Preparation
Thanks everyone for the support! miz's suggestion of the elders getting a fiancee for Neiji is really good. I may add that in the later chapters =] I'll also try to include more interaction between Hinata and her sister. shinigami777, I'm really honored to be able to influence you to be a nejixhinata shipper. By the way, this chapter may be a little long because I don't want to squeeze too many things in the next chapter. Anyway, enjoy! ^^
"Well, what's you answer?" The elder asked Hizashi after he studied the academic reports of Hidaka. Hizashi arched an eyebrow, wondering what the elders were implying. The elder continued, "Now that the heir has graduated from the Ninja Academy, missions will be assigned to him. Therefore, we need someone who is more capable of protecting him. Hidaka is unfit for this duty – being young and weak."
"You do realize that Neji will only be assigned with D-rank missions, right? They pose almost no risk to his life and usually consist of odd jobs like farming and babysitting work. So, Hidaka can continue to be his protector unless Neji progresses to become a Chunin."
"If Hidaka is really talented to be the heir's protector, he would have been performing exceptionally well in the Ninja Academy. Moreover, the decision of Hidaka being the heir's protector has already caused an outrage among the main house members. To quench this anger, I suggest we hold a Protector Examination."
Hizashi frowned and weighed the benefits and disadvantages of the proposal. He was not exactly keen on the idea as he was afraid that the elders would make it difficult for Hidaka to pass the test. However, if he intervened and chose Hidaka's opponent personally, there might be a chance. This could also help to quench the main house members' anger and settle the dispute once and for all. "The proposal will be accepted on one condition. I must have the right to choose Hidaka's opponent."
A round of muttering enveloped the room as the elders discussed about Hizashi's request. After a few minutes, they nodded their heads. "We agree but in order to ensure fairness, Hidaka's opponent needs to have the same level of skills as the heir. If Hidaka cannot even match up to the heir, he will only cause unnecessary trouble."
The Head of the Hyuga Clan knotted his eyebrows and drew a deep breath. "The Protector Examination will be held at the end of the next month," the tone of finality deeply set.
The next day, Hinata was informed about the Protector Examination. Despite all the lessons and training done at the Ninja Academy, Hinata was not confident about her prowess as a ninja. Noticing the constant worry in Hidaka's eyes, Shino inquired about it. Shino understood his teammates' inner workings and was able to sense when the slightest of things was wrong with either of them. When Kiba saw that Shino was concerned for Hidaka, he scampered towards them with Akamaru. Although Team 8 has recently been formed and had not spent much time together, the members had been acquainted with one another in the Ninja Academy. All of them were good-natured so Hinata poured out her worries unhesitantly as the teammates listened silently.
A thousand thoughts rushed through Shino's brain. Hundreds of ideas popped up only to be discarded as useless. Finally, a solution formed in his head as he conveyed it to the others, "The only way to salvage the situation and increase your chances of passing the examination is to be involved in practical training. Since we are not assigned with D-rank missions yet, I should be able to assist you in your training." Hinata widened her eyes at the solution.
She did think of practical training since she wanted to be qualified as Neji-sama's protector based on abilities and skills, and not because of her ties with Hizashi-sama. They did not really share a bond but Hinata knew that the Head of the Hyuga Clan, an amiable person, had already acknowledged her as his son's protector. Nonetheless, she felt that it was incorrect. On top of that, she did not know how to go about this practical training. With Shino-kun's promise of aiding her, the practical training will be effective. She turned her head to Kiba-kun, hoping that he will be able to help out too.
"Heh, I don't know what's going on, but I'm always up for getting wild!" Kiba beamed excitedly as Akamaru barked in agreement. Hinata's grin stretched across her face as everything was settled.
Over the next few days, Hinata engaged in practical training with her teammates in her spare time. In order to do so, she had to take leave from her duty as the heir's protector.
The dazzling sunlight made its way inside the heir's room enlivening it so it was not the dull place it had used to be. Hinata had woken up early and pattered towards the heir's room as she did not want to produce any loud sound. Once she arrived at the entrance, she kneeled down in the seiza way outside the fusuma. "Neji-sama, I would like to take leave from my duty today," she requested, her soft voice nevertheless managed to ring out crystal clear through the quiet morning.
"I approve your leave of absence but return to the household before evening," Neji reminded Hidaka, keeping his voice a mild and relatively emotionless tone.
"Yes, Neji-sama." With that said, she sauntered down the corridor. After ensuring that Hidaka was quite a distance away, Neji slid open the fusuma. Using the soft and slightly urgent footsteps caused by Hidaka, Neji followed closely behind his protector. Hidaka had been behaving quite oddly these past few days – asking for leave most of the time. Neji continued to track Hidaka while he recalled the beginning of such peculiarity. On the first day, Hidaka stuttered over every word but now, he seemed to be more confident, not stammering even once. Perhaps, Hidaka is hiding his anxiety by appearing nonchalant.
After ascending the flight of stairs, Neji trailed stealthily behind Hidaka down the path towards a clearing in the middle of the public park. Side by side the trees stood, like soldiers ready for battle, tall and stately, branches swaying gently in the wind. The trees became Hidaka's assistants by concealing him within them. In a few seconds, he managed to stand on a large branch which bended slightly under his weight. Drawing a deep breath, Hidaka activated Byakugan.
During this time, Neji followed Hidaka's movements with his eyes and leaped to a safe spot – the one blind spot of Byakugan that was at the back of the user's neck. Neji, situated at a higher branch, crouched down in order to avoid Hidaka's detection. Hidaka couldn't have known I was following him. There must be another person in the vicinity for him to activate kekkei genkai! With that thought, he too, activated Byakugan. It turned out that Neji's assumption was wrong when he felt the presence of two other people instead of one. And was that a presence of a dog he felt?
With Byakugan, he determined that the nearest one was on the ground below with the dog nearby while the other one was standing on a tree a great distance away. He turned to watch Hidaka, when a bug on Hidaka's neck arrested his attention. That's Shino's bug technique! Neji had seen Shino performed it in class once – but why did he use it on Hidaka?
Before he had time to linger on the question, another attack against Hidaka distracted Neji. There was a snarl. It was deep, heavy and resonant. Neji could see that it jarred Hidaka's bones and paralyzed him. The sound came again, hungry and savage. This time, it came in a pair. In an instant, there was movement among the tall grass and something had leapt onto Hidaka, throwing him down the branch of the tree. Hidaka, with gritted teeth, was fighting immediately, violently, trying with all his strength to throw the assailant off. The hands that seized Hidaka's shoulders were powerful with the fingers clawing at his sleeves while the other sprang onto Hidaka and bit at his thigh. It was a futile struggle. The hands were much stronger. Kiba was proficient in taijutsu. And Akamaru only listened to its master. Akamaru only jumped off Hidaka when Kiba ordered it to stop.
"Heh! You all right?" Kiba quickly released Hidaka's shoulders and offered a hand, pulling Hidaka up. There were bits of wet leaves and crumbs of earth adhering to Hidaka's clothes as he brushed them off. "Hidaka, you need to react faster," Shino advised as he appeared near them. Hinata nodded grimly at her teammate.
Nothing can describe the confusion of thought Neji felt as he headed back to the house. He was furious at first since Hidaka lied but he had already expected it. What was annoying was the fact that Hidaka did not tell him the truth. Putting his anger aside, he tried to analyze the situation. He could tell that they were training; more specifically, Shino and Kiba were training Hidaka. But, for what purpose? This unknown purpose is likely to be Hidaka's reason for not being honest with me.
It was hours later, around evening, when Neji heard that Hidaka has returned. Neji made his decision as he moved towards Hidaka's room. He slid open the fusuma, not bothering to knock or announcing his arrival. The scene before Neji caught him off guard. Hidaka, with his sleeves rolled up, had his back facing him. Large purplish bruises were beginning to blossom across the fair skin of Hidaka's arms. There were scarlet stains upon his shoulders where Kiba's sharp claws had left. There was also a smear of blood on her pants where Akamaru's bite had left behind.
Genuine worry etched itself upon Neji's face but he quickly swept it off and replaced it with a hardened look. "Hidaka!" Hidaka jumped as his name was called. He turned around and bowed his head to greet the heir. "Y-Yes, Neji-sama? W-What can I do for you?" Hinata swiftly pulled down her sleeves. She had not expected Neji-sama to barge in. Fortunately, she was only inspecting her wounds and not changing. Regardless, she still wished Neji-sama did not notice the injuries.
Neji took a few more steps towards Hidaka until they were only a few feet away, both of their white eyes connected. Hidaka's eyes with a tinge of lavender were wide with fresh fear, extra panic at Neji's serious expression. Neji's eyes with its gray tint remained on Hidaka's eyes unwaveringly, as if trying to pierce through and read the latter's mid.
"Your duty is to protect me and not be a burden," Neji's voice had the ring of authority, "So, stop injuring yourself!" Without another word, he turned on his heel and left the room, not waiting at all to see Hidaka's response. Hinata blinked hard to keep back the tears that were forming in her eyes. I'm Neji-sama's burden… Tears that had been dammed up for a long time poured like a torrent down her cheeks when that thought flashed through her mind.
Neji exhaled a breath when he reached the corridor outside Hidaka's room. This should stop Hidaka from pushing himself too hard. He turned and stopped abruptly. Neji's father, Hizashi, was standing at the corridor. From the looks of it, it was obvious that he had overheard their exchange. "My son, Hidaka has his reasons for training so hard these few days." Hizashi's expression softened as he looked at Hidaka's room. He smiled, a faint and painful smile, but recognizable. "Hidaka is actually preparing himself for the Protector Examination. He wants to prove that he is capable of protecting you."
Realization set in and Neji felt as if a sharp knife had stabbed him. He whirled around to face Hidaka's room as uncontrollable sobs reached his ears. It was too late…
"Don't worry," Hizashi placed a hand on his son's shoulder, "You can apologize by training Hidaka personally." Neji looked up at his father as he considered the suggestion. Hizashi knew that it was difficult for his son to say he was sorry, he highly doubted that he would ever hear Neji say it in his life. Thus, his proposal was undeniably a good idea as it offered Neji a chance to apologize while maintaining his son's dignity.
Resolution blazed in Neji's eyes as his gaze returned to Hidaka's room. We'll start training tomorrow.
Hinata stared at Neji with a blank face, her mind spinning with confusion. Neji had dragged her out into the backyard at sunrise. Glancing at her surroundings, she noticed that the first light of dawn was streaking the night sky with pink and palest green. She was standing on lush, manicured grass that spread as far as she could see in all directions. Why are we here? Does Neji-sama have something to tell me?
"I heard about the Protector Examination," Neji said flatly, with no emotion behind it. Hinata blinked in utter shock. The shock wore off slowly, leaving distress behind. So he knew… And he thinks that I shouldn't participate in the test…
"The training with your teammates is ineffective," he continued, his expression entirely serious as usual, "It's more efficient if I coach you personally." Hinata's heart sank. Now, Neji-sama even discovered that I lied…
The last few words seemed to echo from all around her, hammering in her skull. coach you personally… coach you personally… coach you personally… Wa-Wait! W-What? Hinata stared at Neji, motionless, like a subject in a photograph.
"Hidaka, are you listening?" Neji waved a hand in front of Hidaka, trying to catch his attention. Hidaka nodded slightly as he registered Neji's words. "Only a Hyuga member can point out the strengths and weaknesses of the Byakugan abilities precisely. Hence, it will be more appropriate if I tutor you. Let's begin with the Gentle Fist." Both of them activated Byakugan and Hidaka's hands tightened, ready to fight. "Relax," Neji instructed, patting Hidaka's clenched fist, "Even the slightest tap can cause severe internal damage. The most important aspect is to target the tenketsu."
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. They had exchanged blows with Neji gaining the upper hand, effortlessly dodging her attacks. He aimed accurately at her tenketsu without fail but never really connecting it, his hand merely hovering over the special nodes. Sweat was beading on Neji's forehead. On the other hand, sweat matted Hinata's hair at the temples and rolled down her throat, evidently the more exhausted between the two. She had never activated Byakugan for so many hours without rest. I wonder how Neji-sama can do it…
At present, Neji was guiding Hidaka's right hand the correct way to attack tenketsu. He decided that this was the best and fastest way for Hidaka to learn after observing that Hidaka exerted too much strength when the Gentle Fist did not require such tremendous force. Neji's strong hands massaged Hidaka's rigid shoulders. Then, he gently placed his hand on the protector's wrist, telling him to relax once again. Neji's back pressed against Hidaka's and he could feel the soft brush of the latter's hair on his cheek. Hidaka has a really petite figure.
"Listen carefully, Hidaka. A little pressure is all you need." Neji-sama's breath was warm as he spoke softly in her ear. A light flush formed on Hinata's cheeks, her heart thudding erratically. Too close… This is way too close… Despite the warning her brain sent to her body, her body disobeyed its instructions – not even trying to push Neji-sama away.
The next few seconds crawled by slowly and all Hinata could remember was Neji-sama's soft voice in her ear, his warm breath but not the exact words he said. This was one of the rare occasions when Neji-sama spoke to her softly without the ring of command. If only I can hear his gentle voice, that would be wonderful! But, well, I can't ask for more… "No one can make you inferior without your consent." With that last advice, Neji stepped back from Hidaka. "You can take a break now. We'll continue after lunch."
Hinata stared at Neji's retreating figure as she pondered over his advice… or was that an encouragement?
Time passed by quickly over the last few weeks and training with Neji had come to an end. It was the most enjoyable time of Hinata's life until now – the only time when Neji-sama was not treating her coldly. Soon, it was already the morning of the Protector Examination. Hinata was clad in her armor, if you would call it that. Her anxious father was fumbling around the house to search for any pads that could act as a protective guard. It took the two of them – her sister, Hanabi, and herself – to calm him down instead. At noon, two Genins had arrived at the Hyuga household, asking for Hidaka. Puzzled, Hinata strolled to the doorway, wondering who it could be.
The two Genins were the graduating students of the Ninja Academy. Hinata could not recall their names since she was not fairly acquainted with them. "H-Hello," she greeted them with a faint smile, unsure of what to say or do.
"We heard about the test you're having today," one of them said while the other continued, "So, we're here to cheer you on!" They handed her a bento that had an exquisite wood cover. It certainly looked expensive. "Well, try it!" Both of them chorused happily together.
"O-Okay," Hinata agreed and accepted the bento from them. The two Genins were gazing intently at her. Slowly, hesitantly, she opened the bento. It was a traditional bento consisting of rice, fish and vegetables. The succulent smell of the fish drifted out of the box and the fresh vegetables tasted chewy. The rice yielded a slight sweetness upon chewing and left a mildly pleasant aftertaste. It was only when she emptied the bento did the two Genins grinned broadly, took the bento and bade farewell.
"Onee-Oniisan, who are they?" Hanabi questioned, still not accustomed to the way of addressing her elder sister, as she appeared near Hinata, apparently suspicious of them. "They're here to cheer me on. Come on, let's go, Hanabi!" Hinata told her as they went back inside the house.
In an isolated spot, miles from the Hyuga household, the two Genins slowed to a halt. "Are you sure you added enough dosage?" one of the Genins enquired. "Don't worry. I added a heavy dosage," the other replied, winking at him. They exchanged a glance and let out a great peal of laughter. "We're lucky that we're friends with Makito who got chosen to be Hidaka's opponent," one of them stated, after the laughter died down. "Yeah. We had someone to snitch on that detestable Hidaka without lifting a finger," the other agreed, obviously pointing to the fact that they knew the exact time and venue of the test.
Glossary
Chunin: A journeyman ninja who is qualified to watch over and guide other ninja
Byakugan: A genetic eye technique that naturally occurs in members of the Hyuga Clan
Kekkei Genkai: Abilities passed down genetically in specific clans, allowing the user to perform unique techniques
Bug Technique: A female bug can be left on a target, which then can be tracked by its scent by the male bug, or scout bugs can be sent out and return to tell the host information about the area. Shino can communicate with the bugs, and the bugs specialize in stealth because they make no noise or motion during combat, making Shino highly adept in espionage
Taijutsu: Body techniques or hand-to-hand combat
Gentle Fist: A style of hand-to-hand combat that inflicts internal damage and disrupts the body's Chakra Pathway System so as to ultimately inhibit an opponent's use of chakra. To do this, the user surgically injects a small amount of his or her own chakra into an opponent's chakra pathway system. The infiltrating chakra can then be used to disrupt or divert chakra flow, preventing them from using jutsu
Tenketsu: There are 361 nodes from which chakra can be released in the body. Each one a checkpoint on the Chakra Pathway System
Bento: A single-portion takeout or home-packed meal common in Japanese cuisine
Oneesan: Honorific or respectful language for elder sister
Oniisan: Honorific or respectful language for elder brother
Read and review please! And I hope everyone enjoyed the intimate scene at the end!