore again as he saw the wound on her chest.

"WHAT HAVE YOU BASTARDS DONE?" He yelled. "You told me to wait well after midnight before I travel away and she'd be fine!"

Hinata smiled as she raised her hand.

"I… me," was all she could choke out. She pointed to her child, whom Neji had already held as he brought him close to her. She could hear him talking faintly to Naruto, and Naruto scream in return.

"Why the fuck didn't you take her to a hospital?!"

They were all background noises to her as she smiled, because the child looked at her and his cries started to settle.

"You recognize your mother, don't you my child?" she tried to say, but could only move her lips without sound. Her fingers grazed his head slightly as she felt him.

Neji had crouched next to her, trying to heal her again. She wanted to shake her head. She was sleepy. His attempts were futile. All he would be successful in doing would be diminishing his own energy.

She turned to him to tell him exactly that, but what she saw shocked her awake the second time in barely 15 minutes.

Tears. Hyuga Neji never cried, but his eyes were filled and overflowing with tears as he took the hand lying limp on the couch. She was almost gone, but she heard him say the words in the recesses of her brain, his voice echoing.

"Don't leave me."

Hinata smiled as she sunk back into the couch, her eyes rolling upwards as she started to slip away into sleep once more. Sudden emotions were erupting out of her husband, a man who had never been able to handle or accept abrupt change.

"I lied. I can't go on without you."

She may have dreamt it all. Throughout her life, ever since his father died, this man had not displayed such naked emotion, especially his fears tied to his personal longing. But this change he'd have to make peace with.

"You're all I have left."

Yes. Hyuga Neji was definitely a changed man. He had always proudly proclaimed that he needed no one.

"I'll do anything."

It was an interesting offer. But this change may just have arrived too little too late.

"Please stay. Forgive me. Please. For everything."

All of his pride and ego had shunned aside, rather completely vanished, like it had never existed.

"I am afraid to walk this world alone. I can't - I can't go back home."

She sighed. She felt like she was observing this scene like an outsider. Neji, who had her in his lap, convulsively shaking her to wake her up. Neji, who had always acted like nothing she could say could stop him going home.