A/N: Ugh sorry this is taking so damn long. School's a bitch but I'm sure all of you know that well XD
I'm going for an advanced diploma so I all my classes have to be AP or IB. Let's just say working at McDonald's for the rest of my life might not be so bad if all this stupid work is gonna continue for the next five or six years. College is gonna suck balls!
Anyway, because y'all are so nice and sweet, I'm putting up a little bit of a larger chapter. LONGER REVIEWS MAKE ME VERY HAPPY! Love ya!
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Hanabi resisted the urge to cry as she quickly followed her father into the Hokage's building. The pure look of concern that had painted over her father scared her. The message ANBU had arrived outside the complex and asked to speak to Hiashi only.
Hanabi had been allowed to listen as she continued to training to take over after her father. But what she heard had made her wish she had waited outside.
Hiashi wore a hard look on his face, it was twisted with grief but he also had to maintain his composure. The images of the younger Hyuuga's wounds enter his head.
He knocked as he daughter's eyes were glossy and wet, threatening to pool over. He turned to her and whispered.
"Do not cry, you will have to face problems much worse than this. Do not dishonor Neji. He's sick, not dead." He sent a small reassuring smile but it disappeared as soon as it had shown itself.
Shizune opened the door to the small medical room; she bowed and sighed in relief as the two entered the room.
"We don't know what triggered him but he blacked out on us." She offered respectfully to the head of the Hyuuga clan. They walked over to Tsunade who was trying to speak to the dazed look Neji. Shizune shut and lock the door behind them.
"Ugh, He's completely out of it. I've seen people lock themselves out of their conscious but not like this." The Hokage groaned as she snapped her finger next to Neji's face. His blank lavender eyes stared straight ahead of him and his eyebrows twitched a bit. He seemed to try to focus on his uncle and cousin but to no avail.
"Neji-Nii-San…" Hanabi moved closer and remember her father's words. She sniffled and grabbed her brother-figure's hand.
"H-How do we knock him out of it?" She turned to the experience medical ninjas. Shizune turned to her mentor and waited for Tsunade to explain.
"With PTSD victims-" Surprising everyone Hanabi looked panicked and interrupted the Hokage.
"PTSD?!" Her voice rose just a bit above her normal tone but it still surprised everyone that the young girl had spoken out. Hiashi sighed and rubbed the top of her head a bit before returning his hand to his robes.
"Let the Hokage speak." She blushed in embarrassment at her father's words.
Tsunade chuckled a bit before continuing; remember to leave out as much as possible. "PTSD victims can sometimes go into this withdrawn state. It's the brain's way of protecting itself. When a memory or problem appears the conscious will turn itself off. The problem here is we don't know what triggered him."
The Hokage stopped talked and looked over at Hanabi who was thinking.
"What do you mean trigger?" Hiashi asked walking in front of his nephew; he'd seen that bemused over look before. When he'd found Neji outside the Hyuuga complex.
"Well it's something that makes the brain protects itself. Sometimes words or images can trigger these kinds of reactions." Shizune explained as the three women in the room watched as Hiashi left his sleeve fall and raised his hand into the air.
Then with a gasp from Hanabi and Shizune, Hiashi brought his hand down on Neji's cheek and jerked the young jounin's face to the side.
"Neji Hyuuga, stop this nonsense at once." The head of the clan's voice was demanding as he stared down at his nephew.
To Tsunade's surprise Neji blinked confused. His eyes focused and he looked around the room. His voice crack so he cleared his throat he before trying again.
"What happened?"
After Tsunade explained again what she had had just told Hanabi and Hiashi, Shizune escorted the young girl out of the room so the other two could talk.
"Do you know what made you panic?" Hiashi asked his voice still bordering anger.
Neji shook his head and stared at his hands. "I just felt really numb and I couldn't think of anything."
He looked over to Tsunade and remembered "We were talking about my trip and then I felt really weird when…"
The two adults waited as Neji's eyebrows arched into a look of distasteful thought. "I noticed how close we were to me and I lost it…"
Was the Hyuuga becoming scarred of people being close to him? But Lee had be extremely close to him for almost a whole day…so what was it?
The adults let the younger Hyuuga ponder as Hiashi suddenly darkened with annoyance.
"Hokage, what is this about a 'trip'?" Tsunade could tell the elder was angry and wanted to pick a fight.
She met his frustration half way and explained with a hand on her curvy hips. "I was going to send him to a specialist by his own request."
"Where was he going?" The older asked, lightening a bit after hearing Neji had asked. It surprised him as well that his nephew was listening to his advice.
"Hot Springs country."
"That's two days from here for a healthy and well rested shinobi. He is in no condition to travel that far, let alone by himself."
As the two bickered back and forth, Neji became annoyed. He soon regained his pride and spoke a little loudly. "This is my decision, it has nothing to do with the either of you so I don't know why you're fighting over it."
Hiashi sent his nephew a look. "As long as you are a Hyuuga it is my business, Nephew."
The younger brunette's mouth twitched as he realized how disobedient he'd sounded. Tsunade groaned and crossed her arms.
"I can assign a ninja to escort him if that'd make you happy." The woman's suggestion made Neji freeze. He couldn't let anyone else know.
"I refuse." Neji barked, the embarrassment digging a hole into his head. Why couldn't everyone just let him deal with his own problems? He didn't want their help.
The long haired brunette became unusually angry; the surge of rage just kept pumping.
"It's my own life, let me live it! Stop meddling in my business!" Neji stood up and pushed past his elders and left the room, fuming. He barely looked at Hanabi or Shizune with their confused expressions.
He walked quickly and furiously out of the large red building. He threw open the large wooden doors and began running. He infused chakra into the soles of his feet so as he jumped; it lifted him high onto the roofs. He ran across the tiled roof and various buildings, he didn't quite know where he was going but he wanted to get away from his uncle and the Hokage as fast as possible.
He got some strange looks from some of the ninja who knew him but he ignored them, usually he would've acted bitterly and scolding them for starring but he had this heat that filled his gut.
It wouldn't subside as he breathed heavily; he hadn't run or trained since before the mission and it was clear his muscles had become tight. The Hyuuga realized how wore out his healing body was. He jumped down as he reached the gates of the village, slowing to a jog but not stopping.
The gate guards thought nothing of it as several people entered and left the village.
Neji ran into the dense forest brush, careful not to fall or trip as the sweat began to for on his brow and under his headband.
Then the mortification hit him like a truck, sending him flying on his feet.
He'd acted like an adolescent child in front of the two most high ranking people he knew. He'd lost control over something stupid and he could barely even control himself now.
The Hyuuga jumped over a fallen tree and continued spiriting with all his speed. He could've gone faster had he used charka but he couldn't think straight because of all the degrading acts he'd committed.
Then as if he'd hit a mountain Neji ran into something that stopped him with such force he knock the obstacle down and fell past it, hitting the ground and rolling a bit before hitting the truck of a tree and stopped with a sharp pain in his ribs.
Neji hissed as his sensitive wounds sizzled like they were on fire; his sweat only worsened the sensation as if it had burned open sores. He coughed a bit and steadied his breathing as he slowly rolled onto his hands and knees and looked up at what he'd run into.
Lavender eyes widened to see Rock Lee quite winded and on the ground, rubbing the back of his head. The green-loving shinobi sat up and turned to look at his attacker and wore the same expression as Neji.
"N-Neji?" Lee was confused as he began to stand up.
The Hyuuga remembered the night before and how Lee knew everything now, he knew about his shameful and fragile state. Much besides the fact that they had kissed for a good five minutes or so, In front of his father's grave.
No sooner had Neji jumped up to run, Lee was on him. The Chunin wrapped his tan, warm arms around the fleeing Hyuuga and sent both of them to the ground in a crash. Rock Lee had made sure to land on his side as not to fall on top of the pale Jounin.
Neji once again had the air knock from his lungs and his rib cage ached with a dull throb. He glared with lavender eyes at the green-lover who was still wrapped around his torso.
"Lee, as your superior, I demand you release me now!" The Hyuuga pulled again the iron grip of the Taijutsu specialist. His emotions were now past the point of controlling and Neji thrashed around as if he was throwing a temper tantrum.
"Neji, Calm down!" Lee yelled and grunted as the other man elbowed him harshly. But when Neji noticed the taller shinobi wasn't loosening his grip, the brunette did calm down a bit and sat there waiting. The two lay for a moment catching their breath and relaxing after all the excitement that'd happened over a span of a minute.
Lee spoke first.
"What the hell just happened?"
Neji replied bitterly and analytically. "I ran into you at about twenty miles per hour and then you tackled me for no reason."
"You were running away." Lee rolled his eyes though Neji couldn't see it because of their position.
The two were quiet for a bit. The rustling of trees and wind was the only thing that could be heard besides the soft breathing of the two men.
"I'm sorry about last night…" Lee whispered softly against Neji's back. He placed his forehead against the Hyuuga's back and nudged into the Jounin's shoulder blades. Neji felt the tightening in his chest but recognized it as a somewhat welcome one.
"Why?" Neji asked in a monotonic voice as if to sound uninterested.
"Because I invaded your personal space without your permission." Lee continued a bit lighter in his tone not as gloomy.
Neji sighed aggravated, it wasn't like it'd been the first time Lee'd been too close for comfort. The Hyuuga relax his expression and starred at the swaying leafs. He felt the arms around his upper body loosen but not completely let go. Lee moved the arm on top to cross over to the Hyuuga's shoulder.
The Jounin wasn't sure if he should still be angry with the chunin or terrified that Lee knew his secret. His Hyuuga pride kicked in and it refused to let him show any weakness.
"Lee, why did you kiss me?" Now it was Neji's turn to control the conversation.
The Chunin tensed and refused to speak. The brunette groaned and let his head lay on the ground, he shut his eyes and remember the embarrassing moments in the Hokage's office. Neji knew he'd never be able to live down the shame and self loathing he felt for being so disobedient.
How could he have been so damn immature? Neji Hyuuga never lost control but yet he couldn't seem to manage anything lately.
Did he really have a problem?
Neji glared at the ground and contemplated this. He was known for his extraordinary leadership skills and part of being a leader meant being able to accept defeat. The long haired brunette wore a bit of a confused face as he zoned out in thought.
Was he making a mistake? Wasn't he doing the opposite if what he would've done if they'd been in battle?
Neji felt the wave of an unfamiliar feeling. It wasn't quite shame, but it felt similar.
It was pure mental and emotional exhaustion.
"Damn it." The Hyuuga cursed as he hid his face in Lee's tan muscular arm. He was just so tired of feeling like crap. He just wanted to be normal again.
Rock Lee could see the workings of Neji brain as the Hyuuga cringed in a mixture of anger and sorrow. The bowl haired man hugged the long haired brunette close to him and held him tightly. Neji continued to curse and swear as he squeezed his lavender eyes shut.
"Neji?"
"What." A croak came from the Hyuuga; He gripped his fingers into Lee's skin.
"It's okay." Lee brought his other arm to rub the head of the Branch family member. He slowly moved his hand down to the base of Neji's neck, and then brought it back up to repeat. The Hyuuga's arms shook a bit as Neji tried to restrain himself.
"I'm an idiot." Neji sobbed into Rock Lee's arm and hid his face. He couldn't remember the last time he'd really, truly cried. Lee flinched a bit as he felt the warm wet sensation touch his arm. A giant hand seemed to wrap around his chest and squeeze it shut.
"No, you're not." The bowl haired man replied with a shaken voice. Never had Neji cried in front of him before. There had been the incident in the village but the Hyuuga had been half delirious. Lee couldn't fathom the utter happiness he felt, that Neji would choose him to be his shoulder to lean on.
"I've been acting like a child." Neji grumbled through rough tears. He didn't want pity; he hated how Rock Lee treated him so kindly. He felt as if he needed someone to yell at him or scold him. He lifted his head to glare at Lee. He turned so the two of them were facing each other. The two locked eyes and both men froze.
The Hyuuga blinked away the warm water blocking his vision. The gaze coming from the Chunin's black orbs caught him and held him still. He felt the warmth of Lee's skin all at once and realized just how close they really were. They'd been closely hugging for a few minutes now. Neji didn't quite understand why he was so comfortable with Lee touching him but in the spur of the moment he didn't really care.
"Neji" That loud, husky tone made Neji gulp as he saw that Lee was also affected by their little starring contest. The Hyuuga lifted a hand to wipe his cheeks but Lee beat him to it. The green spandex loving shinobi carefully and gently ran his scar covered fingers over Neji's softer and paler skin.
The Hyuuga felt the strangest urge he'd probably had in his entire life. He wanted to kiss Rock Lee.
And he did, surprising Lee very much. Neji crushed their lips together, tears still running down his cheeks. After everything that'd happened to him in the last week he just wanted the stress to disappear. For the moments when he connected himself to Lee it did and he felt so damned relieved.
Neji sucked on the other man's lips and soon felt Lee kissing back even more passionately. Rock Lee was in pure heaven, to think Neji would, first, cry in front of him but then to kiss him, Lee thought he was dreaming. And like hell he wanted to wake up anytime soon.
The tanner man remembered for an instant that Neji was probably very nervous being intimate. Instead of moving to smother Neji he rolled them both over so he lay on his back and Neji on his chest, just like before in the grave yard.
Neji paid no mind he was so focused on the taste of Lee's mouth and how strange it was kissing one of his closest and only friends. He'd known Lee almost his whole life and now they were doing something lovers did.
Lee broke the kiss and rubbed his hand up the sides of Neji's waist. He saw Neji'd stopped crying on the tear-trail marks remained. He lifted his neck off the ground and kissed the cheek bones of the Hyuuga. Neji closed his now sore eyes and enjoy the tender touch of his friend.
"You're in love with me." It wasn't a question.
Lee slowly placed his head against the grass and dirt. He inhaled the afternoon breeze and asked the Hyuuga, meeting lavender eyes with dark charcoal ones. "Does it bother you?"
Neji broke their gaze and turned he face towards the trees. Lee had indirectly just admitted his affection and the Hyuuga didn't know what to say. Did it bother him? He didn't feel anything bad just confusion.
"It does not, But since when?" The Hyuuga glance back to Lee's starring eyes. He sat up a bit. It was quite awkward he didn't know where it was appropriate to place himself on top of Lee. He ended up using his legs to lift him up so he didn't place his entire weight on top of Lee.
"I'd always thought you were pretty." Lee smiled his normal, goofy smile and Neji glared. He flicked the Chunin's nose with chakra.
"Don't call a man 'Pretty'."
Lee inhaled quickly at the surge of charka and rubbed his nose before returning his hand to Neji's waist. He sat in thought and figured Neji wanted the truth.
"Remember back when I had broken my arm and leg?" Neji blinked a bit surprised.
"That was years ago, you're telling me you've kept this to yourself for that long?"
Lee hummed in thought. "Kind of. I still liked Sakura-Chan, but when she and I were going see the group of you off at the gate, when you all were trying to bring Sasuke back. She cried for him and I realized she would never love me the way she loved him."
Neji had always thought Lee's over-dramatic behavior was childish and his displays of emotions were a bit strange but now he could understand that there was a lot of suffering behind the happy face of the green loving idiot. He'd nursed his love for the pink haired girl when she clearly was in love with someone else and he still was able to smile in front of her.
"Well? You still haven't answered me." The Hyuuga wanted to hear the answer even though he knew he was acting a bit immature.
Lee chuckled in his happier tone of voice. "I'm getting there."
He stopped for a moment and his facial expression darkened. "I had left to help you and Naruto-kun a little while after you guys left. After the fighting was all done and I was admitted to the hospital again. That's when I realized I was in love with you, Neji."
The Hyuuga felt the words ring in his ears and he asked. "How?"
Lee sat up and watched Neji slide into his lap as he crossed his legs. He leaned back on his hand, his head barely inches away from the other man's. He spoke a bit softer but he was unable to contain his joy having Neji not rejecting him.
"I'd heard you'd been admitted as well and they told me that you were most likely not going to make it. I broke down and thought how dull my life would be without my best friend and rival in it. And then I thought 'If I had to choose between Neji and Sakura-Chan, who couldn't I live without?' and I decided I'd rather be alone my whole life then have to live without you. That's how I knew I had fallen for you."
The Hyuuga let the story stick itself in his head. He gulped and felt a welcomed heat enter his cheeks. Neji Hyuuga doesn't blush; it was just a warm flush.
"I'm not quite sure what this means now…" Neji had never had a crush on anyone nor had anyone ever told him they like him. Lee blushed a deep tint and said quickly.
"I never expected to be able to tell you so... I'm fine if you don't want to change anything."
Neji frowned a bit a spoke in a scolding tone. "Lee, You can't just live with all these feeling trapped inside, that's not fair to you."
The Hyuuga flinched and realized what'd he'd just said. Was he being a hypocrite?
Lee softly rubbed the side of Neji's arm. He asked gently not wanting to scare the long haired brunette. "Neji? You alright?"
"Hn? Oh, yes. I just thought of something." Neji tried to shake the strange tightening feeling he had in his chest. Shouldn't he just get all this grief off his chest?
"Lee?"
"Yeah." The green loving shinobi slowly wrapped his arms around Neji's waist, bringing them closer in a kind of intimate hug. He looked up into the lavender eyes, still brimmed with little irritated veins from his crying.
"I'm going to go to Hot Springs country, and Tsunade-Sama is going to choose an escort for me." Neji said in a tone that made it sound like an offering. He placed his hands on top of Lee's shoulders; he didn't really know what else to do with them. Lee was obviously trying to affectionate but Neji kept zoning out and felt these feather-like touches run across his skin.
"You want me to escort you?" Lee said a bit too happy. His usual ear to ear grin flashed. He became extremely happy, as if all his dreams were coming true. Neji really truly trusted him.
The Hyuuga raised an eyebrow with a bit of a smile on his lips, he always found it funny when little things could make Lee so over ecstatic. Maybe a little too ecstatic.
Neji tensed as the Chunin brought him into a tight hug, he face pressed against Lee's shoulder, his pupils dilated.
#
He dug his nails into the damp dirt. His back curled as he bit his tongue to keep quiet.
Don't you dare cry out, you hear me!
He yelled inside his head. His shoulders were so sore, the constant movement and changing of position had made them tired.
"How you doing, maiden?" The blood boiled under Neji's skin, He refused to lose to this monster. The rouge ninja just chuckled and continued with his business. His hands trailed the Hyuuga's back, the once pale spotless skin was now covered in bits of blood and dirt, littered by bruises and bite marks.
He grabbed the shinobi by the waist and pulled him into a sitting position. Neji glared through his blindfold, his tied hands intertwining tightly. The other man's fingers dug into his sides and he moved rougher.
Damn it, why was he so weak?
Neji felt those shivers run up his back. He grinded his teeth as everything got that much hotter.
"Ah, finally. You're very stubborn." The leader's voice was low and close to his ear, His tongue tracing the crooks of Neji's neck, before placing his teeth in a spot that hadn't been terribly bruises yet and bit down.
Neji tried to jerk his neck away but it made the man bite harder, He flexed his arms as the pain stopped but the dull throb pounded in his head.
#
He starred his hands, they weren't tied with the mysterious black clothe. He was panting pretty hard.
He gulped as his breath came quickly. He looked around to find out where he was. He'd blacked out again. Why couldn't he control himself?
He grabbed fistful of his long hair and groaned in frustration.
Damn it!
"Neji, are you okay?" Lee voice made the Hyuuga shoot his head up. He could see the other was holding his arm; his face looked a bit swollen on the right side.
"Shit." Neji cursed as he checked his internal chakra, there was indeed a bit gone. He'd attacked Lee.
"Shit!" He repeated as the grief and shame drowned his mind. He attacked his best friend, how could he? The one person he trusted most.
Did Neji trust Lee the most? Was that why he was so upset?
"I'm…so sorry, Lee." He glared at the ground as he bowed, keeping his head down.
Lee raised his eyebrows and walked over. He raised his hand in the air but didn't touch the Hyuuga.
"No, it's alright. I shouldn't have been so informal, knowing you're fragile." He was caught off guard by the Hyuuga's apology. When he'd use Air Palm to push Lee off him, it'd startled him but when Neji actually began to attack him, he'd become concerned.
"More importantly, are you alright?" Lee kneeled down so he could look at the Jounin's face.
"I'm fine…" Neji feel onto his knees and moved his hair from his face. He breathed deeply, calming down.
"I am still sorry for attacking you."
"Nothing worse than when we train." Lee smiled and held his hand out for Neji to grab.
The Hyuuga would let Lee to be closer to him. He felt it wrong to act completely normal after what the Chunin had confessed to him. He placed his hand in the green-lover's.
Lee helped Neji to his feet and asked looking up and the setting sun. "Did you want to get something to eat?"
"I'm not really hungry." Neji said as he removed his hand from Lee's. The images from his attacking still lingered in his head, making him feel queasy.
"Can I at least walk you home?"
"What about your arm? Did I hurt it?" Neji knew Lee just wanted to spend more time together but he felt conflicted a bit at whether to let Lee inside his head or not.
"Nothing a night of rest won't fix." The chunin kept his smile but he knew Neji was hinting at he wanted to be alone.
"Can I walk with you back to the village?"
"I suppose." Neji brushed some dirt from his clothing as they began walking.
Lee walked next to Neji starting some small conversation, cracking the joints in his arm as they walked, loosening them.
He'd known Neji had PTSD but he didn't really know what that meant. He'd never met someone with PTSD. When Neji'd first attacked him, he thought he'd just done something wrong. But as Neji continued to fight him he could see Neji wasn't all there.
Was Neji always going to be like this? Was he going to fear physical contact for the rest of his life?
"Hey, Lee." Neji slowed their walking as the gate came into view through the forest. Lee stopped and looked over at Neji.
"I really appreciate you putting up with me right now. I'm not quite feeling like my usual self. I just wanted to thank you for listening the other night and I'm honored to be the person you hold so dearly."
Neji's formal tone was there but you could hear the hints of serenity between the lines. Lee smiled; his eyes lowering a bit as he softly intertwined their fingers.
"You're welcome." Neji was hooked in the gaze behind Lee's eyes. He moved himself a bit closer to the Chunin and gave a bit of a nod. Their hands held each other as the sun's light receded from the horizon.
"May I kiss you?"
Neji pinched the swollen check of the green-lover. "Must you ask every time?"
Lee chuckled at the slightly flushed look on the Hyuuga's face.
He brought their intertwined hands up and softly kissed the top of Neji's knuckles. He kept the smile on his face as he slowly moved closer to Neji's face. Making sure not to startle him in any way. He kissed the Hyuuga's cheek bone, then the top of his nose and finally he pressed their lips together.
Neji felt the heat enter his chest as his back wanted to give out. Their lips softly sucked on each other, Neji's fingers tightened in Lee's hand as he moved to press against the Chunin's chest. The warmth and loving feeling was like a drug, once he'd had it once he didn't want to let it go. He was already hooked.
"Excuse me."
A deep tone make Neji jump up and pull away from Lee. His face the look of pure embarrassment as he faced his uncle standing there, one hand under his yukata and the other carrying a lantern. The familiar look of anger made Neji gulp.
"U-Uncle, What are you doing out here?" Neji's voice changed into his formal tone with a bit of a shrill panic adding into it. He glanced back at Lee who looked like he'd seen the dead come back to life. He stood slightly next to Neji, sweat running down his face.
"More importantly, what are you doing outside the village? Especially after the little outburst you gave earlier. " Hiashi gave his nephew a look that told him he'd question him later. In an instant the head of the Hyuuga turned and glared at Lee.
"You're that Might Gai's student, correct?" Lee nodded quickly.
"Might I ask why my nephew is so dirty?"
Hiashi motion to the dirt that covered the both of them from their previous kiss in the forest. Neji wanted to die as Hiashi looked him up and down then turned back to Lee.
The two younger men stayed dead silent as Hiashi starred them both down. Neji's finger gripped the bottom of his shirt as he serious and truthfully wanted to sink into the ground and die.
"I hope you'll return him home safely, Get him something to eat while you at it. He looks like he going to pass out. " Hiashi let his anger disappear and turned back and walked towards the gate, the lantern light faded as he walked away.
As Hiashi's back was far enough away Rock Lee turned to look over at the Jounin.
"How'd his know we were out here?" Lee hissed quietly, on the break of laughing in a kind of panic endued humor.
"He's a Hyuuga, The Byakugan." Neji hissed back, not find the situation as funny as Lee did. He felt so tired and stressed even more. His uncle, and the leader of his family, just found him kissing his teammate.
Could the day just be over now?
"Oh right. Sorry, that must have been awkward for you." Lee began laughing. "I thought he was gonna kill me."
Neji sighed aggravated at Lee's careless attitude. He looked over towards the gate to see his uncle almost completely out of view. He'd snuck right up on them without the Hyuuga even realizing.
"You up to go grab something to eat now?" Lee asked, still laughing a bit. Neji sent him a look that made him stop.
"I suppose."
#
Hiashi sighed before knocking on the Hokage's door, one of the side branch members that'd come with to the large red build took the lantern from him. Shizune opened the door and brightened.
"Hiashi-Sama, Please come in." He bowed slightly and entered the office. His hands tucked themselves into his sleeves.
"I found him, he's fine." He walked over to the desk and saw the piles of paperwork and scrolls. Tsunade downed a cup of sake before exhaling.
"Jeez, He's never yelled in here before. At Naruto a few times but never in front of me. "She commentated before reached for the bottle again; Shizune quickly grabbed it and set away from her superior.
"Bitch" Tsunade grumbled before clearing a bit of room on her desk.
"Anyway, are you sure you want to pay for an escort, I mean we both saw the way Neji reacted."
She grabbed a smaller stack of papers and set them in front of Hiashi. He simply removed his hand from his sleeve and held it out for the pen. Tsunade sighed and handed it to him.
As Hiashi filled out the paper work he asked casually "So when was the head medical ninja going to inform the family?"
"Neji had requested that the situation be kept confidential."
"He is still a child and under my watch!" Hiashi snapped at the woman, His pale lavender eyes in a glare.
"Hiashi, He's 19 now, He's seen more horrors than most people his age have. His generation is the one that has to deal with some of the most devastating events. I mean the destruction of the Uchiha and the Nine-tails' incidents to name a few. I can hardly call one of my best Jounin a child." Tsunade sat back in her chair and met his glare until he returned to the paperwork.
The man reached the end and sent a sack of coins on the table. He didn't speak for a moment as he and the Hokage exchanged not-so-friendly looks. But eventually he spoke, his formal, proud Hyuuga tone back.
"This should cover the journey there and back as well as Neji's expenses. It's been a pleasure speaking with you Hokage." Setting the pen down more forcefully than necessary, Hiashi turned and left the office.
As the door clicked shut the Hokage growled and slammed her hands on her desk.
"If I wasn't Hokage I swear…" Her grumbled as her assistant laughed awkwardly, having almost been crushed by the tension previous in the room.
"He certain does live up to his title." Shizune petted Tonton, squishing the pig's head as her fingers shook, her superior was fuming. Tsunade yelled and threw her chair out the office window.
#
Lee swung his bag of food he'd gotten to go back and forth as he and Neji made their way to the Hyuuga complex. They hadn't spoken much during dinner due to the extremely awkward atmosphere caused by Hiashi's interruption.
They reached the front gate of the complex and turned to glance at each other. The silence was thick as both of them were at a loss for words. They'd know each other for years and after just one afternoon, they'd regressed back into a kind of relationship that made them act like strangers.
Lee looked to the ground, pretending to be interested with the dirt. "So…I guess I'll see you tomorrow…"
Neji nodded and rubbed his fore arm nervously. He didn't know what the appropriate way to act around Lee was. The other man had confessed to him after all.
"Yeah, I'd like to go speak to the Hokage about you accompanying me. Meet me at her office after breakfast."
Lee smiled and he turned to leave. "Alright, See you later than."
Neji waved and felt a bit annoyed. He ignored it though, what was he getting so angry for? Was he expecting something else?
Neji cleared his throat and averted his eyes from Lee's silhouette in the dim night light. His thoughts traveled to how they'd spent the last few days together. Lee was certainly a good distraction from his depressing thoughts. Lee also seemed to enjoy him company. Neji brought his fingers to his lips and gulped thickly.
Why was Lee's kiss so damn good, why did it make him feel so much better?
He looked over to see Lee had left. He hesitantly turned into the gate and made his way to his room.
He was greeted by servants as he passed. As he reached one of the main rest areas a bit of a ruckus was happening behind the sliding rice paper door. Having a good idea what was happening he felt no need to activate Byakugan and slid the door open, glaring.
A very lively Kiba Inuzuka was causing a scene with his anger as Neji's cousin, Hinata, held him back from their always calm teammate Shino Aburame.
"You keep your bug infested-"He yelled as he thrashed around. Hinata was shyly fuming, asking him to calm down. Neji could tell they must have just returned from their mission and they all looked very tired and stressed.
"Inuzuka, it's far too late for you to be causing such noise." He spoke loudly, and much to Hinata's joy, Kiba froze and turned to the older Hyuuga. Neji crossed his arms but kept his right hand loose, sending charka to his fingertips, showing the Inuzuka he wasn't in the mood to refrain from using Gentle Fist.
Kiba cursed under his breath and grumbled, glaring angrily at the bug user. Hinata smiled widely and ran up to her cousin. She had a small blush from all the excitement and she had large bags under her eyes, but she was happy. It was the part of her that tore Neji apart. How could anyone want to hurt her?
"Neji-Nii-san!" She said joyfully as she waited for him to hug her. In the Hyuuga house hold, even between close family members, physical contact was kept to a minimum. Neji uncrossed his arm and was about to give her a soft, small hug but he stopped himself. Suddenly the idea of human contact made his blood run cold. He coughed falsely and saw the tinge of sadness in his cousin's eyes.
"How was the mission, you weren't gone for fairly long."
"It was just guard watch at the border. Some diplomat was having a party close to the Waterfall border." Shino explained as he returned the sour look to Kiba from behind his dark shades.
Hinata turned to then and held a hand close to her chest. "And you two haven't stopped fighting since this morning."
Neji was glad to see Hinata had come out of her shell a little, almost to the point where she was scolding the other two.
The two men looked a little guilty as they glanced between Hinata and each other.
"Sorry…" Kiba muttered under his breath and Shino returned it with a slight nod. Neji wanted to pat her head, letting her know he was impressed but his mind wouldn't let him touch her.
Hinata sighed and returned to looking at her older cousin. "Father told me you're leaving, where are you going?"
Neji wanted to cringe but the other two men were still here. He eyed them with a glare as he spoke to Hinata. "Could we have this conversation where there are not so many unnecessary ears?"
Hinata got the hint and sent the boys a wave before stepping out onto the outdoor walkway. Neji shut the door and stood in front of her, a bit nervous. He still wasn't sure how much he wanted to tell her. They stood silent for a moment before Hinata asked.
"You were in the hospital a few days ago, why are you already leaving the village?" Her voice was the most sincere of concern and Neji knew she was only worried about him.
"Some things are best kept to one's self, Hinata-Sama. It'd only cause you distress, and anyway I'll only be gone for about a week."
"When you keep things to yourself it only makes me worry more." Her eyes, much darker lavender than his, were pooling over with little puddles of tears. Neji smiled sadly and used his sleeve to wipe the water away gently.
"I hate it when you cry over me."
She giggled and brushed his hand away as she wiped her eyes. She cleared her throat and responded. "T-Then don't give me so m-much to cry about."
Neji felt arms wrap around his chest and he inhaled sharply. Hinata hugged him, burying her face in his shoulder. Indirectly squeezing his still injured ribs, the sensation made Neji freeze and breathe shallowly. He tried to focus his thoughts but his mind kept running to fear.
It's just Hinata, nothing to be alarmed about. It's just a hug. Nothing is wrong.
Even with his internal prep talk he could feel the beads of sweat under his head band. "Um, Hinata-Sama. I know you mean this with the best of heart…"
The girl quickly released him and stood back, embarrassed. Her cheeks a bright red and she apologized. "I-I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to b-be so awkward."
Hinata wanted to cry again. As she was about to hide her face she noticed the look in Neji's eyes. He was frightened. She blinked confused, small tears fell down her face.
"Neji-Nii-San? Are you alright?"
The older Hyuuga cursed in his head as straightened himself. He looked away from her innocent and confused eyes. He hated himself once again. There was no way he could tell her of the horrors that had befallen him. The way the bruises never stopped burning his skin when he thought of how they'd been formed. Or how his forearms and chest felt like they were being crushed when the memory of them being broken and hurt resurfaced.
"Neji-Nii-San?" Hinata repeated as she saw the intense flicker of pupils and how his hands shook.
She gathered the courage in her chest and reached out towards her brother figure only to have her hand swatted away. His eyes like that of a scared animal. She felt the hot water run down her face as she could see the hurt and utter fright in his expression. What had happened to him?
"Nii-san?" This came out as more of a squeak as Hinata covered her mouth. Muffling her sobs as Neji regained himself. Regret crushing his heart as he watched her cry.
He ran a hand over his face as he pushed that anxiety down, refusing to acknowledge it. Remembering he was here with his cousin and nothing was going to harm him.
"I just don't want you to hate me…" Neji spoke just above a whisper afraid his voice would fail him. The girl looked up, a concern look of surprise on her face.
"I could never hate you N-Nii-san." The older Hyuuga inhaled slowly and exhaled with a shake entering his chest.
Just say it; she has a right to know.
But she'll hate me; she'll think I'm disgusting…
The pause only made Hinata more anxious as she starred her cousin down, waiting for him to explain.
"I-I…" Neji gritted his teeth and balled his fingers into a fist, grabbing the fist with his other hand as he spoke.
"I have PTSD from my last mission…I'm going to see a doctor…I have trouble with people touching me right now…"
Hinata was silent, dark purple lavender eyes were wide as she looked at her cousin.
"Oh god…" She covered her mouth as she sobbed again. "I-I'm so s-sorry."
"No, this isn't your fault at all." Neji reacted quickly as he moved a bit closer, clearly keeping himself out of touching distance though.
"I'm just weak and let something so small affect me in a way that was extreme."
"I c-can't help but apologize" The girl sniffled and wiped her eyes again. She remembered she was supposed to be getting stronger but yet here she was crying her eyes out.
She needed to be strong now, especially for Neji.
"W-What happened?" She knew she shouldn't have asked but she had a weight on her chest that needed to be lifted.
"I can help y-you as well."
Neji stiffened and looked away, ashamed at the memory. He'd been so weak. He could've acted quicker, done more to get away or even not get captured in the first place.
"I can't tell you…" Neji stopped flexing his fingers and used his hand to rub his brow. How could he even think of facing her if she knew how broken and repulsive he was now?
"T-Tell me." She said in a meek voice. She was trying to stand her ground, Neji could see it. But he just couldn't tell her, he'd hate himself for the rest of his life.
"I told you I can't." He spoke with an uneven tone.
"I said tell me." She glared with tears still in her eyes. She was trying to get angry at him but to no avail. She was never cut out for ordering people around or leading. Even thought this was true, she was going to try her best.
Neji chuckled sadly, shaking his head.
"I'm so weak I can't even answer to the command of my superior."
"N-Nii-san, I didn't mean i-it like that…" Hinata dropped her look and took a step back. For Neji to bring their ranks into this made her feel very awkward and troubled.
The older Hyuuga sighed softly and turned to look his younger cousin in the eyes.
"If you really feel so compelled to know, feel free to ask Hiashi-Sama. I'm sure he won't hold anything back, but I would prefer if you didn't know at all."
Before Hinata could respond Neji left and headed for his room, rather quickly.
Leaving Hinata standing on the walkway, water starting to run down her cheeks again. She sobbed softly for a few minutes before returning to her teammates, gaining strange look and questions she waved away without speaking.
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