The loss of life will be irreplaceable.
-Dan Quayle
Chapter 25: Irreplaceable
A gasp escaped his chest as he was thrown against the wall. His head knocked back against the cold stone, sending pain coursing through his body. His legs buckled beneath him as he slid down towards the ground. A hand snatched his neck as he fell, pinning him against the rock. Neji's brown hair messily fell in front of his face, and his white eyes were wide. His heart pounded inside of him as he felt the familiar ice of a kunai against his neck.
"Neji-kun," the person crooned, "you know that we don't like traitors. I thought we were such good friends too. Would you really throw that all away so easily?" Nails traced his cheekbones as he stared back into her cruel eyes. "I mean, it's not as if there is anywhere for you to run to. You'reours, Neji-kun. You're a caged little bird with delusions of grandeur. Your wings were always clipped, Neji-kun. Did you really think that even if you escaped your cage that you would be able to fly?"
The nails dug into his skin, warm blood trickling down his cheek. His pupilless eyes looked away, trying to avoid her piercing gaze. She seemed to pick up on it as she leaned in nearer, "You did, didn't you? That's why I'm here now. Tut tut, Neji-kun. I know that you love your Tenten-chan ever so much, but was it really worth all this? For the love of a woman, a man was killed."
She pulled away and cocked her head to the side. "Ooh, I like the sound of that. Don't you think it would make a good novel, Neji-kun?"
Neji made no response, but instead tried to find a way to escape - a weakness to exploit while she was distracted with her monologue. "Are you thinking about escaping? Oh come now, I expected better. If you're going to die, you should face your death like a man!" The kunai dropped away from his throat, and Neji moved to get away. He made it half way across the room before she caught up to him again.
The metal dug into his stomach, protruding out the other side of his chest. Neji tried to make a noise, but she wrapped her hand tightly around his mouth. "Shh now, Neji-kun. You should be quiet. We can't have you betray us more than you have already. Who knows what filthy lies have come out of your mouth recently? If you're dying, you should tell me. What have you said and who have you said it to?"
As Neji sank to his knees, she propped her head on his shoulder and looked up at him. "Hmm? Why are you so quiet now, Neji-kun? Don't you want to tell little ol' me a secret? I might just happen to stumble upon a medic nin in time to save you if you do."
Neji coughed, tilting his head to the side before slamming his skull into hers. "That is just another lie, and we both know it. Do not believe that you can trick me anymore than you already have." The woman stumbled back, dragging the kunai out from his chest. She lifted a bloody hand to her forehead before glaring venomously at Neji.
"Oh, you will regret that,Neji-kun." She growled out the name. She got up onto her feet and shunshined over to Neji, kicking him soundly in the head. Neji didn't even have a chance. "Your defense of her is admirable, but your defense to this... unknown factor, is stupid. The difference between loyalty and stupidity is a very thin line. You've just crossed it. You're not telling me anything, so this person must exist. We'll find him, Neji-kun. We'll find him just like how we found you. We're everywhere, Neji-kun. This person won't be able to breathe without us noticing. Just. Like. You." She enunciated the words carefully as she crouched down in front of him.
"And now," she trailed off for a few moments before her eyes darkened. She raised the kunai up in the air, "DIE!" She plunged the kunai down, sinking it between his ribs. Neji grunted before falling limp on the ground.
-TSUME-
"Come on! Where is he?" Naruto slumped back against the plaster wall and held a hand to his forehead. Neji wasn't in Tenten's hospital room, the cafeteria, or the training rooms. It wasn't as if there were that many places for him to go since all exam participants were stuck in the same buildings. So where on earth was he?
Calm yourself down, Naruto-brat. You're not going to find him if you're panicking. Just keep on moving,Kurama growled in his head. Naruto took a deep calming breath before exhaling. There were other places to look, but it just seemed so unlikely that Neji would be there. The six genin's faces flooded his mind. What if Neji was already dead by now? Would it be Naruto's fault for not immediately bringing him to the Hokage?
Naruto shook his head vigorously. No, he couldn't think about that not. He just had to find Neji. The blonde pushed off the white walls and turned to continue down the hallway when he heard a scream. It was Hinata! Naruto's head whipped around and he sprinted down the hall where he had come from. His shoes thumped against the wood flooring as he rushed to the center hall.
He had only been there a few minutes ago. What could have happened to make Hinata scream like that? A cluster of people stood at the entrance to the room. Naruto shoved people out of the way as he made his way towards the middle of the room. Once he cut through the crowd, he stopped and stood still. The purple-haired kunoichi was on her knees, sobbing. Hinata had her hands covering her ears, and she was shaking her head in denial. "Neji-nii-sama!" Her voice broke as she wailed, and Naruto choked.
Right in front of her was Neji. Red stained his white shirt, a small pool forming on the ground. His right arm was bent awkwardly under him, and Naruto could see a shard of white bone sticking out of his arm. Naruto felt nausea creeping up in him. He may have been a ninja, but that didn't mean he was used to brutality. The genin in the forest had been left bruised and unconscious, but not half-dead. This... This reminded him of Aoi all over again.
Naruto looked up towards the rafters, trying to quell his stomach. He looked at the wooden beams before his eyes latched onto something. A red stain lined the middle of one of the planks. His eyes flicked down to where Neji was on the ground before looking back up. Had Neji been dropped from up there?
Feet pounded, and three medics rushed over to Neji's side. One of the nurses gently pulled Hinata away while the other two put their hands over Neji and performed an exam. "We need to bring him into surgery. Everyone clear out of the way!" The black haired nurse yelled as the male doctor scooped Neji up in his arms.
Naruto stepped out to the side as they ran past. He caught a glance of Neji in the man's arms. His face was chalk white, and his chest hardly rose when he breathed. It felt like he was looking into death.
-TSUME-
Naruto hunched over in his seat. His hands tightly gripped one another as he stared down at the ground. Hinata and Teru sat quietly off to the side, waiting for news on Neji's condition. Time passed so slowly now that they were there. All they could do was sit and wait. It was times like this that Naruto hated being able to think. It was too troublesome.
Now that he was here, he could only think about Neji. He remembered only a few minutes ago how he had been sitting and talking with Temari and Gaara. What was the purpose of knowing that Neji was in danger if he could not stop the event from taking place? Perhaps, he could have stopped it from happening. Or at least he could have stopped Neji from being dropped from the rafter. Something, anything that could have helped him.
Maybe he could have been a bit faster. Or maybe he could have actually looked up to see Neji in the rafters. He had been in the room only a few minutes before Hinata screamed in the first place. Perhaps he could have even seen the person that attacked Neji. Naruto buried his head in his hands. There were so many different outcomes that could have happened if only he had acted a little bit differently.
Shut up, brat.Naruto closed his eyes and internally seethed. He didn't want to deal with the Kyuubi's insults right now.I'm not insulting you, boy. I'm trying to help you. Moping around all day won't help you or anyone else. What has happened has already happened, and you can't change it.That was easy for Kurama to say. It wasn't his fault that Neji was like this.
Don't sass me, boy,Kurama snapped irritably.It is the truth. You can spend a lifetime regretting or wanting revenge. After a few hundred years being stuck in various containers, you have time to think a bit. Watching through the eyes of my containers, I've seen more than you have. Some people get locked in the cycle of anger and sadness, but they never get out. It would be a nuisance if you became one of those people, so keep your face forward.
Naruto bit the inside of his lip. It was easier said than done. One couldn't just give up guilt just like that.I'm not telling you to give it up completely. Guilt is normal, Naruto-brat. What I'm telling you to do is to take it in stride and move on. Only stupid people tell others to let something go. Don't insult me by misconstruing what I say.
The boy sighed and tilted his head over to the side. He supposed that he could try that... But it still felt so wrong. It was almost as if he'd be betraying Neji if he didn't feel bad about it.Now you're making excuses. Just take my words and think about them for a bit. You'll eventually realize that I'm telling the truth if you have half a brain.The Kyuubi's voice faded from his mind, and the hallway was quiet once more.
A flash of white swept past him as three medics rushed by. Naruto looked up as they all hurried into Neji's room. The door opened, and Naruto took a quick glance inside. Neji was tugging at the restraints on the bed, trying to escape whatever torment he was feeling. A medic was hovering over him, and Naruto heard the shouts of the head medic.
As the door slowly slid close, Naruto watched as Neji became weaker and weaker, eventually falling still. Naruto swallowed. Neji couldn't really be... could he? Naruto's fingers gripped the soft grey cushions of his chair. A few minutes passed before a somber blue haired doctor walked out of the hospital room. The doctor's eyes searched around the room before locking on the three genin that stared at him. "I trust you three are here for Hyuuga Neji-san?"
"Yes," Hinata said softly. She had her hands clasped firmly on her lap. The lines on her face showed her worry. Everyone knew that the Hyuuga cousins didn't have the best of relationships, but that didn't mean that they didn't care. They could fight, but they always made it up to one another in small ways. Even if it was just a simple helpful tip at the jyuuken, they rarely feuded for long. "What news do you bring of Neji-nii-sama?"
The doctor pulled off his glasses and gave a sigh. "Is your father not here, Hyuuga-san? It might be better if I talk to him first."
"No, he is not here. I am currently acting as Neji-nii-sama's nearest relative. You have no right to hide anything about his condition from me. Just tell me, how is he?" Hinata demanded. She straightened herself out and gave a small huff. She looked much more of the clan heir that she was destined to be than she was a few months ago.
The doctor rubbed his forehead and said, "Hyuuga Neji passed away fifteen minutes ago from complications after treatment. We attempted chakra shocking him back to life, but it failed. I'm sorry for your loss."
Hinata gasped, moving a hand to cover her mouth. Naruto stared at the doctor, shaking as he sat. It was his fault. Neji might have lived if only Naruto didn't try to keep a double agent. He should have talked to Inoichi before rashly ordering Neji to do that. If only he didn't do that, then maybe... Naruto buried his head in his hands and cried.
Author's Note: I'm sorry that it's kind of creepy and sad. D: I struggled through most of the week about whether to write this or not, but I finally did. It's important for the story to progress the way I intend it to. Try to guess who the woman was that killed Neji. It would be interesting to see what you all think.
Thanks to Pokepikachu1 for betaing me again! :D I really appreciate it!