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A/N: My computer died. That's my excuse.
Last Chapter: Neji's childhood.
Guardian of My Heart – Chapter 3
Neji's eyes fluttered open, and he groaned at the morning sun, and the beeping alarm clock, and the fact that he had to wake up. Gah. He stretched, cut off his alarm clock, and sat up, feeling something furry and warm still covering his neck. "Do you enjoy sleeping like that?" he asked Shukaku. This was the second time he had woken up to this, first time being last night, and he wondered just how comfortable the raccoon would be.
It's warm… Shukaku murmured as he stretched and stirred, letting out a little mewl of a yawn. And I can feel your heartbeat against my own…
"It also prevents me from crushing you in my sleep when I turn." Neji added.
Yes, that too. Shukaku slid down Neji's chest, finally coming to a stop on his bedcovers. So, how do you feel?
Neji rubbed his forehead, where the tattoo had been yesterday. Last night, after he had woken up, Hiashi-sama had explained to him that now that he had received the tattoo, it would only show up when activated, which hopefully was going to be never. Well, at least Neji didn't have to wear a headband all the time or something…
That was the only good thing so far. His head felt like it was going to split, his muscles ached, and why was the world spinning? Oh right, that was part of the nausea…Neji focused back on Shukaku. Ok, good, his eyesight was focused again.
"I'm…I'll be fine." Shukaku stared up at him with a look of disapproval.
No you're not, Neji. Now what can I do to make it better?
Neji scooped Shukaku up, startling the raccoon, and got out of bed quickly, standing up on the carpeted floor of his bedroom. That was a mistake, as he found out. The world started spinning once more, he closed his eyes, and dropped back onto his covers.
Neji! The disapproval was being screamed loud and clear into his mind. Never do that again! You are not endangering yourself when you're in this condition!
Neji groaned. As Shukaku's small weight made its way up his chest, he made his argument for getting up. "But it's 6 am! Probably 6:10 now! I need to take a shower, make my rounds, and eat breakfast all before 7!"
You are NOT exerting yourself so early in the morning! Go back to sleep! And I've been meaning to ask you, why do you open at 7?
"We're not opening, per say. If a client makes an appointment it has to be after 9, but my bank doubles as a hospital."
Hospital? How's that?
"Well, there's a group of people in Konoha called the ANBU-"
Your uncle told me.
Neji paused for a moment, wondering how Shukaku and Hiashi-sama had gotten onto that particular subject and what else they had talked about. "Ok then, that makes the explanation easier. I have experience healing broken hearts, so when the ANBU either finds someone about to kill themselves because of a broken heart or rescues someone from the clutches of a love potion, they bring them to me. It's not always in the early morning that they do this, but I've found out from experience that they usually bring down a love potion maker's hideout in the night, find who they sold to, and by the time they find the victims it is around this time. So I wake up, go downstairs, and sometimes they actually come with a patient. Other times, the ANBU themselves come here for a break if they went through too rough a night. I can always be counted on as a source of food."
Huh…does your uncle know about this?
Neji scratched his head in thought. "Well, I haven't told him outright, but I think so. He doesn't really let anything slip past him. So, now do you get why I need to get up?"
Shukaku glared, green eyes frigid. Get back into bed, mister. Until you can kill that headache and get your natural energy back, you are RESTING. You don't need to help everybody all the time, you know. Take care of yourself.
"Fine, fine." Neji grumbled petulantly as he dragged himself back under his covers. "I'll sleep for another hour, ok? But then I'm getting up and doing rounds." Shukaku still glared (such a commanding presence from such a small raccoon), so Neji scrambled to explain. "I always feel better after my rounds. Whether I'm sick, or tired, or anything, I come out feeling better. And I need to spend more time with my hearts, so let me do this, k?"
Shukaku slowly relented, and then nodded. Fine. But if you don't feel any better after that you're STAYING in bed, ok?
"But I've got appointments!"
Then cancel them! Your life doesn't revolve around other people, Neji! It revolves around you!
Neji mumbled softly and dove under his covers. "So what are you going to do while I sleep?" His voice was muffled but still understandable.
I shall be sleeping with you. What do you expect? And Shukaku crawled under the covers too, curled up around Neji's neck, and closed his eyes. But he couldn't sleep. It was like…an itch within himself that he couldn't scratch or something. He tried not to move, not wanting to disturb Neji, but when his breathing slowed and steadied, showing he was asleep, Shukaku slowly wiggled out of Neji's covers and jumped down to the floor. He walked around for a few moments, debating whether Neji would care if his curtains were somewhat torn, but then Shukaku decided he wouldn't care. The raccoon bounded up Neji's curtains (like a squirrel up a tree) and settled on the windowsill, looking out at the world.
The sun was rising, slowly, though Shukaku couldn't see much of it, behind all the buildings. Not a lot of people were actually awake, since this street was mostly comprised of small businesses. Also, the people who worked in those huge skyscrapers that were blocking out the sunrise (Gaara was one of them, Shukaku knew) liked to live closer to work, in the corporate part of Konoha, and this neighborhood was a half-hour drive (without traffic) to that part of town. Even within the Hyuuga clan, although Hiashi-sama regulated everything, there were Hyuugas in every facet of business in Konoha, and those had the choice of moving to a neighborhood of town-houses the Hyuuga family had purchased especially for their working-class. So there wasn't much of a rush hour in this part of Konoha…
As time wore on, the itch grew worse. And it wasn't a good itch, Shukaku knew. It was the kind of itch you got when you knew a bad storm was coming, when you knew you should call in sick to work today and stay in bed. But Shukaku didn't know what to do about it, except to tell Neji when he woke up. He narrowed his eyes when a car pulled up in front of Neji's business, but relaxed when he saw it was only Shikamaru. The raccoon sighed – he was being too paranoid.
But he still didn't stop looking out the window, trying to pinpoint where the danger was coming from. Because Shukaku knew with the utmost certainty that whatever he was feeling wasn't a danger to him; it was a danger to Neji, and he was going to do his best to guard Neji from it. Whatever it was.
-----
When Neji woke up again, he squinted at the window and saw the silhouette of something sitting on the windowsill that wasn't there before he went to sleep.
"Shukaku?" he called softly.
The silhouette turned around quickly, and it indeed was Shukaku. Yeah Neji?
Neji smiled in spite of his still-pounding headache. "Nothing. I just wanted to make sure that was you. How did you get up there anyways?"
Your curtains.
Neji glanced at them and blinked. "Oh. Well, you have my permission to climb up them whenever you want to. I didn't like them all that much anyways…" He sat up, gingerly shielding his sensitive eyes from the direct rays of the sun.
Do you feel better?
"Um, not really, but I'm getting up anyways." Neji stood up, stretched, and yawned. He always slept in his boxers, so he grabbed for a shirt and a pair of pants (semi-formal edging onto formal, of course. He couldn't look sloppy in front of his clients) while Shukaku watched from the windowsill.
Are you going to take a shower?
"Hmm, not enough time, I'll take one tonight. I'll just brush my hair…" Shukaku jumped down from the windowsill and followed Neji into the bathroom. He looked around, noticing just how many hair products (shampoos, conditioners, gel, no dyes though) were lying around. And there were some lotion bottles mixed in, along with eyedrops and other miscellaneous things in the cabinets.
…This is amazing. Girls have less hair products than you do.
Neji, noticing Shukaku sitting on the floor, stuck out his tongue and lifted the raccoon onto the counter. "That's because they have less hair. And besides, this is how I pamper myself. No make-up, thank god, but my hair and skin need to be perfect."
I am glad to see you can be selfish in at least one respect. You are certainly selfless in all others.
"Hmm…" Neji smiled, flattered in spite of himself. "Don't say that yet, Shukaku. You haven't seen one of my bad days yet."
How bad can it get?
"Oh, you have no idea." Neji started brushing his teeth, and Shukaku looked around again, just to half-squeal at the sight of another bottle.
Bubble bath!! Unknown to all of his fangirls, Sabaku Gaara liked bubble baths, and therefore, Shukaku did too. Neji smiled at the reaction as he rinsed out his mouth, put down his toothbrush, and grabbed a towel.
"Yeah, I like bubble baths too. We'll take one together someone, k?"
Shukaku's eyes were wide with joy. Promise?
Neji nodded, and laughed at Shukaku's joyous expression. He finished washing his face, grabbed a hair-tie, and let Shukaku climb onto his shoulder before walking out of the bathroom. They went into the kitchen, where Shukaku lapped up his breakfast eagerly and Neji had a bagel along with his own drink, and then they rode the elevator downstairs.
As they moved into the vaults, Neji clutched the spray-bottle closer and breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately moved down the aisles, misting the hearts, but when he was done with that he set the spray-bottle down on the floor and moved back into the aisles, lavishing his hearts with attention. With the healthy ones he gave a caress and sometimes a check-up, using his Byakugan to see if they were still all right. With the sick ones he spent more time with, cooing and petting and just generally nursing them back into health. Neji found some of his hearts were jealous of Shukaku who got to stick with him all the time, and smiled, letting them ride on his shoulder too.
Shukaku noticed Neji's headache seemed to be gone, along with any scrap of fatigue, and wondered why. He got his answer a few seconds later. While Neji was busy consoling another broken heart, some sort of energy seemed to be passing from the healthy hearts into Neji, although he didn't seem to notice.
Hey Neji?
"Yes, Shukaku?"
The raccoon paused for a millisecond, considering what he really wanted to do. Put me down, please? I'd like to wander around for a while.
Neji smiled at the request. "Try to make some friends, k?"
The raccoon nodded. Of course.
Neji lowered him to the ground, and Shukaku ran off into another aisle, to a heart that seemed to be giving Neji the most amount of energy. He found him (hey, he didn't know how he knew the heart was male, but he did) almost immediately, in a cage 3 feet off the floor. Shukaku looked up and asked, Who are you?
The heart moved closer and seemed to look down at the raccoon (if that was even possible without eyes…). I am Tensai. And you are Shukaku?
Yes. Your aura seems…familiar, somehow. Who is your person?
Uchiha Sasuke. And yours is Sabaku Gaara? He ruffled a lot of Neji's feathers when he came in yesterday morning.
Yeah, he did. Gaara likes to ruffle feathers, of both friends, acquaintances, and enemies alike. It's his specialty. So, Tensai, am I right in saying that you're giving energy to Neji? And that he doesn't know?
The heart seemed to nod. He needs it, wouldn't you agree? And I'm sure he'd stop this practice of ours if he knew about it, so we send him energy when he's distracted with working with another heart.
How many of you do this?
However many of us that can afford it. The broken hearts don't, of course, but we healthy hearts care for him, you know, and we try to help. Among all of us, we manage to always send him off each morning in near-perfect health. Yesterday morning was somewhat of an exception. We gave him enough energy to keep him awake and aware throughout the whole day, but an all-nighter would tax just about anyone.
Shukaku nodded in agreement. Neji is good to everyone, isn't he? He paused, and then asked, Do you feel that some sort of danger is coming? I felt it, this morning, but I don't know what it is…
Tensai's aura flared out, a sure sign of alarm. Yes, I think everybody felt it this morning. We don't know what it was, either, but it's definitely threatening to Neji, and we're afraid for him. If he was hurt, or worse, was killed…we wouldn't know what to do. Nobody except Neji has tried this sort of thing to help us hearts. I don't have much to worry about, since Sasuke has Naruto, but more and more hearts are coming in by the day, and I worry for them. By the way, Shukaku, sorry about stealing Naruto from Gaara. You don't seem that distraught over it, but I noticed Gaara was.
Yeah, but it's fine. You should just focus on being happy with Kyuubi, you know? I'll find the right one, and so will Gaara, sometime in the future. Neji says he'll help.
Then I wish you happiness and luck. And will you keep an eye on Neji? For all of us?
Of course! I care about him too! Shukaku scrambled up the cages to Tensai's, poking his nose in between the bars. Tensai?
Yes?
Want to be friends? I know that Gaara and Sasuke aren't, but right now we're separated from them, and we shouldn't hate each other, you know?
The indigo-colored heart shifted forward, tendrils of his aura reaching out and touching Shukaku's nose. The raccoon snuffed softly, liking the cool touch.
I think I'd like it if we were to become friends. Shukaku smiled, rubbing his sensitive nose against the other heart. Then, in an instant, Shukaku was snatched off of the cage and was dangling in the air. He thrashed in the hold, claws out and ready. He only stopped when he saw it was Neji, and then he scowled.
What's the big idea? Let me down!
Neji glanced at him and acquiesced, placing Shukaku down on the floor before sitting down beside him. His face was right at Tensai's level, and he peered in the cage. "I can't believe you managed to find Sasuke's heart in the midst of all the others. Are the both of you ok?"
What, you're afraid that we were fighting? No worry, Neji. Shukaku has been very kind and polite.
Neji raised an eyebrow. "No animosity between the two of you?"
No. What our persons do is of no matter when we're separated. We do not have to be so prejudiced within our range of friends, do we?
Neji laughed. "Of course not! I'm happy that you two have found each other! Perhaps now Gaara and Sasuke will be on speaking terms! It'd do a great amount of good for Naruto, you know, because he cares about the both of them and he can't do anything with the two of them together."
Oh really? This was news to Tensai, of course, because what he knew about Sasuke's doings now was only what Neji told him.
Yeah. Shukaku answered. It's way too uncomfortable when they're within even 10 feet of each other. It's been lessening slowly, of course, but Gaara still feels seething jealousy whenever Sasuke and Naruto show affection for each other.
And Sasuke?
I dunno, but he's been a bastard around Gaara. He smirks, and loves to rile him up. They fight more than Sasuke and Naruto do these days.
Ah…that means he's insecure about Naruto, and needs to take out all other rivals. Tensai sighed, as if disappointed by his person's actions. I remember when he was still jealous of Neji, because Itachi spent more time with him than with his little brother. That was just…
"Yeah, I remember it too." Neji rolled his eyes and pulled Shukaku into his lap. "Sasuke being a little bastard is very hard to stomach, I'll admit. He says he learned it from Itachi – by the way, Shukaku, that's his older brother – but I've never even seen Itachi lose his cool, much less be a bastard."
But that's only with you, Neji. Itachi's specialty is being a bastard, especially, it seems, to people who attempt to flirt with you.
Shukaku looked around for the speaker, and saw another heart, a few cages away, colored a lovely shade of amethyst. He then looked up at Neji, and noticed, to his surprise, that his cheeks were dusted with light pink. Who's he? Shukaku asked curiously.
Neji stood up suddenly, opening the latches of Tensai's and the mystery heart's cages. "Well, if we're going to have a proper conversation, you two might as well come out." He held out his hands, the two hopped on, and Neji lowered them to his lap too. They immediately (rolled? shifted? materialized?) moved next to Shukaku, and the mystery heart asked, Can I touch you? You seem so interesting, and so real!
Sure. Shukaku half-purred as the heart, along with Tensai, moved up his leg and up onto his back, nuzzling his fur. It felt…soft and cool, refreshing like a glass of cold lemonade on a hot day. Who are you? He, of course, was referring to the mystery heart.
I'm Uchiha Itachi's heart, of course. My name is Kitai.
Oh, hello. Neji was amused to see Shukaku grow somewhat shy, and wondered just what Gaara (and the raccoon) had heard about Itachi. Your person, Uchiha Itachi, he's…he's the only person alive to have attained Mangekyou Sharingan, isn't he?
Oh yes, you've heard of him?
Neji snorted. "Who hasn't heard of him?"
True, true. Anyways, anything else you wanted to ask about Itachi or Mangekyou Sharingan?
Shukaku gnawed on his lower lip, and Kitai moved up until he was between Shukaku's small ears. Come on, don't be shy. Everybody wants to know about the great Uchiha Itachi, and you should be no exception. Although you're one of the few people or hearts that have gotten this chance to ask questions, you know. He's way too reclusive for his own good, and the only people who can break through his somewhat prissy shell are Sasuke, Neji, and Naruto.
Shukaku looked up, and Kitai rolled down his back with a delighted laugh. Oh, are you ok? He twisted his head in an attempt to see Kitai, and Tensai rolled down his tail too, whooping with joy. Shukaku turned around fully and nudged the two hearts with his nose, and they rolled, though not very far, since Neji stopped them.
"Now, now, children. Don't get too excited around each other, or I won't let you accompany me around today."
Kitai looked up at Neji. You do realize that two out of the three of us are older than you, right?
Neji chuckled nervously. "Um, yeah. But you're all so cute. Much cuter than your persons. Anyways, do you want to come with me today? I need to go soon, it's almost 9…"
Yosh! Kitai shouted enthusiastically (1), and Tensai agreed too. "Good." Neji smiled, scooped them up, and put Shukaku on his shoulder, Tensai onto his other shoulder ("Try to hang on, ok?"), and Kitai into his shirt pocket. He strode out of the vaults, and since it was close to opening time, all his employees were here, and Haku greeted him with a cheerful 'Good Morning!' as he walked past his desk. Shukaku suddenly jumped off his shoulder and onto Haku's desk, staring at Neji's receptionist/secretary's face.
Don't tell me…you're a guy too, aren't you?
Haku smiled, cheerfully surprised. "How did you guess? Most people don't see that at first glance."
Oh well, for one, your hair is absolutely perfect, like Neji's – do you have a lot of hair products too? – but you aren't wearing any make-up at all. Not that you need it, of course, but girls who care about their hair that much usually don't leave off make-up. They're either too vain or too insecure. Shukaku shrugged slightly, brushing the observations off.
"Oh, thank you. What's your name? I believe I am right in assuming you are a heart, hmm?" Haku reached out somewhat tentatively, laying a hand on Shukaku's head, and when he felt that it was just as physical and touchable as himself, he started to scratch Shukaku behind the ears. It was what made his cat purr, and it should have the same effect on a raccoon, Haku thought.
Shukaku mewled in enjoyment and nodded in answer to the question. I'm Shukaku. I'm…-mewl-…Sabaku Gaara's heart.
Haku shot a smile to Neji as he continued to pet the sand-colored raccoon. "It's nice that you've got such a great new client, Neji. Do you think he will be using your services for long though? Sabaku Gaara's young, the same age as you, isn't he? And he should meet someone he likes fairly soon, I should think."
"Yeah, I do too," Neji agreed. "but he says he doesn't want to fall in love at all."
Haku stared, disbelieving. "You're not kidding?"
Neji sighed. "I wish. But I'm going to try to help him anyways. He just needs to get over his first love, which incidentally, was Naruto. Sabaku Gaara says he's known Naruto for 10 years, and I wonder why I haven't met him before this. I've known Naruto for 15 years, after all."
Haku smiled. "Hey, you've known me for at least 6 years, but you still didn't find out about Zabuza until I told you."
"I knew you were seeing someone, at least! I just didn't…expect it to be Zabuza."
"'Course not." Haku said breezily, before putting Shukaku back onto Neji's shoulder. "Nobody expected it except 'tachi. Oh, wait Neji. I've got some bad news." Neji, who was about to go into his office, paused and waited for Haku to go on. "Orochimaru made an appointment for this morning. He's coming in at 9:15, your first appointment of the day."
Neji gave no comment, just looked down at the floor as his expression clouded, and Shukaku wondered who Orochimaru was. "Thank you, Haku, for warning me. You say he's coming in at 9:15? Good, I'll deal with him quickly and send him on his way."
Then he went into his office and closed the door softly, before collapsing limply into his swivel chair. He did not need Orochimaru this early in the morning…
Shukaku jumped down onto the desk so he could look up at Neji, Kitai, and Tensai, and asked, Who's Orochimaru?
Neji closed his eyes and rested his forehead in his hands, signaling he didn't want to talk about it, and Shukaku turned to his two fellow hearts for an answer.
Orochimaru's publicly a businessman who deals in antique furniture and exotic trinkets, but privately, he manufactures love potions, or really supplies the money for a lab and a factory for his pet chemist, a man named Yakushi Kabuto. Since Neji's business almost directly conflicts with his own, he's been bothering Neji a lot, offering to buy this business, molesting him, and being a snake pervert in general, although I suppose he has good taste. I'd want to molest Neji too if I wasn't a heart and didn't have Kyuubi.
Neji glared half-heartedly. "He sees me as weak just because I look like a girl. People like him make me want to scream, the sexists, but then I remember I'm opposing him with every heart I've got safe in my bank, and that's the only thing that comforts me. Orochimaru is a slimy bastard, who'll use any trick in or out of the book to ruin me. I'm holding out pretty well, though. It does some good that Itachi's on my side and not on his, since even Orochimaru's wealth is overpowered by the Uchiha Empire's, and the Hyuuga family produces exceptional lawyers. If not for those two things, I would've been out of business before I had gotten my first client."
Shukaku frowned, a wrinkle appearing on his brow. You mean…some people don't care that you doing good for all hearts everywhere? They just want to close down your business because…
"Because it'd be more profitable for them if their love potions would work on everybody, yes."
And Orochimaru is one of them?
"Yes." Neji looked around, and then said decisively, "All of you are going back to the vaults. I'm not letting him anywhere near you three."
No. No! NO! All three objections came one right after the other, loud and vehement. We are not leaving you alone with the snake bastard.
"And I'm not letting the hearts I care for the most right now be within 10 feet of him. You're not protecting me, I'm protecting all of you."
As Neji talked, Shukaku felt the itch come back in full force, and he started to stand on edge. He didn't want to leave Neji alone, not with Orochimaru, because this itch was focused on him, and Shukaku worried for Neji…he made up his mind quickly, his tail twitching madly.
I'm staying. You're giving this up, Neji. As Neji started to protest, Shukaku added, I have teeth, I have claws, and I can defend myself. You might be protecting Kitai and Tensai by locking them back in the vault, but I'm just as safe there as I am in here, and I'm determined to stay. I'll pretend I'm a statue or something and not move, but I'm not budging from your desk.
Neji glared, but he gave up after Shukaku glared back just as fiercely. "Fine. But you two" he motioned to Kitai and Tensai, "are going back to the vaults and going back now."
They radiated disapproval, but they shifted towards the door silently, moving through the walls ('cause hearts who weren't like Kyuubi and Shukaku could do that) and back into the vaults. Neji and Shukaku stared at each other, before Neji ruffled the raccoon's fur with a small smile. "To tell the truth, I'm relieved you're going to be here. You can prevent me from trying to kill him."
Oh great. Is he really that bad?
"I have issues with harassment and people who believe I'm as weak as a girl. They bullied me through all of school and especially during my first few weeks of college, before I met Itachi. So I have issues, and a pent-up frustration ready to burst."
Uh huh.
Neji glanced toward his cameras and waved his hand. "Quick, Orochimaru's coming in."
Shukaku turned around on the desk, sat down on his rump, and turned still as a statue, while his eyes were glued to the screen that filmed the image of a man walking in the front door.
Orochimaru was more skeletal than thin, and his height added even more to the impression that he was a malevolent wraith, or one of the undead, clothed in a body of imitation skin and bones. He was also wearing an obviously expensive 3-piece suit, the dark blue color only bringing out the green-grayish tint of his skin. His hair looked oily, the light reflecting off it as off a snake's slippery scales. Orochimaru came through the office door a little later, and Shukaku, still motionless, noticed his eyes were slanted and narrow, his gaze as a predator to prey.
Neji did not stand up when Orochimaru came in, matching his gaze with one of his own. The snake sat down without asking, a twisted smile on his face and his left foot on his right knee. "Hello, Neji. I trust you are well?"
Neji's lip curled in disgust at the slimy whisper, but managed not to conceal his feelings about everything else. "As well as I can be on a Friday morning with you dirtying my office, yes."
"You know well what I'm here to discuss, I'm sure."
Neji's gaze turned into a well-crafted glare, his silver eyes hardening into icy opals. "And you know well what my answer is to your proposal, I'm sure. I refuse to sell my business, and you cannot make me do anything."
Orochimaru clucked his tongue, suddenly moving forward into Neji's personal space and smiling once more. "Well, you know Neji, I've been thinking about that, and I believe you are right. I cannot make you do anything you do not want to do, but then, all I need to accomplish is to make your goals the same as mine. Then, you will bend to my will, and I'll have your business."
"What are you implying, Orochimaru?" It was strange, how they had dropped the honorifics, not because they were close, but because honorifics showed the amount of respect granted, and there was none between them. Neji could not believe at the underhanded tactics Orochimaru used (or was rumored to use) to gain what he wanted, and the snake sneered at Neji's honesty and fairness in his business dealings. "Because if you think your dishonest actions will have any effect on me," Neji glared once more, "Think again."
Orochimaru's slimy smile widened bit by bit. "Well, we'll just have to find out when it happens, won't we Neji? I have to confess, I'll enjoy it when that time comes. You've heard of my sadistic streak, I'm sure, and I have a great appreciation of the aesthetically pleasing. And you are very beautiful." He paused, letting that sink in. "Kabuto would like to examine your Hyuuga eyes up close, you know. His greatest wish is to examine the Uchiha Sharingan and its bloodline, but he'll be satisfied with the Byakugan. And we both want to…play with your amazing abilities. Although…I'd much rather play with you."
Orochimaru's hand slithered up into the air, aimed for Neji's cheek. Shukaku tensed, feeling no movement behind him from Neji.
"Beautiful, beautiful Neji…" Neji must've been frozen with either fear or rage, and that hand was getting closer, and Orochimaru was standing up now, but Neji still wasn't doing anything, and Shukaku didn't want Orochimaru to touch Neji. Orochimaru was bad, was the source of that itch that had been bothering Shukaku so much, and Shukaku knew he need to do something, anything! And…was that a knife in Orochimaru's hands?
It was definitely something shiny, and something sharp, and without thinking Shukaku launched himself forward and buried his sharp teeth and claws into Orochimaru's arm, because Neji would be harmed by whatever it was Orochimaru held, and Shukaku couldn't let that happen, because Neji was his savior, was a savior to so many. If anyone had been looking, they would've seen the little raccoon's eyes turn red.
Shukaku slashed across Orochimaru's arm, ripping cloth and skin, and sunk in his teeth as far in as possible, not letting go until Orochimaru pulled him off with a sharp curse and threw him toward the wall behind Neji. Shukaku hit it with a sickening thud, dropping down to the floor exhaling a small whimper and curling up, trembling with pain. It HURT. He'd always been sheltered within Gaara, never been out in the world, never been exposed like this, and the last coherent thought Shukaku had was the hope that Gaara wasn't feeling any of this, wherever he was. Then he embraced the welcome arms of dark unconsciousness, and thought no more.
Neji jumped up and ran to Shukaku, carefully scooping the raccoon up into his hands before turning back to Orochimaru, who had gotten over his cursing fit of a few seconds before as he regarded his bloody mess of an arm. Neji looked down at Shukaku, wondering what had propelled him to do something so violent. But Neji didn't seem to remember the past few moments – lethargy overcame his thoughts and he swayed on his feet as he tried to rack his memories. Neji blinked quickly, and the sluggishness dissipated.
What had happened? All he remembered was staring into Orochimaru's eyes, some sort of hypnotism perhaps? And then Shukaku had attacked, probably right on time, saving him from…something. But that something was connected to Orochimaru, which couldn't be good.
Neji was distracted by the snake, who was glaring at Neji and Shukaku even while his blood still flowed over his suit sleeve, making no movement to bind it up, and Neji wasn't going to offer.
"You cannot have such a dangerous and wild animal in your office," The snake hissed. "I will lodge a complaint and have it put down, and I assure you it shall be done as speedily as possible."
"I doubt you will be able to, Orochimaru, even if you bring it to court. This is not a wild animal, this is one of the hearts I protect, and since it is usually mild-mannered, I am sure it was acting in self-defense. This also belongs to one of my most prestigious clients, and I believe he will be very happy to supply lawyers. So I believe we'll keep this to ourselves, hmm?"
Neji swallowed nervously, looking at the delighted sparkle in Orochimaru's eyes. What had he said? "What an interesting heart. I presume there are more of these physical beings?"
Neji wanted to collapse onto his chair and bang his head on the table for his stupidity. Of course Orochimaru would be interested in Shukaku, as a novelty, if nothing else. Why had he not thought? He pursed his lips and stayed silent.
"Ah. That's how it is." Orochimaru smirked. "Well, they have certainly perked my interest." He stood up, taking off his suit jacket and laying it over his bloody arm, hiding it from sight. "Good day, Neji. You have certainly made my day one to remember." He strode out, and Neji allowed himself one sigh before turning his attention to Shukaku. The raccoon was battered, to say the least, and lay limp in Neji's hold. He was unconscious though, and hopefully could not feel the pain, but could there be physical pain to a heart? Neji supposed so, since there wasn't any emotional damage visible, but he had only dealt with emotional pain, not physical. So who could he go to? Shukaku was a raccoon, so a vet…
Yes, Kiba and the Inuzukas were just a block away, and they SHOULD be open this early, though god knew they were lazy. Neji ran out of his office, startling Haku, but he didn't spare the other an explanation, rushing out into the street and to Kiba's animal hospital. Ok, the sign on the door said they were open, and Kiba was behind the counter when Neji came in.
He frowned at Neji's battered appearance and asked, "What's the matter, Nej?"
Neji walked up to him and laid out Shukaku on the counter, showing him to Kiba. "Orochimaru threw him against a wall. I think some of his bones are broken, though I don't know for sure."
Kiba felt Shukaku's prone form with soft fingers, and his frown deepened. "I think you're right." When he saw Neji's worried look, he asked, "Why did Orochimaru throw him against a wall? Besides the fact that he's a snake bastard, I mean." Kiba needed to distract Neji, because he did not need a hysterical Hyuuga beside him (though Neji rarely was hysterical).
"And come on, we'll go into the back. He, what's his name? He needs X-rays." Neji went through the door out of the waiting area and into the actual animal hospital, following Kiba into an exam room, where he laid Shukaku onto the exam table and positioned the machine. They then went into an adjoining room and Kiba pushed a few buttons, which then took the X-rays.
While they were waiting, Neji answered Kiba's questions. "His name is Shukaku. He's…he's a raccoon, though definitely not a normal one…is he ok?"
Kiba was looking at the X-rays with a neutral look on his face. "He's got several fractures, broken ribs, but he'll live. Though, I have to ask again. Why was Orochimaru throwing him so hard? And where did you find such a strange animal? It's…exotic. You didn't get it from the black market, did you? You know I don't approve of that, no matter how beautiful the animal is and how well you'd take care of it. An animal of the wild should stay where it was born."
Neji looked a bit sheepish as he answered. "Shukaku isn't really an animal, he's a heart that I've been taking care of, and he's one of the only ones that have physical forms. He bit Orochimaru and tore up his arm, I think because he was trying to protect me, but I'm not sure. Anyways, that's why Orochimaru threw him against a wall."
Kiba winced. "Ah. But good for him, trying to inflict pain on Orochimaru. Not a lot of people would. By the way, I don't suppose you can tell me who the heart belongs to, can you? I'd like to go up to him and shake him by the hand to thank him."
Neji speculated for a brief second on what would happen if Kiba actually attempted that with Sabaku Gaara. It wasn't a pretty image, and Neji was glad he had a legitimate reason to refuse Kiba's request. "No, you know I have to keep my clients' privacy, although I will tell you that it's nobody that you or I know personally."
"Hmm…that's good. I guess your client isn't feeling the pain himself, right? Or you wouldn't be here." The X-rays were done and Kiba were looking at them, missing the stricken look on Neji's face.
"Actually…I don't know. I don't know why it slipped my mind, but I when Shukaku was unconscious I just didn't know what to do, so I rushed down here and…" Neji paused, possibilities running through his mind. "Will you take care of Shukaku? I need to make some calls, check up on…"
"Yeah, yeah, go ahead." Kiba turned and grinned, baring his (way too dog-like to be natural) canines. "I'll take care of him, don't worry 'bout it. I'll give you a call on his cell when he wakes up, and I think if you drop by again later in the day you can pick him up. I bet he's adjusted to your touch, you know? Like any other pet with their owner, and in my experience, pets don't like going to the vet and being separated from their humans. Shukaku should be the same."
Neji smiled in thanks and hurried out of the exam room. Returning to his office, he passed by Haku again, but now stopped to give him an explanation. Well, this was partly because Haku yelled 'NEJI! WHAT HAPPENED!' as he walked by, and Neji didn't want a spazzing Haku to pick up the phone to any of his clients.
"Orochimaru threw Shukaku against a wall." He replied to the shouted question, gasping.
Haku blinked and gaped. "Why?"
"Shukaku bit him. Anyways, I need to go see if Sabaku-san is all right…" Without another word Neji walked into his office and closed the door, grabbing Sabaku Gaara's paperwork (it was still there from yesterday, he hadn't gotten to tell Haku to file it yet) and flipping through until he got to the personal information. He marked the work phone number with a finger, and picked up the phone and dialed with the other hand.
After the start of one ring someone picked up, but it was definitely not Sabaku Gaara who answered. For one, it was a woman. The secretary, probably… "Hello? May I speak to Sabaku-san?"
"You're speaking to her." Neji blinked, and wondered if he had heard right.
"Sabaku Gaara-san?" he asked again. He heard a laugh from the other end.
"Ah, it was a false hope, I suppose, to think such a nice-sounding guy would be calling for me. I'm Sabaku Temari-san, and who are you?"
Right…there had been an article in a business magazine somewhere detailing Sabaku Gaara, and Neji had read that Sabaku Gaara had adopted two of his employees, his secretary and his chauffeur, as his siblings. Sabaku Temari and Sabaku Kankuro, originally Miyata Temari and Miyata Kankuro, had been the children of servants to the Sabaku family, and had grown up alongside Gaara. Gaara was amazingly vocal about his adopted siblings, and had told the magazine the reason he had adopted his siblings was because after his mother had died during his birth and his father had ignored him, Temari and Kankuro had been the ones to take care of him. He had wanted to thank them somehow.
"I'm Hyuuga Neji. May I speak to Gaara?" On second thought, it might not have been wise to refer to Sabaku Gaara by his first name, hearing the feminine titter from the other end.
"That tells me what your name is, but not who you are. Are you Gaara's boyfriend? Please tell me you're Gaara's boyfriend. Or that you're single. Single is good too."
"Um…I'm not Gaara's boyfriend. I'm just a business associate."
"But none of Gaara's business associates would dare to call him by his first name! Come on, tell me the truth!"
"But I am a business associate, Sabaku-san-"
"Call me Temari."
"Would Temari-chan suffice?"
"Sure."
"Ok, Temari-chan, I take care of Ga- Sabaku-san's heart, Shukaku, and I was wondering if…well, has Sabaku-san fainted in the past ten or fifteen minutes?"
"Wait, you're THAT Hyuuga Neji? The one that runs that bank for hearts?"
"Yes, Temari-chan. Now will you please check up on Sabaku-san? I'm a bit worried about him."
There was some shuffling on the other side of the phone, and Temari's voice came back a few seconds later. "He's fine, and as irritable as ever. What happened and why are you calling?"
Neji wondered if he should disclose this private information, and Temari noticed this pause. "Come on, Neji-kun," she crooned, before she got serious. "I was his guardian for several years, you know. I am his sister, and he trusts me with keeping his fangirls and fanboys out of his private office, which is the unofficial job entrusted to his secretary. It's quite fun, actually. But the point is, you can trust me with his private info, hmm?"
"You're right, but will you get him and put me on speakerphone? I don't really want to repeat what I'm going to tell you."
There was a laugh, before Temari shouted, "GAARA!" Neji held the phone away from him and winced.
"WHAT!?" Came the reply, and Neji winced again. His ears…
"HYUUGA NEJI WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"
By now Neji was wise enough to have put the phone down on the desk and not so close to his poor eardrums. He picked it up a moment later, cautiously bringing it close. "Hello?"
"Hello Hyuuga-san. What do you want?" came the crisp reply. Did he always assume that everybody wanted something from him?
"Did you feel any pain about ten or fifteen minutes ago?"
Silence.
"Yes."
In the background I could hear Temari fussing over him (though Neji thought that he'd be too scared to fuss over the redhead…), and then he heard a beep, which probably signaled that Gaara had turned off the speakerphone. "Gaar- Sabaku-san?" Neji really did need to stop calling him Gaara in front of anyone except Shukaku…
"Yes?" The tone suggested that Neji had better not waste any time.
"Where did the pain come from?"
"My chest."
"Oh, ok. Then I suppose it must've been Shukaku…"
"My heart?"
"Yes. Sannin Orochimaru was in my office earlier, where he threw Shukaku into a wall." Neji waited for the reaction.
"I thought I paid you to protect my heart?" Of course he'd go with the bitter and sarcastic retort. And he was good at it too.
"I'm sorry, Sabaku-san. I would refund your money and let you take Shukaku back, but I should think that he would prefer to stay with me rather than go back to you."
"What?" The incredulousness made Neji wonder if anybody besides Gaara's siblings had ever contradicted him. "Just what are you implying, Hyuuga-san?"
"Well, if you hadn't mistreated Shukaku so much, and kept him miserable, maybe you would be in a happy, loving relationship by now! Do you understand how much pain you've caused him in the last few years?"
"He was my heart! It was my decision!"
"Well yes, but you could've been less stupid!"
"Who isn't stupid while in love? But then, you wouldn't know, would you?"
Neji felt his stomach sink. "What do you mean?"
"Well, you haven't ever fallen in love, have you? Seeing as how your heartname is Loveless."
Neji bristled, wondering why it seemed to hurt so much when Gaara hit his weak spot. He hung up the phone and set his head down on his hands, wishing he knew why he wanted to cry. And then he knew. He was being a hypocrite about Gaara. He was making his own heart miserable too…
-----
Temari glanced at Gaara, somewhat shocked to find him looking so angry. "What happened?" She asked softly, gulping when he turned to face her. Her little brother was truly scary when he was angry.
"This Hyuuga Neji thinks he can judge me about my love life when he doesn't even have one!"
"How do you know?"
"His heartname is Loveless."
Temari's brow furrowed. "Really? How did you find out?"
"Naruto. For the past month or so all he's been talking about is either Uchiha Sasuke or Hyuuga Neji, and I preferred listening to him talk about his best friend instead of his boyfriend. He told me Neji's heartname had 'destined' him to a life without love, though I don't really believe it. If everybody's heartname has a meaning, then what does Shukaku mean?"
Temari ignored Gaara's last question, instead turning to the former topic at hand. "But Neji-kun seriously hasn't dated or loved anyone before?"
Gaara stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Naruto says he's too afraid of rejection. I say he's too sissy to engage in a real relationship."
Temari was now sitting back in her swivel chair, with Gaara leaning on her desk. "But think about it…if he really believes that he's destined to be unloved, how lonely he must be…"
"Hmph." Gaara went back into his office, and Temari pondered how she would feel if she was condemned to stay single her whole life. She shuddered at the thought and turned back to her computer, getting back to work.
-----
Neji sniffled but looked up as Kitai and Tensai came through the walls again, moving up onto his desk. What happened? Tensai asked tentatively.
"Orochimaru threw Shukaku into a wall."
We knew that already, Neji. I meant what happened just now that made you want to cry?
They rolled up to his head, nudging insistently. "I just called Gaara." Neji answered.
And? Tensai prodded.
"And in the course of conversation I told him that he had been making Shukaku miserable for the past few years."
Which is true. Go on.
Neji smiled at their support. "When I told him he should have moved on, he replied that I shouldn't be the one to judge him, because my heartname was Loveless and that I hadn't felt love before."
Bastard, Kitai immediately put in, doing what Itachi would have done in these circumstances. He shouldn't be the one judging you. But how did he know?
"I'm not sure, but I think Naruto might have told him." And then his eyes widened. "Shit."
What?
"Both Shukaku and Kyuubi are in danger."
WHAT?
Neji winced. "I accidentally let slip to Orochimaru that Shukaku was a heart and not an animal, and he was…interested by the idea of a heart with physical form. He's going to be scouring the city for them, and I pray he doesn't find Kyuubi before Naruto and Sasuke get married. After that, Kyuubi will be safe."
Naruto and Sasuke are getting married today. I don't care if they don't have time, you will drag them over here and MARRY them, ok?
Neji could see how worried Tensai was, and nodded in agreement as he reached for the phone. He dialed Sasuke's cell, and waited as the phone rang three times before going to the answering machine.
"Uchiha Sasuke. Leave a message if it's important. Leave if it's not."
"Hey Sasuke, it's Neji, get over here today, I have time to marry you and Naruto, and I'm sure you want to get married as soon as possible."
Neji hung up, then dialed Naruto's cell. The blonde didn't pick up either, and Neji was faced with the answering machine.
"Hey, it's Uzumaki Naruto here, leave a message after the beep, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible! I'm most likely eating ramen or making out with Sasuke at the moment, so whatever you have to say comes second!"
Heh, typical Naruto. "Naruto, it's Neji, and get yourself over here now, and Sasuke with you, ok? You two are getting married today, since I have time."
Neji frowned as he hung up. "Neither of them are picking up…I wonder where they are."
Probably with each other. Kitai commented. Try calling Itachi.
Neji took his advice and dialed Itachi's cell, and the Uchiha picked up after the first ring. "Uchiha Itachi."
"Hey Itachi, it's Neji."
"How are you doing? Is everything ok?"
Neji rolled his eyes. "Do you just assume that I need your help whenever I call? I can call for other reasons, you know."
"Uh huh, right. So why did you call?"
"Because…I needed help finding Naruto and your brother."
"…" Neji could just feel the smirk Itachi was probably sporting on his face right now.
"Fine, fine, this time I do need your help, but don't take it for granted! Neither Naruto nor Sasuke are picking up their cells, and I need to marry them today." After a pause, Neji added, "And besides, I needed to call you anyways because you're probably going to be best man, aren't you? They don't want a big wedding, but I'm pretty sure they'd want you there."
"I see. And why do you 'need' to marry them today?"
"…It's a long story. I'll tell you later, but I don't want them to know. Just find them, ok?"
"Fine. See you later, Neji."
"Bye. I owe you one, 'tachi."
He heard a snort from the other line. "You owe me a lot, Neji, but it's fine. Take care of yourself."
And with that he hung up. Neji stood up, stretched, and picked up Tensai and Kitai. He walked out of his office, telling Haku, "I'm gonna be in the vault if you need me. Tell me if any clients come." Haku nodded and Neji went, wanting to store up energy for the day. He'd need it.
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(1) I just…crack up when I think of Itachi's heart saying this. –snigger- Anybody else laughing with me?
Next chapter: Naruto and Sasuke's actual wedding, and the beginning of NejiGaara (or GaaNeji). Or a cliffhanger. Not really sure which.