A/N: Sorry for the slightly delay, I hope you will all enjoy this chapter and that it won't disappoint any of you!
I have uploaded the cover of this fanfic on my DeviantART account (link to in on my profile) where you all also will be able to see character sheets with the characters design to give you all a clear picture of the clothes the important characters are wearing; I also want to save you guys from getting too long and confusing clothing descriptions.
Fun fact: Did you guys know that the word 'fuck' was introduced doing the medieval era and was also back then considered a "bad word". 'Shit', 'crap' and 'damn' was also used doing medieval times, but they were not seen as highly offensive words until the 1700s. Another fun fact is that most swearwords doing the medieval era were linked to religion!
I apologize for any grammar errors /spelling mistakes there may or might be, I try my best to avoid as many as possible.
Main pairing: Nejiten
Side pairing(s): Naruhina and possible others
Warning(s): Possible OOCness, medieval era
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto!
A Sense of Duty
Chapter 1: A Sense of Destiny
A swordsman. A man of duty. A warrior and protector of his kingdom. Someone born to die on duty, fighting to protect those he cares about and his land.
I am a swordsman, but I want to be more than just that.
I want to be one of them…
A knight, but not just any knight…
A Knight of Konoha. The knights that not only protects the queen, but the entire kingdom. My kingdom.
Back when the Konoha kingdom was at war with the Iwa Kingdom many died, but only few was remembered.
I want to be remembered.
I want to be named a hero, whether I die on the battle field or survive the battle.
I do not wish to be forgotten like-
"Focus, Neji! If this was a real battle then you would be the one losing his head! So quit daydreaming and focus!" Neji's trainer yelled at Neji harshly. Neji had just barely avoided getting his head sliced off by his trainer's sword.
Neji took a step back and watched as a single stand of his long hair fell to the ground. He swallowed unconsciously and mentally cursed himself for getting lost in his own thoughts:
"Focus, Neji Hyuuga! A true swordsman does not get humiliated, and a true swordsman definitely does not daydream in the middle of a battle!" Neji grinded his teeth together and tightened his grip on his sword.
"Easy there, Neji, no need to get angry at yourself," His trainer tried to calm him down, "I am just here to help you, so that you can impress the Knights of Konoha and I do not believe they are looking for a headless swordsman" Neji's trainer joked.
Neji loosened his grip on his sword and took a deep breath before he bowed in front of his trainer.
"No, you are right. I was not paying attention and I can only consider myself lucky that this was just a trainings match, "Neji sighed out in defeat, "If it had been the real thing then I could consider myself dead, so I apologize for not focusing on our fight, sir" Neji finished politely.
His trainer gave him a weird look and smiled awkwardly as he spoke:
"Now, now no need to get all formal with me. I am just a mere trainer. It is YOU!" He pointed a finger at Neji with a determined look in his eyes, "Who is going to be the next Knight of Konoha, so act like one and you should do just fine impressing them" He assured Neji confidently.
Neji looked at his trainer. He was a little shocked by how confident his believe in him was.
"Maybe, if it is my destiny then-"
"Cousin Neji!" A voice from the distance called out after him. Neji turned and watched as his younger cousin, Hinata, ran over towards him. She was wearing a long, purple dress with a light yellow hem, which flowed as she ran over towards him.
"Lady Hinata, what are you doing here? Does your father even know that you are here?" Neji demandingly asked his cousin, who was panting with her hands on her knees.
"Father *pant* told me *pant* to *pant* get you" Hinata took a deep breath, "He wants to speak to you *pant* it's about the Knights of Konoha!" Hinata finished, looking straight up into her cousin's eyes.
Neji's eyes widened.
"Uncle wants to speak to me about the Knights of Konoha! Could it be? Could it be that…" Neji carried on before he took notice in the weird look she was giving him, which made him suddenly feel stupid.
"Ehhh Cousin Neji, are you okay? Do you have a bad stomach or-" Hinata was cut off by Neji, who placed his hand over her mouth and awkwardly said:
"My dear naïve, 'in-love-with-a-fool'-cousin, please forget the expression you just saw and do not tell a soul about it, okay? Good"
Hinata looked at him with a look that almost resembled a fish and stuttered out:
"H-how d-do you k-know about my f-feeling towards N-Naru-Cousin Neji?" Hinata blinked as she realized that her cousin had vanished from her sight. Feeling embarrassed with herself and her too obvious feelings towards someone she could never have because of her status, Hinata felt like burying herself.
"I need to return to my chambers" Hinata thought to herself as she turned on her heels and ran only to run right into the object of her affection, Naruto Uzumaki.
"Ow" She moaned out as she fell right on her bottom on the hard ground.
"Ow, that hurt! Watc-Oh Hinata, are you okay?" A worried voice asked Hinata, "I am so, so sorry for running into you! Please do not tell Hias-I mean Lord Hiashi of this incidence! I promise it will NOT happen again! Please spare me!" Naruto pleaded the shocked Hinata while holding both of her hand in his.
"I-I-I," Hinata's mind tried to think of what said, "I-it is o-okay, I-I will not tell father" Hinata stuttered out.
Naruto brightened up, and he shocked Hinata even more by hugging her out of nowhere. Poor Hinata's mind could not take anymore and she blacked out right in his arms.
"Ehhh Hinata? Hinata?" No reaction, "It is not time to sleep yet, Hinata, wake up!", still no reaction…
…
"I swear with God's blood I did nothing, but hug her, sir! She just fainted out of nowhere!"
Neji walked with hasty steps through the garden and towards the door to his uncle's private chambers.
His uncle wanted to talk to him about none other than the Knights of Konoha. The only question was: Why exactly his uncle wanted to speak to him about them?
He stopped in front of the door to his uncle's chambers. Hesitating he ran his hand over the soft, wooded door. Slowing lowing it until it reach the handle and with one last deep breath, he pushed the door open.
The room kind of plain compared to the rest of the mansion. Bookcases filled with books in every corner of the room, which was lightened up by candles, giving the room a soft, yellowish color. Neji's eyes scanned over the room until they found what they were searching for. His Uncle, Hiashi Hyuuga.
"Ah Neji, there you are" His uncle spoke as he took notice in the presence of his nephew. His uncle was sitting far inside the room on a chair at his disk with a quill in his right hand. He was writing something, but what?
"Lord Hiashi, Lady Hinata told me that you wanted to speak to me about the Knights of Konoha" Neji firmly said to his uncle, who stood up from his chair and walked over towards him.
"You seem rather tense to me, Neji, is there a reason for that?" His uncle asked, ignoring his nephew question. Neji was almost startled by his uncle's question, did he seem tense to him?
"I… I am fine, uncle, just thinking too much, I guess" Neji obliviously lied to his uncle. His uncle gave him a skeptic look before he nodded his head in a slow motion.
"Neji," Neji looked up at his uncle, "I think you are in the need of a break, go out and have a drink or something" His uncle insisted.
"But uncle, I-"
"That is an order, Neji, now go" His uncle firmly told his nephew.
A few seconds passed before…
"Fine, uncle"
Neji walked out for the room. In the back of his head he asked himself:
"What was it my uncle wanted to tell me?"
Neji walked into a small bar. The floor squeaked beneath him as he walked and the smell of liquid made his stomach turn. He had never enjoyed the smell of alcohol, especially beer. That dry and bitterly smell made his nose wrinkle.
"I really, really do not like the smell of beer and I am still asking myself, why I am here?" Neji thought to himself as he scanned the room over. The bar was filled with men in all sizes getting either too drunk to stand or too loud to tolerant.
In other words: Hell.
Neji took a deep breath, swallowed his disgust and walked over to bar. He took a chair and sat down while he tried to ignore the noise around him.
"Why are drunken people always to loud?" He asked himself without knowing the answer fully.
"Anything I can get you, sir" The barman asked him. Neji thought deeply to himself of what he should order.
"Why am I here again? This is a waste of my time! I should be training, not drinking! I am not even in the mood to drink!" Neji thought to himself before he looked up at the barman and said:
"Ehm a glass of red vine, please"
Not that he liked vine very much either, but it was better than that bitterly, rather smelly beer that most men seems to prefer in this bar.
"Of course, sir" The barman left the bar, probably off to find some vine, which ironically was not nearby like the damn beer was.
Neji sighed deeply to himself and rubbed his forehead while he tried to ignore both the noises and the smell of beer that surrounded him. A sudden loud voice broke him out of his thoughts and made him turn around.
"Unhand me this instant, you filthy scum!" An angry female voice yelled out loudly.
The entire bar turned their attention to the scene that was happening right in the middle of the room. A big, brawny man was holding a brown-haired woman by the arm.
The man wore a dirty, white shirt covered by a brown, leather vest and brown trousers while the woman was wearing a long, red vine-colored skirt and a white blouse, which was hanging off her shoulders exposing her collarbone and a bit of her ehm female body parts. The woman also wore a brown corset over her white shirt and her brown hair looked rather messy from where Neji was standing.
Neji studied the situation at first unsure of what it was all about. But the woman's body language proofed to him that the woman did not like the way she was being treated as she tried to twitch her arm out of the man's strong grip.
Neji stood up and his right hand moved down to grape his sword, but he did not draw it yet. This was the duty of a swordsman, to protect the innocent and defenseless from harm. His destiny.
"Sir, let go of the woman or you will regret it" Neji threatened the slightly larger man. The man merely grinned at him.
"The only thing I would regret is to let this whore get away without giving me what I want" The brawny man said as he turned his attention back to the woman, whose face Neji had yet to see.
The sound of fabric being ripped was heard when the brawny man took a step on the woman dress, which made a little part of it rip apart when she moved further away from him. As she twitched her body to free her arm the woman's already loose blouse was pulled down a little further, exposing a little more of her already exposed collarbone and the curve of her chest.
Neji tightened his grip on his sword and grinded his teeth together as a sudden anger raised inside of him.
"Sir, I am warning you. Let the woman go, now" Neji warned once more, this time ready to raise his sword if necessary.
The man turned to look at him again with a silly grin on his face, but before he could say anything something hit him right in the stomach. The brawny man groaned in pain and bended down to wrap his arms around his hurting stomach.
Bad move.
"Shit" He managed to curse out as he realized his mistake.
The woman was loose.
And before he could react a leg hit him straight in the face with full force.
*SLAM*
The man fell right into one of the tables with a bloody nose and a loud thump was heard afterwards.
"I told you to unhand me, fool" A somewhat cocky female voice said to the now unconscious man.
The entire bar turned towards it, including Neji, and saw the presumed hopeless woman standing tall adjusting her blouse before placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head to move her surprisely curly brown hair away from her face.
Neji looked somewhat amazed at the brown-haired woman, who opened her eyes and stared right at him with fiercely brown eyes.
A smug smile appeared on her face as she spoke a sentence he would never forget in a long time:
"Sorry, Prince Charming, but I am not a damsel in distress"
Neji Hyuuga, say hello to your destiny.
To be continued…
A/N: Done! I hope you all enjoyed it :D
I decided to give Neji an inner monolog like Tenten because I felt it will be a good way to introduce him and at the same time show his goals as well as inner conflicts.
I hope it does not offend anyone that I use the medieval swearwords that are linked to religion because I mean not harm with it. I merely want to stay true to the era the story take place in :)
As the story goes on the chapters will most likely become longer.
Feel free to come with ideas or suggestions to the story, I might get inspired!
Please leave a review and tell me what you think ^^