The end of the first set. More interconnected drabbles to the 'darker' universie from teh last batch.

Theme Set: Alpha 5/5

041. Secrets

It was her little secret, her truth that she would not share with anyone. He made her warm on the inside when he walked next to her and she smiled happy at the thought of him during the day. He was tall and strong as he spoke with her and his hands were calloused from training but gentle as they brushed the hair from her face. She loved him, but did not believe he loved her.

042. Duty

" I hate you." Naruto said accusingly, dripping in slime and murky water from the swamp.

Sasuke grunted. " Feeling's mutual." He brushed some more moss off of his sleeve.

Sakura's eyes bulged when she saw them enter the camp. " What happened to you two?!"

Sasuke made a noise of disgust and Naruto shook off the swamp water, spraying the immediate area around him, much to the camper's dismay. " I am never taking another mission in this region again!" The blonde declared petulantly and pulled off the water plants from his hair. The Uchiha started to rummage in his pack for a change of clothes.

" What happened to you guys?" Ino asked in fascination.

To a corner Shino and Kiba stood next to each other blandly, as Hinata muffled her giggles with her hands from behind them.

043. Hate Hate Hate

Hanabi hates him the most. There is no one else that she hates more in her life.

Hanabi hates him because he is a Branch Member and yet has been praised as the genius of the Clan. Hanabi hates him because he is stiff and arrogant and acts above his place. Hanabi hates him because he is more powerful than she can hope to be.

But she hates him the most because he stole her away. He had taken Hinata away from her.

Hinata who was Heir and weak and timid and loved Hanabi unconditionally.

Hanabi hates Neji because he took away the one thing she thought would always be hers (Hinata's heart), and he doesn't deserve it at all.

044. Broken

She snaps her eyes awake. She doesn't gasp, or jerk, or breathe heavily. She stares immobile up at the white ceiling from the medical bed and instead sighs gently. She stays still, mindful of the instructions from the doctor earlier in the day. She regulates her breathing and calms her body to decrease the stress on her heart. She blinks and sees the palm turn into a fist with two fingers extended as prelude to the pain and her defeat. She blinks and she see a bright orange back as a fist drips with her blood and Naruto promises to take her cousin down. She blinks again to hold back the tears because Neji couldn't save her and she couldn't save Neji.

045. Parents

Five-year-old Hyuuga Jiyuu looked up longingly at the tub of double chocolate chip cookie dough vanilla ice cream in the grocery freezer in front of him. He heard a delighted babble and turned to see his one-year-old sister, Tsubasa, giggling and reaching out open arms above their father's shoulder towards the same item from her place perched in his arms. Jiyuu thought quickly and tugged on the leg of Hyuuga Neji's pants. The father looked down at his son from his preoccupation of wonder at the different kinds of bread available. The child's lavender tainted eyes he had inherited from his mother were wide.

" Can we get Kaa-san her favourite ice cream?"

046. Heirs

Four years down the line, Hinata resigns as the pseudo-heir. She is tired of the games they play and leaves the title back in the Hyuuga Councils' hands to do with as they wish. Hanabi is quiet and silent for the next months as the Hyuuga clan absorb the shock of tradition being broken and does not reply when the shock dies down and she is offered the title. She is still, and then she stands, her body so small for such a burden to fall on, and walks away. And the next day she humbly requests of her father to let her marry outside the clan even if she must adorn the Caged Bird Seal. Neji stares ahead, white eyes blank, when they offer him the place of Heir. Slowly his head turns to the left, staring out past the wooden doors and walls which separate the space between the Hyuuga Compound and the apartment Hinata has rented out in the East end of Konoha. He rises languidly and turns away. With his back he tells them that it is not his place.

The Head of the Clan and the Hyuuga Council now stare at the empty place where the successor was to sit. No one has accepted to be the Heir.

047. Injury

She stands outside his door, one hand raised to knock, the other holding the medicinal basket to her hip. She stands unmoving, fist raised, knuckles exposed, for several long moments. She watches his shadow from the shoji screen as he wraps his hand awkwardly, with one end of the bandage held by his teeth. She should knock on the door! A tremble runs through her body and slowly she bends and places the basket of healing creams and bandages on the floor in front of the door. Then she turns and escapes on silent footsteps as she had been trained to.

Inside the room, veins bulging around his eyes, Neji glares at the transparent walls and feels a wave of self-loathing.

048. Proper Conduct

" You do not go around proclaiming you might be sexually interested in the same gender." Neji growled out at Naruto. " You are the Hokage, you must follow proper conduct, and not set yourself up for political suicide!" The Council Advisor bit out fiercely at his ruler.

" Just like how you don't go around molesting your own cousin, right?" Naruto replied, eyes defiant.

The Hyuuga paused, staring into hard blue eyes. He took a breath. They have not touched this subject since that time when Naruto walked away two years ago. But he sees they will soon. He tilted his head in acknowledgment but he does not reply in affirmative or negative.

" We've assassinated other political leaders in various countries for the aspect of the same thing." The Advisor spoke calmly.

" Well," Naruto said as he bounced off from the top if his desk where he had been sitting cross legged, " it's a good thing I don't play by the rules then."

049. Chains

She races through the walkway, past the empty hallways, and into the main path. She crosses the open courtyard and rushes through the wooden corridors. Her heart is beating faster than she can remember ever doing before. Her heart beats so loud in her ears that she is afraid, every second, every moment that it is by this sound that he tracks her. She races past the shouji doors of the lifeless complex where she has been contained alone for weeks. It is finally her chance to escape. After weeks of isolation, after years of his behaviour.

She runs, heart pounding, sweating dripping, breath heavy as the sight of freedom is as close as the main doors ten feet away in front of her. She is almost there. Free. She just needs to make it past those doors and find someone, anyone, (Naurto) who can help her.

Then he steps out from the side of the huge wooden gate and her eyes widen. Dread floods her as denial surges through her entire being.

NO!

But she is going too fast to stop her momentum and she slides right into his waiting arms. He closes them tightly around her frightened being.

" I love you." He says as he buries his face in her neck.

Her shoulders sag. Her will breaks. Her body falls limp. She shakes in despair as he repeats the words over and over.

" I love you. I love you. I love you."

She makes no move to break away as he bends and picks her up off her legs and takes her back to (his side) the room she had just, almost, escaped from.

" I love you." He murmurs setting her back into the bed.

" Love you too." She whispers brokenly in his embrace.

050. Oiroke no Jutsu! (Sexy no Jutsu)

" Hey, hey! Neji, come look at this!" The blonde bombshell with C-cups, dressed in the latest trends of tight tops and loose bottoms, waved her hands excited at him.

Neji ignored her and refused to move until the girl gave an exasperated sigh and ran over. She wound her arms around his and pulled him down the market path.

" You know Neji," the girl said, tightening her grip as he made to pull away, " if you keep behaving like this, I'm going to think you didn't want to go shopping with me."

" Naruto." He grounded out. " I didn't want to be here in the first place."

Currently they were undercover on a sensitive SS-class information-gathering mission. Naruto had been bored of sitting in front of a desk all day and had argued that a double SS mission would make use of a Hokage's skills. It did but as the Hokage the Elder Council did not wish to let the Rokudaime leave the village. Naruto had argued with them for a long tiring negotiation, until he said he would be taking a member of the Council with him so they could be sure he was doing a correct job. Neji had been the unlucky one handpicked by the Rokudaime.

It was two weeks into the mission and they had gather most of the particularly sensitive relevant information, the classification of the mission could be dropped down to S-class and an experienced Jounin could take over. They were soon to be relieved of this post in the now prosperous Wave country and back on their way to Konoha.

"You didn't have a problem before, you were fine the past two weeks." Naruto said in a low tone, remarking on the days Neji had spent amused watching Naruto run through the city with his enthusiasm. " Didn't want to be here because I forced you, or don't want to here like this," Naruto pushed his supple female form closer, " now, since Hinata might be on her way?"

Neji stiffened and stopped struggling in the hold. They had been given a list of the expected members of the group sent to escort the Rokudaime back to Konoha and there was a possibility that Hyuuga Hinata would be present.

There was a silence and Naruto whispered, " She might not be looking forward to seeing you." She might not come, was unsaid.

Neji did not reply and they walked companionably down the street.

" Neji." The Hokage said when they walked through an empty area. " Why haven't you stopped? Your place in society has been established."

Neji was silent and after moments of frustration, Naruto paused, looked right then left, and pulled the Hyuuga male into a deserted alleyway.

" You have to stop it. I don't see this path going anywhere." the blonde said, smoke surrounded him as he released the gender changing jutsu. "She deserves better than that. Damn it, you deserve better than that. You're not such a horrible man, Neji."

" Apparently, I am." The Council Advisor whispered, eyes looking into the distance.

Naruto gave a half-strangled scream and opened his mouth, but closed it as they felt the energy signatures of the escorts moving in. The Hokage pinched his lips together in a fine line.

" This is not over." He said to his Advisor.

The Hyuuga prodigy tilted his head in acknowledgement as the guards dropped in on formation.

. : TBC : .