It pains me greatly to write this chapter. As in I'm going through immense and awful pain to portray Naruto in such depression...yeah. But it's part of the plot. Sorry this chap is a bit shorter than usual...my chap lengths are usually seven pages...heheehehe...
They completely changed how you submit stories/chapters on ff.n! My gosh...it took me a while to get this uploaded. So I'm slow. You gotta problem with that?
I got sooooo many reviews for the last chap cuz of Sakura bashing...jeez, is this the only reason you guys read the story, is for the Sakura bashing? Nah, I'm kidding...
Chapter 7: Clashes
The next three days passed by in a blur, Neji spending most of his time occupying himself with Sakura's company while Naruto occupied his time (he had a lot of it; the blonde seemed to find the days completely mundane and five times longer without the Hyuuga) down in the kennels with Kiba, training with Lee, or cooking with Shizune. The two avoided each other carefully; or rather Naruto avoided Neji, for he always seemed to mysteriously forget something and run the other way if the Hyuuga ever got within a ten-foot radius of the blonde; pretending that all was well. Still, Neji missed the incessant chatter that spilled constantly out of Naruto's mouth, and Naruto longed for the serene presence of the Hyuuga. But neither person saw much of the other, not wanting to make things too uncomfortable.
Neji was feeling particularly depressed, slumping down in the comfortable chintz armchair adjacent to the window. Cupping his chin in his hand, he stared out the window, a faraway look in his snow-white eyes. It was far too quiet without Naruto to keep him amused; Sakura provided ample conversation, but Naruto's chatter had a certain uplifting quality to it that Sakura's small talk couldn't hope to match. Neji's eye caught a tuft of golden-bronze hair swaying gently in the breeze, the brown fluff of the servant boy friend of his next to him. He watched as they lay together on the riverbank, a sudden wave of nostalgia washing over him. Standing suddenly, he whirled towards the dining room, a determined look on his elegant features. He'd make up with Naruto that night. He'd invite him to dinner just to confirm that there were no hard feelings between the two.
Snatching a servant from his post in the corridor, he bid him to summon Naruto to dinner and called to Sakura from her seat in front of her large bathroom mirror. The cherry-haired girl finished brushing her hair and bounded to her closet, yelling something about a terrible predicament over the choice of her clothes. Neji sighed. She really was a fickle girl. Making his way down to the dining room, he sat, and was soon joined by Sakura in a beautiful, shimmering dress of the finest velvet and Naruto, looking extremely dashing indeed in a blue blouse that brought out the tints in his eyes.
The three ate in silence; it was more of a comfortable silence, Naruto digging into his food and Sakura feasting hungrily. Neji picked at the lettuce on his plate, unconsciously staring at the blonde. Naruto seemed normal enough and showed no signs of coldness whatsoever, though Neji couldn't see his eyes. Sakura didn't show the slightest discomfort at a third party joining them for dinner, though she ignored Naruto and focused her attention on the Hyuuga instead. Sakura finished her meal and signaled a servant to clean it up, turning for the first time to Naruto.
"I hear you're superb at the reed flute." Naruto looked up with a slightly deadpan visage on his face.
"Though modest I am most of the time, now that you've made known my talent, it cannot be denied that I thrive on the reeds." Sakura laughed at the complex structure of Naruto's sentence.
"We should have a little entertainment at dinner; what say you, Neji?" The Hyuuga nodded.
"By all means." Naruto promptly retreated from the room, returning quite soon with a long, wooden flute of a charcoal hue, with two red tassels hanging from the end. The blonde stared at it lovingly.
"This flute was given to me by my foster father, Iruka. It was the first one he'd carved for me." So saying, Naruto gently fingered the flute, checking it over briefly before putting his lips to the instrument.
The first few notes came out as a whisper, immediately quieting the room and completely mesmerizing all that were in it. Slowly the tune lilted and fell, the haunting melody echoing off the walls to combine with the other notes, producing a beautiful harmony to the music Naruto emitted. The blonde slowly closed his eyes, long eyelashes fringing their lids, and took the music to a deeper level of emotion. The music wormed its way into the very workings of Neji's core, swirling gently and drawing out long-hidden emotions the Hyuuga hadn't known he possessed. Dampness welled up in Neji's eyes, slipping unbidden from his lashes and down onto his cheeks. The music seemed to come from the very heavens themselves, something only the angels would be capable of playing. The mysterious tone of the flute whisked the mind away to foreign lands, implanting the desire in all that heard it to never return from the bliss of the music.
A look of intense concentration came over the blonde, and still he blew, the melody taking on an ethereal quality, drawing in the souls of all that heard. The tune dripped with sadness and sorrow, rising up into nostalgia and delving deep into an angst-filled corner of Naruto that he'd never shown before. Shivers ran down Neji's spine as he witnessed Naruto in all of his desperate sadness, and the Hyuuga felt as if he had never been so cold and yet so warm. The music seemed to cajole the Hyuuga, pleading with him, begging him to deliver the blonde from the desolate whirlpool of sadness he was in. The tune continued for a few brief moments before Naruto ended the song, the last note quivering in the air, reverberating around the room before shattering.
Sakura had a shell-shocked stare in her eyes, tears falling freely from her lashes. Her lip was trembling greatly, and she clutched a hand to her chest as if it pained her to let go. Everyone stood absolutely frozen, utterly captivated by the sheer essence of the blonde. Naruto gently lowered the flute from his mouth and bowed, making his way out of the room. He was caught by a hand on his wrist, and looked up to see Neji. The Hyuuga had a strange energy in his eyes, a strange glitter Naruto had never seen before, and it both frightened the blonde yet drew him to the other. Eyes completely fixated on those of the blonde, Neji moved closer still, in a deep, almost dreamlike state.
Naruto's mind screamed for him to run, to retreat, but his body didn't obey and he remained frozen to the floor. Neji drew closer still, almost as if Naruto was made of the most brittle glass imaginable, breaking if Neji so much as stepped towards the blonde. The Hyuuga leaned closer, only a few millimeters away from Naruto's mouth. As if in a trance, Naruto felt his eyes close and his mouth draw forward, closing what little distance there was between them.
It was at the feel of Neji's breath on his lips that made Naruto snap suddenly out of his trance. Giving a great, twisting wrench, he muttered a hasted apology and literally ran out of the room as if the devil himself were on his heels. Neji watched him go, still dazed from what had taken place, what was left of his mind desperately trying to recuperate from the events.
Naruto distractedly shoved his flute in its case, slamming it shut and leaning against the wall, his breath coming in great, heaving gasps. Slight, slender fingers groped for the wall, nails scrabbling against the plaster as Naruto fought to keep his composure. It was official; he was losing his mind. What was left of his sanity was slowly slipping away from him, to be replaced by torturous feelings the blonde couldn't bear. Why had he felt this way whenever he was around Neji? Neji was his friend, Neji was his master, and most importantly, Neji was a male. He couldn't be in love with him. Neji. Was. A. Male. It wasn't right; it wasn't proper.
Even if he was in love with him, it would completely dishonor the both of them if ever Hiashi caught the wind of the news. He'd be beaten and whipped within an inch of his life, and that was just the beginning. And Neji…Neji would be disowned, ripped of his status, demoted to a lowly servant, or quite possibly, lower. Besides, Neji was the heir to the almighty Hyuuga estate and business. He needed a lovely wife by his side, ready to meet his each and every need, and plenty of children to carry on his legacy.
Naruto gritted his teeth and sighed, giving in reluctantly to the thousands of doubts crashing against his will. A single sphere of salty moisture trailed down his face, marring his whisker-like scars with a single vertical track. Oh god….he hadn't realized….he hadn't realized how deeply he'd fallen for the Hyuuga. Flinching, he drew a deep, calming breath, letting it out extremely shakily, and sinking to the floor. He'd have to face Neji sooner or later; he'd rather it be sooner so he could fully accept his feelings for the Hyuuga. Decision made, he stood up and deftly maneuvered his way back to the dining room.
Sakura came out of her trance and stepped over to Neji's dazed form. Stroking his shoulder gently, she leaned up and whispered in his ear.
"Are you alright?"
Neji forced himself to nod. Turning away, he paced to the window and looked out at the midnight blanket that coated the skies, stars twinkling serenely in the distance. Naruto…no. It wasn't right. It couldn't be right. He was most definitely not more than friends with the blonde. Naruto was a male. Naruto would find the very prospect of something more between them utterly macabre, perhaps ending their friendship out of disgust. But the way he looked at him….the way he didn't draw back when he had approached him….
Neji was snapped out of his thoughts once again by the girl beside him.
"Neji? Are you sure you're okay?" Neji nodded absently. Sakura looked crestfallen.
"Oh. If you need some time alone, I-I'll guess I'll be going now." She shot him a brief smile. "It is getting late." With that she turned and made her way towards the doors at the end of the room.
He didn't know what came over him. He didn't know what possessed him to carry out the rash, impulsive, and utterly out-of-character thought that had come into his head. Quickly shoving the thoughts that complained he'd utterly regret it later, he paced quickly over to Sakura, grabbing her wrist. This was it. There was no turning back now. If he had to dispel his thoughts of Naruto, he'd have to do something and do something fast before he completely shattered inside.
His hand closed over the other girl's wrist and yanked hard, whirling Sakura around and pulling her towards him. Emerald-green eyes widened in sheer surprise, and the girl gave a startled yelp at the force of his pull. Quickly winding his arm around her waist, Neji swooped down and crushed the other's lips with his in a ferocious, mind-blowing kiss.
Sakura gave a squeal of surprise that was muffled against the Hyuuga's mouth. As the realization that she was being kissed by the man of her desires sank in, Sakura leaned into the kiss, prolonging it and enjoying it to the fullest. She felt Neji slide his tongue over her lips and moaned, opening her mouth and thus allowing his tongue access to her mouth. The Hyuuga's tongue slid slowly over her teeth, dancing with her own tongue and stroking the roof of her mouth in slow, seductive movements, earning yet another moan from the girl. Fireworks and stars exploded in the girl's mind, shutting everything out but the man she was caressing now. Her hands slowly made their way to his back, clutching his shoulders in an almost painful gesture, and she felt his hand on the back of her head tighten and pull her closer, deepening the kiss.
Naruto witnessed the scene before him with shell-shocked eyes. His heart gave a painful palpitation in his chest and he winced, trying hard to swallow the lump in his throat. Why…why did he feel this way? Everything was right. It had to be. Neji had finally found himself a lover, and an extremely pretty, and most importantly, fertile one at that. Naruto smiled sadly. She'd bear him many children to come, that she would. Still….
The blonde ground his teeth together so hard that he could've sworn they cracked. The numb feeling that had started in his stomach had now spread to his heart, evolving into a vast pit of emptiness he was sinking in. Slowly his vision grew black, blocking out all of his surroundings save for the couple in front of him. He watched silently as the two grew more distant, and visions began to flash across his mind. Neji, looking extremely handsome in a white tuxedo with Sakura by his side, her cheeks flushed and looking every inch a radiant bride in her voluminous wedding gown. Neji, holding his first child, while Sakura and Hiashi looked on proudly as he played with its fingers. Neji with Sakura on their wedding bed, kissing hungrily…..
Naruto clamped his eyes shut and immediately raked his nails through his arm, drawing four long, red gashes across the skin. Further clenching his teeth, he whipped his head around, running blindly for the servant's quarters, instinct taking him back to his room, for his vision was blurred by tears. He flung open the door and collapsed on his bed, not caring that it gave a yelp of surprise. Kiba gasped as Naruto flung himself on him, sobbing silently into his shoulder. One look at the blonde's tear-streaked face and Kiba knew.
"Shhh, shhh, Naruto, it's okay. It's okay." The blonde rubbed his nose on the Inuzuka's sleeve.
"No it's NOT! She's….she's…..Sakura….Neji…."
What was left of the sentence was obsurred by hiccups and another fresh round of sobs and tears. Kiba inhaled sharply, a blinding wave of pure rage blurring his vision. How dare they….how dare they break such a pure innocent being? Then again….there wasn't anything he could do about it, whether he wanted to (and he did want to; he wanted to more than anything in the world) or not.
"We can't do anything about it right now." Naruto sobbed further.
"I…I know…" The sobs had subsided to hiccups now, but still the blonde kept his head buried in Kiba's shoulder.
"Naruto…." Kiba hesitated, unsure of how to put the next words into a sentence lacking awkwardness.
"Naruto, are you in love with him?"
He instantly felt the blonde's body grow rigid, completely stiff under his touch. Kiba held his breath, praying Naruto wouldn't push him away, but relaxed a moment later when the blonde relaxed and readjusted his hold on the Inuzuka.
"Yes….yes I think so. And because I'm in love with him, I've been deemed lower that a fool. Neji can't love another person of the same gender. He has a duty to fulfill to his business and bloodline. Besides, he'd be thoroughly disgusted with me if I ever did confess my love for him. He'd probably banish me from the house, snapping our friendship in half, and I don't want that because I need to know that I'm somewhat worthy in his eyes." The last sentence ended in a wail and Naruto buried his head in the folds of Kiba's shirt once more.
Kiba hugged the blonde close, gently stroking his heaven-spun locks. Poor child….
"What will you do now that he's chosen the girl?" Naruto extracted himself from Kiba's arms.
"I don't know. He'll be spending all of his time with Sakura now, so I'll just have to help Shizune-neechan in the kitchen. It's the closest I can get to Neji now that things have changed, cooking his meals." The dog-boy sighed.
"Very well. I won't stop you." Naruto nodded.
"Do me a favor, will you Kiba?" Kiba turned and looked curiously at the blonde.
"If Neji ever calls for me, tell him I'm unavailable. If he asks why, tell him I'm sick. I don't think I can ever face him again." Kiba nodded, a melancholy look in his umber eyes, and departed.
So now that Neji has finally chosen Sakura as his lover/girlfriend, Naruto's all depressed, right? No, this will NOT turn into a NejiSaku fic though there is a lot of NejiSaku in this fic...but only to make Naru jealous. Do not worry. If you people review, I might consider updating faster.
Yukishiroi! Where have you been! You haven't reviewed the past chappie yet! And after all my pains to write Sakura bashing!
Lord Ma-koto: Didn't know I could speak french, didja?