Destined To Live

Chapter 1: Knocking On Death's Door

Neji's POV...

Yelling was all that penetrated my hazy mind, but the voices were faint like the people were far away. When in reality, I knew that they were just outside the doorway and some were beside my bedside. Those people being Hinata, my team, and a few others.

I don't really remember what happened to bring me to this fateful situation, and truthfully, I don't want to. It would take too much effort on my part to try and recall the memory of what had happened only hours before. Plus, I wasn't sure how long I could keep consciousness because the weight of exhaustion was pushing on my mind thickly. It would just be a sad waste of energy that I should be using to stay alive.

A felt the hot waves from the fluorescent lights above me shine done at me mercilessly. Right now, my skin was really sensitive and it felt like every pore was being put on fire. My nerves tingled with pain, which made me twitch uncomfortably as I tried to hide from the bright light. Even though my eyes were tightly shut, I still felt the unforgiving fake light burn through my head.

"Neji-nii-san, is something wrong?" Hinata asked worriedly and I felt a light weight on my shoulder soon afterwards.

My throat was dry from disuasge and my lips were cracked. Still, I attempted to give her some type of answer, for I knew she would just worry herself to death until I responded.

It took all my will power to raise one arm, quite painfully I may add, to point accusingly at the lights. My arm lingered in the air for only a small moment before thudding back numbly to my side.

Hinata seemed to understand because I heard the soft tap of her footsteps on the tiled floor fading away from me. An almost inaudible click resounded from the other side of the room and I felt the heat that was pounding against me instantly go away. A scratchy sounding sigh escaped my throat that was something akin to relievement.

With the shuffling of clothes and the tapping of feet, Hinata took her seat next to my bedside again. Regretfully, Hinata was the only family member who was by my side to see how I would end up. My uncle didn't really give a damn if I was dead or not, but I still would've appreciated if he came to see my current state of health. Even for a moment, it would've felt nice to know that he cared a little.

But I knew he didn't. He hated my father, his own brother, and since I was his offspring, he hated me as well. Perhaps hate was too strong to describe my uncle's feelings, though. Or maybe, it wasn't a word strong enough to describe what he felt for me. I didn't really know what my uncle felt for me, all I knew for certain is that he didn't feel compassion towards me at all.

I guess it didn't matter, though. I didn't really need his pity anyway. I didn't need it back then, and I didn't need it now, either.

A voice that I recognized as my conscious whispered softly in my ear, sounding much like a gentle wind blowing in my ear.

You may not need it, but you want it.

I grimaced distastefully in my mind. I hated my conscious, not because of how it always seemed to bother me at the worst situations. But because of the truth that rang through its words and struck my heart where it hurt the most.

Attempting to ignore the voice, I tried to make myself succumb to sleep. My body whole heartedly accepted my mind's decision and I relaxed as the light fingers of drowsiness gripped my mind.

/Dream Sequence/

Where was I? All that I could see was darkness, a never ending empty, lonely space of darkness. Although the darkness was unnerving a little, once I got used to it, I didn't really mind it. In fact, it was almost comforting and I enjoyed every minute of it. I never recieved comfort as a child, and my mind grasped at the concept of any type of form of it that was being offered.

As I floated through nothingness, a thought creeped into my mind that chilled me to the bone like nothing elsecould.

Was I dead? Did I die in the hospital?

It was possible, after all, many needles that were filled with deadly poison had embedded themselves in my body. Maybe the medic-nins weren't able to save me in time and death had found me.

However, this didn't feel like death at all. This was nothing like I would've imagined it to be like when a person died. I thought that when a person died, their soul would lift from their body and they would see their dead body before they left to the nether world. Of course, no one really knew what it was like to die and all theories on death was just as I said, theories.

Then again, there was that one nin from Sunagakure that died and was brought to life again. What was his name again? Something with a G, I can't remember right now though. All I know is that after the Chuunin exams he became the Kazekage, which really shocked me. He must be the youngest person to become a Kage, but I don't really care. It was none of my business.

Anyway, he wouldn't talk about his death when he was brought back to life. When someone brought it up, they would get one of the three results. The first one being he would just ignore them and walk off. The second one being that he would give them his infamous death glare and then walk off. The third one being the worst which only happened if someone persisted when he would send the person to the hospital with many wounds and on the brink of death.

I chuckled at the memory of Naruto asking him over and over again what it was like to die. He had tried to be patient and tune out Naruto's endless on slaught of questions, but eventually lost it. That day, Naruto was sent to the hospital covered in sand and wounds, though none of them were fatal. I think the only reason he went easy on him was because Naruto had somehow developed a friendship with him. A very strange, and usually silent friendship, but a friendship none-the-less.

Now I'm getting off topic. I really need to stop straying away from my thoughts. I concluded that through my thoughts, that I was for sure not dead. If I was, I would've ended somewhere with spirits. I was alone, though. Even if I didn't end up somewhere with spirits, I should've been in limbo, the place where spirits go because they're not at rest.

I just must be dreaming or something, it was the most likely possibility. No, I take that back, it's the only logical possiblitiy. I squinted at the light that hit my eyes suddenly.

Wait, light? I looked up to see a light shinning down on me, somewhat like the sun but it was softer.

I lifted both hands up to it, trying to grasp the light and bring it towards me. That action was useless and I knew it, but my body was working on its own accord. I clenced my hands over the light, some of the light filtering through the spaces in my enclosed fingers.

What I didn't expect was that I felt something cold, something hard, brush against my clenched hands. Curiousity filled me and hesitantly in case something were to happen, I ran my finger tips over the new thing that appeared.

Metal, I concluded. It must be metal, because it was cold and smooth.

Why was a piece of metal here? No wait, it wasn't just a piece of metal. It was more like a bar of metal, like it was made to climb. Pursing my lips at that thought, I lifted up my hand up farther to come in contact with another bar of metal.

Stairs, perhaps? But what would they lead to?

Absently, I craned my head to the light. Maybe there was something there and it wasn't just an ordinary light.

Cautiously, I gripped the metal rung as far as my arms would reach and lifted my body. My feet met solid metal, and for a long time, I was frozen in the would be climbing position. Somewhere in my mind, I thought that I would fall. Into what was what I was really scared about. Quickly, I got over that thought and began climbing upwards, the light getting brighter with each step.

Hours passed, or at least, it felt like it. I was relieved when I finally reached the top of the 'stairs' and was met by the light. Which was not a light, but a window into another world from where the light came from.

Peering into the small window, I saw the battle me and my team were in earlier that day.

There I was, manuevering (sp?) flips, punches, and kicks into something only a genius could come up from. I smiled a little at that in pride. Then I remembered my legion of fan girls and frowned at the many times that I'd sense them stalking me. Sometimes it was a little creepy.

Shaking my head free of the thoughts, I concentrated on the battle I was witnessing, like a movie. Watching my own fate play out before my eyes.

There it was, right before I took the hit. The cloud nins that we were battling had worn down Tenten to the point were she was forced to sink to her knees. Numerous scratches and wounds covered her body, the crimson blood staining her torn and dirty pink top.

Her usually perky and alert brown eyes were dull with exhaustion. Her chest heaved heavily as she could do nothing but stare as the rest of us continued to battle.

A cloud nin had already seen her vulnerabilty and was preparing to attack her. When I saw this, I immediately kicked the cloud nin I was fighting out of my way and rushed to Tenten's aid. Really, I don't know what compelled me to do that, but I suppose it was just compassion for my fellow teammate.

Right when I arrived by Tenten's side, the cloud nin finished his hand signs and his attack was unleashed. A swarm of needles that whizzed through the air and pierced my body all at once.

I saw the look on my face; a look of pure agony. I sighed a little to myself when I remembered that I bit my lip to stiffle the yell that wanted to be released. I knew it would've eased the pain of the needles a little, but my pride wouldn't allow me to do something so degrading.

My body thumped to the ground in front of Tenten, her eyes now filled with worry and shock. Gingerly, she turned over my body as gently as she could without bestowing more pain on me. Or at least, as little as possible.

It was not to be though, because I visibly winced in excruciating pain. My face was paler than usual, which made me look like a ghost.

Gai-sensei and Lee took care of the rest of the cloud nin shortly after that and had them tied together so they wouldn't escape. They were all scowling at him and yelling about how they would get us back. Everyone ignored them and instead paid attention to my wounded body.

"Neji! Are you okay?" Lee blurted out at me loudly with rather comical tears flowing down his face while kneeling next to me.

All that he got as a response was a grunt.

"Um, Lee, I don't think Neji wants to talk right now." Tenten sweatdropped at the glare I was attempting to give him.

Damn right I didn't want to talk! I was in white hot pain and he had to go and yell in my ear!

"Come on Lee! We have to get Neji, Tenten, and these low lifes-" Gai threw a non-menacing glare over his shoulder at the nins. "-back to Konoha as soon as we can!"

After that, I remembered no more. I figured I must've lost consciousness due to all the commotion and my body couldn't handle it. Though, if I was awake at the time, I would've known that Gai was the one who carried me back.

I shivered in disgust. It wasn't that I didn't like Gai-sensei, it was just that I thought that men should NOT wear spandex. Ever. It wasn't right.

Hm, but would've I really been happier having Lee carry me? Another shiver racked my body. No.

Suddenly, the window to the past glowed brighter than before. Arching an eyebrow at it, I waited for something to happen. Expecting nothing after a few mintues of it just glowing, I was about to climb down when the light engulfed me.

A wave of pain went through my whole body, this time too intense to hold in my scream. My scream echoed through the darkness and rang in my ears, making my temples throb in agitation.

I felt like I was falling, falling into an eternity of pain. This pain...it was too much to handle. It felt as if my muscles were being ripped apart ruthlessly and at the same time, thousands of kunai were being shot through my body. Then being taken out painfully only to shoot back in with more force than last time.

Finally, the pain reduced enough to let me blink open my tightly closed eyes. I was surprised what met my sight, but I was also afraid.

It was me.

In the hospital.

With everyone crying around me.

My mind was in a fog of confusion until I felt a cold presence behind me that demanded my attention. Slowly turning away from my body, I saw that there was a figure behind me in a black cloak.

The hood of the cloak was pulled over the person's head, shadowing their face from my view. But when I took note of the scythe that was being held with skeleton hands instead of flesh ones, I inwardly gulped. Maybe I didn't want to see its face.

Faintly, I remembered that a person would visit you before death. This was no person, however. Just the skeleton of a person with a black cloak holding a scythe.

Then it hit me. It hit me like a ton of bricks at the new information. It caused goosebumps to form on my arms and make the hair on my neck stand on end.

This was the Grim Reaper.

Which meant...I was going to die.