Neji looked around the door of his cousin's former bedroom, frowning at the sight of her legs sticking out of her closet. "Hinata-sama?"
She sat back on her heels, swiping the back of her hand across her forehead and gracing him with her smile. "Good morning, Neji-nii-san."
He stepped into the room, peering into her dark closet. "What are you doing?" A dozen or so dolls were lined up in a row against one white wall, lifeless eyes staring at him. He had always found their porcelain perfection a little eerie.
"Tomorrow is the Memorial for Broken Dolls." She explained, gesturing. "I've only ever broken one doll, and it was only recently in packing up to move." She leaned again into the closet, and the darkness muffled her voice. "I can't remember where I put it."
Neji crossed his arms, leaning against the folded door. "Did you throw it away?"
"I don't think so." She continued to rummage through her childhood possessions, every once in a while removing a doll to sit in the row with the rest. "I've never thrown a doll away. And this one was my favorite. I cried when I dropped her." The last sentence was said softly, as if she was ashamed of the fact.
He didn't answer, choosing instead to distrustfully eye the dolls that continued to stare at him. Ever since he met Kankurou, he didn't trust any plaything to be fully inanimate.
With a sudden victorious cry, Hinata withdrew from the closet, holding a doll gently between her small hands. She was dressed in a soft white kimono, tiny matching slippers adorning her feet. She was custom-made, with one white Hyuuga eye peering at him, dark hair framing the pale porcelain. The other eye, and half of the filled-out cheek, was missing, and he could see into the hollow head, which he found disconcerting. More strange to him, though, was that he recognized the doll.
"You gave her to me on my third birthday." Hinata said quietly, as if reading his mind, a soft smile on her lips as she looked down at her. "Your father had her made for me, and you gave her to me." A little laugh escaped her. "You were so happy that day, so proud to be giving me this gift."
His eyes softened, and he crouched beside her, examining the doll, his fingers hesitant against it. He wasn't sure if he remembered how to be gentle. "We could get her fixed." He offered in a murmur.
Hinata's head shook once, slowly, her face frowning down at her. "No." It was barely a whisper. "She was from a time that doesn't exist anymore. It would be better if she was put to rest."
Neji's heart wrenched, and he looked away. No, that time didn't exist anymore. That little boy didn't exist anymore. He was not the same person, and keeping the doll had simply been her holding onto the past. She was ready to let it go, and she should.
Her hand settled lightly on his sleeve, and she smiled gently. "Would you like to go with me?"
He smiled back.
0
Hinata laid the doll gently among the others in the shrine, gazing wistfully at the toys staring up at her as if imploring her to save them. Pressing her hands together, her index fingers against her lips, she closed her eyes and said a prayer. Was she praying for the dolls? For herself? For Neji? She didn't know. But, she supposed it was all the same anyway. Footsteps sounded beside her, and she smiled up at her cousin, who stood surveying the dolls with a frown almost of distaste. She held back a giggle. She remembered when he was a child that he had feared dolls, or any toy with eyes. She found it ironic, but knew he would deny it if she mentioned it.
"Are you ready, Hinata-sama?"
"Yes." She stood up, smiling fondly at the doll once more before she turned away, following Neji out of the shrine. "Neji-nii-san, where were you?"
He held up a bag. "I bought lunch. Shall we eat it?"
0
They returned to her apartment, and Neji situated the food on the kitchen table. Hinata noticed in his shoulders that he was tense, his muscles bunched beneath his shirt that made his movements stiff. She wondered what he could be nervous about.
"I'm going to change out of this kimono, alright, Neji-nii-san?" It was her most formal, and therefore most expensive. She always avoided eating in it, since it was that pale pink that showed every stain. She went into her bedroom, turning to close the door behind her, and when she turned back to the room, she let out a little cry.
On the bed, leaning against the pillows, sat a porcelain miniature of her. It was her exactly, down to the way her bangs swept across her forehead, down to the blue flowers embroidered in the hem of her kimono. She knelt on the bed, reaching for the doll, making sure she was real. She cradled her like a child, surprising herself with the tears welling up in her eyes.
"The other doll is in the past." Neji leaned against the doorframe. "You need one for the future."
She smiled at him. "Neji-nii-san," The doll was left nestled softly in the blankets as Hinata stood and crossed the room, pressing her wet face against his shirt. "This is for our future."