The Logical Conclusion
A/N: Thanks to everyone who have consistently supported me and urged me on. I know it's been a while since my last update and hopefully, this chapter was worth waiting for. I LOVE reading LONG reviews and hearing about what you guys like about my story and what I should try to improve and stuff. Thanks so much again for the support! I'm not really very sure about this chapter, but hopefully you guys will like it. Please let me know!
Chapter Seven:
A small sound prompted Sasuke to awaken, disoriented. He didn't stir and the rhythm of his breathing didn't change to alert the possible intruder to the fact that he was now conscious. It took him only a portion of a second to realize he was lying in a hospital bed. It took him about a second or two to remember why. He cringed, his breath hitching in remembered agony just as the door to his room swung fully open.
"Oi, so you're awake…"
Sasuke opened his eyes and glared at Kakashi, willing some of his bad mood on his former sensei.
Kakashi seemed unperturbed by Sasuke's death glare. He flicked an imaginary piece of lint from his shoulder and grinned at Sasuke from behind his mask. "So…how are you feeling?"
"Like crap," Sasuke snarled as he tried to sit up, only to realize that he was immobile. Oh shit!
Kakashi correctly interpreted the wide-eyed look of horror on Sasuke's face. "Some of the chakra points along your spine has been closed off. Paralysis is an expected effect."
"Paralysis!" That didn't ease the knot in Sasuke's gut one bit.
The door opened to admit Hinata inside.
"Yo!" Kakashi greeted. "How's it going Hinata-hime-chan?" (Princess Hinata-chan)
Sasuke was too shocked by his paralysis to do much of anything except scream inside his own mind.
Hinata returned Kakashi's greeting with a smile, already used to Kakashi's sometimes playful, greetings. She glanced strangely at Sasuke who was looking quite catatonic at the moment before she moved inside, carrying a tray laden with food. "Sakura-san was sent on an errand by Hokage-sama and is sorry she couldn't come…but she thought you might like this Uchiha-san. It's from the restaurant that you favor."
Silence.
"U-Uchiha-san? Daijoubu des ka?"
Somehow, the timid inquiry served as the catalyst to ignite Sasuke's ire and fireworks exploded behind his eyeballs. "I'm a fucking paralytic!" he snarled so suddenly that Hinata took a step back from him in surprise. "My chakra points have been closed off. What the hell for? Now I can't freaking move!" He couldn't move…
"A-ah…" Hinata twitched and concentrated her attention on the tray of food she was holding.
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke, his eyes narrowed for a moment before they returned to their half-lidded look. "Here Hinata, let me get that for you," he said as he took the tray from Hinata's hands and put them on the bedside table. "Wasn't Hinata nice to bring you your food Sasuke? It's not her job after all." Kakashi said pointedly.
"H-How are you feeling?" Hinata asked, looking guilty as she stared at the floor and twitched a bit. "Tsunade-sensei was wondering when you'd come to…"
Sasuke barely even spared Hinata a glance; too busy mentally hissing at Tsunade. Where was the old hag anyway? She was the one who'd come up with the idea to alter Orochimaru's seal somewhat and make it more manageable, but obviously something had gone awry because he was now confined to a bed, paralyzed from the neck down. The least she could do was make an appearance and explain what she'd done to him to make him pass out from the pain and then wake up a paralytic.
Oh Kami, how was he supposed to get his revenge now?
Not to mention those kids he was yet to produce for the Uchiha line to live on…
The last thing Sasuke remembered was meeting with the Hokage about a procedure she would perform on his seal…something about him and Hinata having the same basic DNA strands so it wouldn't be necessary for any conduit to bind her chakra to his. He hadn't really understood the technicalities but the gist of it was that Hinata would serve as a medium and would channel the chakra into Sasuke, converting it at the same time making it easier for the chakra to bond with his in a molecular level and making heightening the success rate of the resealing.
He'd sat in the middle of a formation, eight medics seated on the eight strategic places around him. Their chakra would be channeled to Hinata and then from her, it would be transferred to him…Hinata was once again behind him, her palm warm on the bare skin of his back…and then white-hot pain slicing agonizingly through his system before everything had faded into blessed darkness.
Chakra points?
Closed off?
Sasuke's eyes widened in sudden understanding, he glanced at Hinata realizing exactly why she looked so guilty, like she'd done something wrong. "You're the one who closed off my tenketsu!" he uttered in almost comical disbelief.
Hinata twitched again before replying very softly. "G-Gomen nasai…it's o-only…"
"What the fuck for?"
Whether Hinata flinched from his tone or the expletive he'd used, Sasuke wasn't quite sure. He watched as she backed away, bowing, a blush staining her cheeks crimson. "I-I'll call Tsunade-sama…she'll be able t-to explain better and s-she wanted t-to see y-you w-when you w-woke up…"
Kakashi glanced at Sasuke when the door shut behind the Hyuuga. "That was quite uncalled for…and she was nice enough to bring you lunch too."
"She closed off my chakra points while I was unconscious! Now I can't even move my arms or legs. What was I supposed to do? Thank her for her generosity?" he snarled.
Kakashi sighed. He was aware that Sasuke was feeling very vulnerable right now and was just blindly lashing out, but Kurenai would most likely rip Sasuke a new one if she found out about his treatment of Hinata just now. His wife was very protective of the shy Hyuuga and the feeling had rubbed off on Kakashi. At least Sakura knew how to stand up for herself, Hinata seemed to just take whatever abuse came her way as if she deserved the treatment. Kurenai's rants against the Hyuuga patriarch came back to Kakashi. How could a father do that to his child? He couldn't imagine treating his daughter that way. "You know Sasuke, Hinata's been working hard researching and trying to find ways to help you deal with that seal of yours. Do you really think Hinata would shut off your tenketsu without a purpose? Remember, you don't know what happened. You were unconscious after all…"
Sasuke frowned and kept quite, his face turned away.
XXX
Kakashi was no longer there when Tsunade showed up in Sasuke's room, radiating intense annoyance. The first thing she did when she saw the Uchiha survivor was hit him upside the head with her open palm.
"Ow!"
Tsunade allowed herself a smirk at his exclamation of pain. "What did you say to Hinata?"
"What did she say I said?" Sasuke countered.
"Nothing, but she looked upset and the last person she saw was you."
Sasuke ignored the twinge of guilt he felt and stubbornly kept his mouth shut.
Tsunade hit him again.
"Ow!" Sasuke glared at her and tried to raise his right arm to rub the back of his head but failed to make his arm move. His glare intensified at the reminder of paralysis. "I'm paralyzed…"
Tsunade raised an eyebrow and cut Sasuke off before he could say anything else. "Your paralysis is only temporary. What, you think Hinata would shut your chakra off permanently? Give her some credit. She's my apprentice after all."
Sasuke shut his mouth and scowled at the Hokage who, for all intents and purposes, looked like she was mentally giving herself a pat on the back for a job well done.
Tsunade regarded him levelly and Sasuke grew conscious of the fact that this woman standing before him was one of the Legendary Sanin and the Hokage of Konoha. Power and Authority radiated from her and he found himself affected by her aura. "For someone who graduated top of his class, you sure make quite a few mistakes don't you, Uchiha?"
Sasuke stayed silent. What could he say to that?
"Remember the black thing we told you about? The one that surrounded your spine almost entirely?"
A curt nod was the only answer she got from Sasuke.
Tsunade muttered something about annoying males. "Well, in the process of the sealing, your cursed seal activated. That was the cause of the pain you felt. The black thing around your spine was reacting to the stronger sealing. It was fighting off my seal. It's at that point that you lost consciousness. Hinata had to block off the chakra points surrounding your spine to prevent chakra from traveling to the black mass because it was exerting too much pressure on your bones. It might have shattered your spine or caused you permanent damage."
"…"
"Nothing to say?"
Sasuke ignored the gnawing guilt he felt and inquired about the curse seal.
"The procedure was a success. I was able to re-seal Orochimaru's cursed seal. It's still there mind you, but its dormant and as long as you don't allow your chakra reserves to reach a critical low, it won't activate and the black mark will fade in time."
"I see. I'd like to leave the hospital now."
"Your paralyzed Uchiha," Tsunade pointed out with a frown.
"As you've said, it's only temporary. There's no reason for me to still remain here."
Tsunade took great pleasure in giving the scowling teen a beatific smile. "Sure there is. You're under observation until I say so."
And that, Sasuke realized, was that.
XXX
"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura greeted in surprise when she met her former sensei on her way to Sasuke's room to visit him. Things were looking up and Sasuke's paralysis had faded soon after the first day of the resealing. Tsunade-sama's seal was holding and examination results all read positively. As long as Sasuke was careful with his chakra levels, the curse seal would no longer resurface and cause him harm. Hinata had assured her that the black mass around Sasuke's spine had been successfully sealed off as well and no longer interrupted Sasuke's chakra highway. Sakura was hopeful that sooner or later, they would find a way to abolish the seal completely from Sasuke's system.
The Jounin raised a hand in greeting. "Yo."
"You're here to visit Sasuke-kun?"
"Uh-huh…and get my daughter back too."
Sakura smiled quizzically at the Copy-Nin before she opened the door to Sasuke's room. What she saw made her insides melt into a puddle of goop as she switched to fan girl mode. Sasuke was sitting up in bed, is legs crossed beneath him, a sleeping Kaori in his arms.
"Was she a handful today?" Kakashi asked as he stepped around a blushing Sakura.
"No more than usual," Sasuke muttered.
Kaori awoke when she was transferred from Sasuke to her father's rms. Sleepy cinnamon eyes regarded Kakashi with complete trust before they closed sleepily again. Kaori yawned and turned her face to the crook of her father's neck, one tiny hand reaching for Kakashi's hair. Kakashi patted his daughter's back comfortingly as he rocked her gently back to sleep. "Her clothes are dirty."
"She played in the gardens."
Kakashi smiled. "By the way Sasuke, I never did get around to asking…how was the book I lent you?"
Sasuke's face flamed at the reminder of the Hentai book Kakashi had lent him and he shot Sakura a horrified glance before glaring murder at Kakashi.
"Book?" Sakura repeated quizzically.
The older man smiled at Sakura's puzzled look. "It's an ingenious dissertation of the human anatomy as well as some aspects of biology and sociology. Quite graphic actually and very detailed." Kakashi provided.
"Oh."
Sasuke kept his face turned away from both of his visitors. He was sure that his face was probably as red as Sakura's tunic. Anatomy? Sociology? Biology? Yeah right. Graphic and detailed was true, but ingenious dissertation? Of perversion, maybe…
"She likes doing that a lot, neh sensei?" Sakura commented, her eyes drawn to Kaori's tiny fingers playing with Kakashi's hair even while she was asleep.
"Aa."
"She plays with your hair too, neh Sasuke-kun?" Sakura said smiling as she turned to her long-time crush.
"I suppose."
"You'll make a very good father someday, Sasuke-kun…" Sakura said warmly, a pink blush tingeing her cheeks. She found she couldn't quite look at Sasuke and instead concentrated on looking at her sandals, waiting for the pounding of her heart to stop.
Sasuke, for his part, did not know quite what to say either and he kept his face averted, his own cheeks coloring from embarrassment.
Kakashi smiled in amusement. "You're right Sakura, Sasuke will make a good father someday. Especially now that he knows how to go about it…thanks to that wonderful book…eh Sasuke…"
Sasuke ignored him, knowing it was pointless to say anything. Kakashi was an idiot and would twist whatever Sasuke's said into some perverse innuendo or brush it aside casually. He chose to address Sakura, the saner of the two, instead. "How much longer do I have to stay here?" He laid a hand on his shoulder. Everyday, he could feel his condition improve. The Hokage had allowed him more and more leeway to practice, as long as it was in a controlled environment and he didn't overexert himself. Everyday, Hinata would come to check on the seal and see if it was stable. It always was, thank goodness.
"Not long," Sakura assured. "Your condition has readily improved and Hinata-chan and Shizune-san are preparing the readings of your seal. You should be discharged in a day or two at most…that's actually one of the things I wanted to tell you about."
Sasuke felt relief wash through him. Finally he could leave this place and go back to his house. Gloomy and desolate as it was, it was still his. It was his home.
XXX
A few days later, Sasuke stood in an empty training field taking deep breaths as he finished warming up. He concentrated on the first circle of his katas, his movements slow and careful as he matched them with his breathing. Each flick of his wrist, each tense and relaxation of muscle increased in speed with every movement until he faded from sight, almost like a whirlwind of motion in the middle of the still, green field. When finally, it ended, leaves were blown all around and floated down lazily to rain down on him. One green leaf landed on his nose and Sasuke's eyes crossed as he looked at it before he plucked it away and let it fall.
"Any adverse reaction to the exertion?"
"No. Nothing seal related." Sasuke answered.
Tsunade nodded. "Begin with some basic genjutsu then. Commence when you're ready."
Sasuke performed the hand seals and started with one of the easiest genjutsu he knew. It took only a minimum amount of chakra to accomplish. From the sidelines, he spotted the others dispel his genjutsu with a gesture. There was still not a single twitch from the cursed seal. He progressed to more complicated genjutsu and there was still no reaction from the cursed seal. Finally, Tsunade said he could move on to ninjutsu, something Sasuke did with great relish because he had missed unleashing some of his more powerful attacks.
Sakura commented how strong he'd become. There were some techniques he was using that she hadn't seen before. She tried to keep her fan girl squeal to a bare minimum with a modicum of success. Tsunade herself was even impressed by Sasuke. He was still so young and already his knowledge was quite extensive and he still had the capacity to grow. She was well aware that the techniques he was using now were not the most powerful ones in his arsenal. For all Orochimaru's vileness, he had managed to train the Uchiha boy fairly well. Tsunade's mind just shied away from contemplating the methods her former teammate might have used.
After a particularly large blast and a huge crater on the earth later, Tsunade called a halt to Sasuke's little exhibition. "You may rest now Uchiha," she said, smiling smugly. Her modified 'evil sealing technique' seemed to have managed to get the job done. Sasuke's cursed seal was still there, there was no way to remove it completely yet, but Tsunade's seal had managed to contain it and as long as Sasuke still had sufficient chakra on his body to function, the seal would not activate. "Hinata, go check on the seal."
"Hai, Hokage-sama," Hinata said before she stood up and made her way towards Sasuke.
"Yes Sakura, you can go check to see if Uchiha has superficial wounds," Tsunade said as she sensed her other apprentice fidgeting at her side.
"Arigato, Tsunade-sama!" Sakura chirped as she hurried to join Hinata.
Shizune laughed a little at Tsunade's sigh.
"For a very smart girl, Sakura seems the opposite when it comes to Uchiha."
"She's liked him since she was young, I guess it's understandable. Most of the females in the village are half in love with him."
"I suppose…" Tsunade said as she watched Hinata step back from Sasuke after checking the seal. "But not all."
XXX
Sakura was very happy that Sasuke had been pronounced well enough to leave the hospital. She could sense how anxious he was to get back to his home, though she didn't really understand why. The Uchiha compound was dismal and depressing and the thought of him living there alone always made her feel sad. She'd move in there with him, to keep him company, if only he'd allow her but she knew he wouldn't. Despite being closer to him now that she had been in the past, she knew Sasuke still held her at arms length. It seemed he would never really allow anyone to be close to him.
Not really.
She took the day off and helped him move back into the house he occupied and even helped him clean it. Some dust had accumulated since his absence and Sakura was surprised when Sasuke actually let her stay to help him. She smiled at him a little as she tied a kerchief over her head to protect her hair.
Midway through the cleaning, Sakura thought about how much faster they could finish if only Naruto was there. She thought about Ino and the other genins in their class in the past and pictured them all gathered here, cleaning and teasing each other and laughing.
What am I doing! I'm alone with Sasuke-kun and all I can think about is other people being here with us!
Sakura berated herself and tried to think of something to say to Sasuke so there wouldn't be only silence between them. It wasn't exactly uncomfortable, it was actually a companionable silence, but Sakura wanted to talk to him. She so rarely got a chance to be alone with him, just the two of them, and she was intent on using that precious time to try and understand him more. Unfortunately, Sasuke's monosyllabic answers and the occasional sentence or two deterred every attempt she made at a conversation. It was clear his mind was preoccupied so she gave up with a sigh and concentrated on their task.
When they finished, Sakura gathered up the used rags and cleaning materials and went to put them away. She washed her hands and tidied up a bit before returning to the living room where she'd left Sasuke. He was standing in the middle of the room, looking out the window. The sky was already the deep purple of twilight. She hadn't realized so much time had already passed. She hadn't even eaten lunch yet and she was sure that neither had Sasuke.
"Sakura…"
"Hai, Sasuke-kun?" she turned towards Sasuke and saw that he had a thoughtful look on his face.
"Do you want to go out to eat? It'll be my treat."
Sakura smiled and nodded. "Hai."
XXX
The Council sought Hiashi out, to discuss the actions of his eldest daughter and his nephew. The two had been rarely seen around the compound and the Council expressed their disapproval of the current situation. The preparations for the announcement were underway and it would be better if the two main players were to stay at home, especially Neji who was key in taking the family into the future they were all looking forward to.
Hiashi listened and dismissed all their claims. "Hinata is attending to her duties at the hospital and Neji has responsibilities as an ANBU captain and a Shinobi of this village. Their actions bring no dishonor to the family but honor us instead. There is no need to curtail any of their activities."
Neji, one of the youngest ANBU captains, Hinata one of the two chosen apprentice of the Hokage, Hanabi, a child protégée with the promise to be one of the greatest kunoichi in Hyuuga history. It should have been enough…it should have been, but it wasn't.
Of course, the collective Council was not happy with this pronouncement, but Hiashi was head and there was nothing they could do about it.
Hiashi took a sip of his tea and regarded the Elders of his family. His daughter's heart would break and his family's future would be secured. There were no individuals in the clan and as it's head, it was his duty to make decisions for the good of the family.
No matter how difficult it might be.
XXX
Neji sighed as he walked out of the Hokage's office after his mission debriefing, bowing in greeting when he passed by Shizune who was on her way in. Shizune smiled and returned the greeting. Shizune had been one of the primary people who had taken care of him on his stint in the hospital after the whole Sasuke Retrieval debacle, back when he was still a genin. He knew Shizune-san was the Hokage's first apprentice and was now considered Tsunade-sama's right hand.
Neji had been surprised to find out that Shizune had taken in Hinata as a student and had been even more surprised when Hinata ended up being the Hokage's apprentice as well. He'd been proud of his little cousin and he'd been grateful to Shizune for giving Hinata a chance and not dismissing her as someone below notice.
Neji exited the Hokage's building before heading back to the hospital.
Later, he would have to do some proper paperwork and submit it to the Hokage to be filed. He felt dirty after days of surveillance and not having the luxury of time to take a bath. He desperately wanted one, but first he needed to visit Lee to check on him. They mostly paired together on ANBU missions and their teamwork, after years of working together, was impeccable.
The document they had been sent to retrieve had been surprisingly well guarded not only by several higher-ranking Shinobis from Hidden Grass that the daimyo had hired but also by several well-trained samurais. It had been rather bloody and Neji had incurred several gashes and bruises and his ANBU uniform bore the taints of blood from himself and his enemies as well as several burns due to a fire jutsu he had barely been able to avoid.
He'd been going out on missions, one after the other and he knew he needed to stop for a while and allow Lee to heal and allow himself some rest as well. It was just that he hated to be idle. He hated it when he had time to think and contemplate his future and always, always his thoughts would go back to Hinata and how much he hated being a Hyuuga.
He'd tried to talk to his Uncle; he'd tried to reason with him. Hanabi could be heir, but did he really have to marry her? He could just marry Hinata, she was still a member of the Main House, his and Hinata's children would belong to the Main House…but Hiashi had turned his pleas away.
"We all have our destinies to fulfill. Hinata has hers and you have yours. Fate is inescapable Neji; it is irrevocable. It's time you accept your destiny as the Hyuuga genius just as Hinata had accepted her destiny to be weak."
When Neji had heard those words come from Hiashi's lips, only then did he fully grasp the reason why his father gave up his life for the chance to make a choice all his own. He'd always felt a little angry with his father for choosing to die, for selfishly offering up his life, just for the chance to make his own decision for himself.
Neji understood now.
He understood the claustrophobia.
The feeling of being trapped and wanting desperately to break free and to breathe even just once for himself and not for anyone else. Neji wanted to make his own decisions and frankly, he would willingly give up his life for the chance.
He wanted Hinata.
Hinata.
The soft sound of the front door being pulled open, soft footsteps tapping on the floorboards and the swish of clothing as the man paused at the entryway of the house to trade his outside shoes for house slippers. "Tadaima," the man would say.
"Okaeri-nasai anata!" the woman would hurriedly reply as she appeared by the entrance to welcome him home.
Neji would watch his parents interact. He would watch his father's eyes crinkle in a soft smile as he bent down and placed a soft kiss on his wife's cheek. Neji would watch his mother smile and blush and take his father's hand and lead him inside the house towards the kitchen for something to eat.
"Neji dear, stop spying and come eat with us," his mother would say.
"I wasn't spying Okaasan, I just have naturally good eyesight."
"Of course," his mother would say dryly while his father would laugh.
That was the kind of family life he longed for. He'd had it once, very briefly but then his happiness had been curtailed by the destiny imposed upon the Hyuuga Branch House. He wanted a future free of that: a future where he could decide on his own, a future wherein his children could live for themselves and not for anyone else. He could so easily picture himself having the same kind of bond, of caring and tenderness with Hinata and he knew that it was the kind of home life she wished for as well. They had talked about how to change the Hyuuga from the inside, one person at a time if need be. Everything had been so right, but destiny had stepped in and once again proven to him that he might struggle against fate he might win a few battles here and there, but ultimately he would have to bow to the will of the Universe.
He was a caged bird and it seemed he would never, ever be free.
XXX
Tsunade yawned and handed Shizune the papers necessary to proceed with the mission after she had signed them. "I trust you can handle the rest by yourself?"
Shizune scanned the document. "So you are sending Sakura-chan and Hinata-chan for the escort mission?"
"Sure. Nobu wanted capable medics and Sakura and Hinata haven't had a mission in a while since they've started working at the hospital. It should be good for them to hone their skills. A medic should not only be good at healing, a medic should also be good in coping with unknown situations." Tsunade sighed. "That Nobu guy is too nervous and I'm sure he's not saying everything there is to know about this mission."
"Would it be wise to send both your apprentices on such an uncertain task?"
"That's exactly why I'm sending them. They're two of the top medics we have. They're my students; they should be capable enough to handle whatever goes wrong. Besides they have Shikamaru with them. He's a Jounin and he might complain about everything being troublesome but he's got a good head on his shoulders. He should be able to figure out whatever it is that the client isn't telling us about."
Shizune glanced down at the document in her hands. "And what about Uchiha Sasuke, why are you sending him?"
"Like you said, it's an uncertain situation and Sasuke is a strong Shinobi. We might as well get some use out of him. He's been recovered for a while now and besides, he's worked in a team with Sakura before and he's attended the same Academy class as Hinata and Nara so they more or less know each other. It would be easier for them to work together," Tsunade said with a sigh. "If Naruto was here, I would have sent him instead of Uchiha."
"Aren't you afraid he might use the opportunity to run off again?"
Tsunade shrugged. "Being inside Konoha's walls hasn't stopped him from running off when he was twelve, it won't stop him now that he's older and stronger than he was before."
"I guess so," Shizune said with a shrug as she turned to leave.
"Shizune…"
"Hai Hokage-sama?"
"After I talk to those four, tell Kakashi I want to see him and get Ino-san in here too."
XXX
When Hinata heard about Lee-kun being admitted due to some severe burns and lacerations, she hurried towards the Emergency Room where he was being held and treated. She stopped by the door when she saw Sakura administering to Lee's wounds.
"We'll have you fixed up in no time," Sakura said in a gentle voice as she smiled down at Lee. "You should take better care of yourself Lee."
Lee blushed at having the full attention of his one-time crush focused on him. "It couldn't be helped. You should see the other guys."
Sakura laughed.
Hinata watched them for a moment before she backed off. Lee was doing okay on his own and the two didn't need her interrupting their conversation. She smiled to herself as she turned to leave. She would visit Lee later to check up on him and ask him how Neji was doing.
Hinata turned the corner and let out a small 'Eep!' when she ran into solid matter, squishing her nose against what turned out to be an ANBU vest that reeked of blood and smoke. Hinata backed away quickly, blushing as she raised a hand to rub her nose. "Gomen nasai!" she said bowing. She straightened but couldn't quite get the nerve to look the ANBU in the eye. She berated herself for not sensing someone come so close to her. If she'd been in a battlefield, she would have been dead by now.
"Daijoubu desu ka, Hinata-sama?"
Hinata blinked and looked up. "Neji-niisan!"
Neji frowned a little as he touched a fingertip to the tip Hinata's nose, which had turned slightly pink. "You should be more careful next time, Hinata-sama," he admonished. "Is Lee in there?" he cocked his head towards the Emergency Room.
"H-Hai. He's doing fine. Sakura-san is tending to him…"
Neji raised an eyebrow. "That should make him happy."
Hinata studied Neji and took in the sight of him. He looked tired and there were cuts and bruises all over him, not to mention that his ANBU uniform was covered in dried up old blood and burn marks. There was a particularly nasty laceration in his arm near his ANBU tattoo and Hinata reached out tug his arm towards her in concern. She studied it and frowned, noticing that it had started to become infected. "You didn't even take the time to clean your wounds on your way back. That's what I gave you the medical creams for."
"I had to use them to treat Lee's burns and I didn't have time to clean my wounds because Lee was in need medical attention as soon as possible."
Hinata frowned, slightly mollified. "We should clean that up. Come on and I'll…"
"This wound won't kill me and besides, I would prefer to take a bath first, Hinata-sama," Neji said as he tugged his hand free of Hinata's hold. "I just stopped by to check in on Lee's condition."
"Alright…but I'll drop by later to see how your wounds are doing." Hinata conceded. "I'll bring some new herbal medicines too. They should be more effective than the last one…"
Neji sighed inwardly, reading the worry plainly in Hinata's eyes even though she tried to hide it. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm fine, Hinata-sama. Really. There's no need for you to worry."
"I'm sorry…I j-just…I c-can't help it…" Hinata whispered as she twisted the hem of her jacket in her hands. He'd been driving himself so hard, accepting mission after mission and barely giving himself enough time to rest before taking in a new assignment. She knew it was because, like her, he was trying to cope with their situation the only way he knew how.
He didn't.
"I'm so s-sorry niisan," she whispered to him. It was all her fault. If only she'd been strong enough, this wouldn't have come to pass. If only she wasn't such a weakling. "I'm so s-sorry…"
"What are you sorry for?" Neji said as he stared down at Hinata. He knew she was blaming herself for some imagined slight she'd caused. She always blamed herself and no matter how much he tried to break her of the habit, it was so ingrained in her personality that she automatically reverted to it every time she felt she was somehow at fault.
"I-If I was s-stronger…t-this wouldn't have happened. We…we'd still be…" Hinata bit her lip and looked away, hugging herself. They were in the middle of a hospital hallway and someone might turn the corner at any moment and see them. This was not the time to discuss this. Not when she'd been trying to avoid talking about their situation. Not when she'd tried so hard to get on with her life and just ignore the fact that her engagement to Neji was off and that he was now supposed to marry her little sister.
Neji closed her eyes feeling a headache coming on. He hated it when Hinata was upset. He hated it when she cried. Sooner or later, he'd figured it would come to this. He and Hinata had been dancing circles around each other and this new arrangement and he knew that they would need to discuss it one of these days. It wasn't easy to live two years of your life expecting to marry someone and then just wake up one morning and find out that the engagement was off.
"I'm sorry…" Hinata whispered. "You've been going on missions and…and now you're hurt and Lee's hurt and…I'm sorry…"
"You said so yourself that Lee's fine. He would need a few days to recuperate and I promise I won't go out on a mission after this. Not for a while. Does that help?"
She nodded and looked up at him with a teary smile.
"It's not your fault Hinata-sama. We all have a destiny we must fulfill." Neji said before he turned to leave.
Hinata watched him go and raised a hand to touch the crystal pendant she wore underneath her jacket. "Neji…"
How was she ever going to let him go?
XXX
A/N: I know some of you are clamoring for more SasuHina interaction, and don't worry guys, it's coming up soon; more of Neji as well in the next chapter. Thanks for reading and please don't forget to review! Thanks!