Beneath the Cherry Blossom Tree
Chapter Two: Uchiha and Hyuuga
For some unknown reason, Hyuuga Neji didn't like History. He didn't know what everyone else who liked the subject saw in it, all he saw was a troublesome annoyance full of random facts and stupid chronological events that happened in the past and shouldn't be given focus. He was good at it, but that didn't mean that he liked it.
Hold that thought, of course he was good at it, he was the infamous Hyuuga prodigy.
Now, if only the infamous Hyuuga prodigy can focus on what his teacher was babbling about.
They say that time flies whan you're having fun, but when you're not, time seems to be on pause. He glanced at the clock and groaned inwardly. It was barely five minutes ago when he last did. Now, Neji only has to wait for forty five more minutes. Great.
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The ringing of the school bell signifying the end of classes was music to his ears. The dark-haired Hyuuga walked calmly through the halls in search of his cousin. It was normal for them to be going home together, since they lived in the same house, and had the same time of departure from school. It has always been like that.
But as he soon found out, that wouldn't be the case today.
"Neji-nii-san, do you mind g-going home alone to-today?" His shy cousin approached him when he was near his locker and asked that.
"Do you still have something to do here, Hinata?" He asked. He was confused. She never stayed at school after classes, being too shy to actually participate in any events and too afraid of her father to disobey his orders.
"H-Hai. Kurenai-sensei asked me to stay and h-help with the Ikebana flower arrangements for an upcoming event i-in the school auditorium. We m-might be fi-finished somewhat l-late. Could you tell t-tou-san?" Her pleading eyes begged him to say yes. Although Hinata is a strong girl, she's still afraid of what her father has to say, something that both bugged and amused Neji.
He relented. "Alright. I'll go ahead and tell uncle. Do you want me to come get you when you're done?" He asked.
Hinata shook her head. "N-no, thank you. I'll just go home alone."
Neji raised a skeptical eyebrow at what his cousin said. One of the many reasons she never goes home alone is someone always seems to be bugging the shy heiress. Either she gets bullied by other students (Karin and her posse seemed to have fun embarassing the shy Hyuuga and making fun of her stuttering problems) or men hit on her. It's the second option she was always afraid of, though. Nonetheless, Neji's pissed at both.
"Will you be alright? It's not safe out there for you to be alone." He told the Hyuuga heiress. Over the years, the older Hyuuga has grown quite protective of his cousin, seeing as she's always so nice and naïve to people who had bad intentions.
"Y-yes. I'll be o-okay. I have to go now, I'll see y-you later, nii-san." With a smile and a short wave, Hinata turned to leave. Neji stared at the spot where his cousin stood, debating with himself. On one hand, Hinata told him to leave and tell her father, his Uncle Hiashi, that she might be home late. On the other hand, he shouldn't leave his cousin all by herself because who-knows-what might happen to her. Someone must be having fun tormenting him up above.
While pondering over what to do, he decided to take a walk around campus. Taking walks and meditating always calmed him down. It was something he had gotten from his family; they were very traditional, even if they are, as Tenten puts it, filthy rich. Seeing as he can't meditate in this place, he decided taking a walk would be good enough. Konoha Gakuen was a large enough school anyways, seeing as it was built on top of a hill.
He started walking towards the exit to the building. Once he got out, he walked around until he got to the fountain at the very middle of the space, just in front of the main building entrance. Neji looked around. With his back to the entrance, he could see the golden gates of the school with bougainvillea plants on either side. The school itself was enclosed around a thick, eight-foot, white wall; the only entrance and exit being the one he was currently looking at. Trees are planted near the wall, with bermuda grass decorating the grounds. A small two-feet fence was put at the edge, to separate the grass from the stone walkway.
Calmed by the beautiful view in front of him, the dark-haired Hyuuga sat at the base of the fountain. He thought of his next course of action. He could go home now, but that would mean leaving Hinata to fend for herself. He didn't like it, but he still have to tell his uncle that his daughter has to stay for a project. He could stay too, but who would tell Hiashi of their time of arrival? Knowing his strict uncle, they'd probably get in trouble for not notifying anyone.
He only needed to pass the information somehow, then everything would be fine. The problem is how. He left his cellphone at home, so that's out of the question. The telephone in the guidance counselor's office wasn't fixed yet. He snickered at that thought. The telephone in that place was always broken, it seems the guidance counselor had more important stuff to do than get a technician to fix the phone. So how?
"Hey! Neji! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!" A loud voice shouted at his back. Turning to face the person (though he already knew who she was), the Hyuuga prodigy raised an eyebrow at her haggard appearance. She just gave him a scowl, and motioned to sit beside him.
"Don't ask. Gai-sensei started another one of his youthful rants and made us run ten youthful laps around our youthful school of youth." She answered his silent question. He could tell she wasn't amused though, her mocking voice and almost glare were proof of that.
"Why were you looking for me, Tenten?" He changed the subject, knowing that ranting about their crazy sensei wasn't what she came there for.
Hazel eyes looked over at him for a moment, confused. It seems in her hazy state of mind, she forgot what she needed from him. Tenten looked preoccupied for a while, obviously trying to recall her motives. He hoped it wasn't something stupid, this classmate of his always has something mischievous in mind that she does to anyone within sight. And somehow, he was always counted in, whether he liked it or not.
"Oh, I remember! Asuma-sensei wanted me to give you this." the brunette handed him a bunch of papers, all typewritten and compiled in a clear plastic folder. "He said it was for the upcoming judo competition. I think he said something about rules, some moves he wanted you to practice, and profiles of every person participating in the tournament."
"Profiles? No one said anything about being given profiles."
"Oh, really? I dunno. He said it was mailed here by one of the judges and all the players' profiles were there. I even saw yours, actually."
He nodded. Now, it was time to-wait a minute. Tenten. Tenten was here. She could pass by their house and tell someone.
"Tenten, can I ask you a favor?"
He knew she was surprised. It wasn't very often that one can hear Hyuuga Neji say those words. He was a man of pride, and has never really considered asking anything from anyone, or anyone for anything. It was safe to say that Tenten was probably shouting at him in her head the words, "Who are you and what have you done with Hyuuga Neji?".
"Uh, sure. What do you need Neji?" Her eyes still betrayed the confused and unsure expression she's feeling.
"You would pass by the compound on your way to your home, correct?" He paused to hear her answer. At her silent nod, he continued, "If it isn't too much trouble, would you mind informing someone that we'll be staying late at school? Hinata has to help with the ikebana in the school auditorium and I offered to go home with her, seeing as it isn't safe for her to be going home alone at a late time."
"Oh, sure. No prob, Neji, leave it to me." Tenten smiled then, and stood from her seat. "Well, I better get going now or I might catch that crazy gym teacher. Don't wanna see Gai's face for a good couple of weeks. Later, Neji!"
Said boy watched his classmate jog to the gates. When her figure descended the long flight of stairs outside (they had to climb stairs every morning to get to the school because of its location), he shifted his gaze elsewhere. Now that his problem was taken care of, he decided to resume his walk around the campus. Turning one last look at his surroundings, he thought about the new garden behind their building. Come to think of it, he hasn't been there before.
Without anything better to do, he made his way to the new garden. The pale-eyed Hyuuga knew that it wasn't finished yet, so the garden wasn't officially opened, but students were permitted to come and go as long as they didn't destroy anything.
When he arrived, he saw one of his classmates already sitting at one of the benches in front of the cherry blossom tree. Neji wasn't very surprised that he saw Uchiha Sasuke, his rival in almost anything (sports, studies, competitions, you name it) yet one of his close friends. If there was something they shared in common, aside from smarts and talents, it was their quiet nature and their liking for silent and calming places.
He moved to join the Uchiha on the bench when another voice drifted to his ears. A female voice, it seemed. The boy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. He knew Uchiha didn't appreciate the company of the fairer sex; he seemed to avoid them at all costs. Curiosity tugged at him, and he moved forward to see who the mystery girl was.
"-told you, didn't I?"
What Neji saw would probably make some sort of sense to a normal person. Uchiha was talking to an unknown girl with pink hair, emerald eyes, and a pale complexion. But if anything, Hyuuga Neji was not a normal person. Deception did not sit well with him, and he can clearly see through her façade. She was definitely not of this world.
Neji's eyes narrowed. Clearly, the Uchiha didn't see through the face the ghost put up for him. A frown took over his face as he listened in on their conversation.
As they were talking, he made sure to take note of the subtle, yet still a tad bit noticeable, facial expressions of the Uchiha. The pale-eyed boy could see amusement and curiosity dance in his friend's face.
This wasn't looking too good in Neji's eyes. Sasuke seemed to be entranced by the ghost, which would explain why he was talking to her in the first place. They were all taught at an early age to just ignore ghosts as if they don't exist, so no potential harm can be brought upon them. They found out first hand what devastating effect a ghost powerful enough could do to a human. Hinata's accident had given them the perfect warning. He had to do some damage control. Now.
Just as he was about to take a step in their direction, something made him stop dead in his tracks. Something the girl had said to his friend.
"Will you help me find out about my past?"
His eyes drifted to the dark-haired lad in the bench. Neji could see that the boy's face was blank, as it always was. He took this as a good sign, maybe Sasuke hasn't been fully-controlled by his new "friend".
The brown-haired Hyuuga decided to take the silence to his advantage. He knew there was no way the ghost could know about his ability to see her, so this would be the perfect time to take Uchiha and go. He stepped forward and made his presence known to the two.
"Uchiha. I didn't think I would see you here."
He saw the onyx-eyed boy turn his face towards him. "Hyuuga. Likewise. How long have you been standing there?"
Neji closed his eyes and shook his head, "Not very long. I was just passing by and noticed that you were here."
Sasuke nodded. "Hn."
He went closer to Sasuke. He ignored the shifting aura beside the lad, instead focusing on his friend. "Your classes are over, am I correct?" At the nod he received, he continued, "I suppose you have no more business here in school. Would you mind walking home with Hinata and I for today? I have some matters to discuss with you."
"About what? We can talk now." He saw the Uchiha's face form a frown. The frown was more of confusion than of actual frustration, he knew. After all, it wasn't everyday that he had asked Sasuke to join them on their way home.
"I'm afraid not. Hinata has to know about this one too."
"Alright. Where's your cousin? Let's go already."
"Wait!" cried the ghost, standing as if to stop Sasuke from going.
Neji paid no attention to the loud exclamation of the ghost. He turned away from them, walking back to where he came from, and pretended not to hear the girl.
He heard Sasuke mumble a few words to the girl, then the dark-haired boy moved to join him. They both walked away from the garden, with Neji leading the way towards the front of the building, to the school auditorium.
Before they walked into the building, Neji thought he felt a sinister aura behind them. Seeing no change in the Uchiha's expression, he figured it must be his imagination.
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They waited for a bit for Hinata to be dismissed. Once the shy heiress of the Hyuuga clan went out of the auditorium and moved towards them, Neji straightened up. Sasuke did the same, abandoning his leaning position on the wall and unfolding his arms.
Neji motioned for the two to follow him. The walk was done in silence, and it wasn't until they were nearing the bottom of the stairs outside the school that Neji voiced his thoughts.
"Do both of you remember what happened to Hinata a few years back?" He decided to keep looking forward, but still kept track of their reactions at the corner of his eyes. Seeing Sasuke nod and Hinata stutter out a small "H-hai.", he abruptly stopped and stared at Sasuke somewhat icily.
In response, the onyx-eyed lad just raised an eyebrow. They were now at the end of the long staircase, and nothing else can be heard except for the howling of the wind and the tweeting of a few birds. The silence was suffocating to his cousin, he knew, but they needed to have this talk, especially with Sasuke. It seems the Uchiha boy did not know what he has gotten himself into.
"What about it, Hyuuga?" The eyebrow had yet to return to its natural position in Sasuke's face, and a frown now marred his gorgeous features.
"You know very well what I am talking about, Uchiha. We were both there in the garden." Said the male Hyuuga.
Hinata's confused eyes darted back and forth between the two males, not exactly knowing what they were talking about. Neji paid no heed to the inquisitive look his female cousin sent him; she would hear the tale from Sasuke himself and he intended to make sure that the Uchiha in front of them would talk. If Sasuke's temper didn't get the best of him, that is.
"So you did see her." The raised eyebrow and frown disappeared from Sasuke's face then, and he slipped onto his emotionless façade. He didn't wait for his friend slash rival to confirm what he said, he merely continued to voice his thoughts. "Was that what this is all about? If it is, then I don't need to hear it."
"Sasuke."
The aforementioned boy stared at him, almost daring him to pursue the topic. They both knew the gravity of the situation, and since he called the boy by his first name, Neji was sure it was now brought to Sasuke's attention.
Neji decided to continue, seeing as the young Uchiha didn't move from his spot. "We are one of the few who are gifted with this ability," he ignored the way Sasuke snorted at the word 'gifted', "and one of the rules we were taught was that we must know when and how to use it properly. That, or just ignore the beings around us that we have no knowledge of, as a second rule."
Sasuke's dark eyes looked at Neji boredly, somewhat lazily, though traces of annoyance can already be seen flashing in his onyx orbs. "I already knew that. I didn't come here to hear you rant about old myths."
"They are more than just myths and you know it, Sasuke." He narrowed his pearl eyes at the stubborn teen in front of him before he continued speaking. "Hinata made the mistake of breaking the first rule accidentally almost five years ago, which forced the elders to create the second rule. Why are you abiding by neither?"
Sasuke shrugged, his face clearly portraying the annoyance he felt now. His temper was escalating, even the two Hyuuga could notice that. "I'm not breaking any rules. We were just talking; I don't see how a rule was violated."
Neji watched the dark-haired boy turn away from him. He didn't bother stopping Sasuke; he knew it was pointless to try and talk to him now. The major differentiating factor between Neji and Sasuke was temper. Sasuke had a short fuse, while it takes a miracle to get Neji pissed. He knew better than to talk to "emo boy" (as Sai had so graciously dubbed him) while he was aggravated. However, Hinata seemed to want to know the story now.
"A-ano. S-Sasuke-san? Neji-nii-san? W-what's g-going on?" The Hyuuga heiress shifted her eyes from Sasuke to him, almost pleading them to tell her. Whenever mention of the incident five years ago drifted to Hinata's ears, Neji knew that she would be beyond nervous, not to mention curious, since talk of it was banned to prevent any repeat of the accident.
Sasuke's obsidian orbs drifted to the Hyuuga girl. Hinata was fiddling with her thumbs now, eyes showing her confusion and slight anxiety. He told her a short version of what happened.
"I encountered a ghost around two weeks ago. We met again in the garden and talked." Came the stoic voice of the Uchiha.
"That isn't all there was to it and you know it. Now tell her the rest Sasuke, you might need Hinata's advice." Neji coaxed him to go on. Sasuke's irritation was already seeping in, but they had to continue this talk, if it was to keep all of them safe. He knew his cousin would be more than willing to help, even to the point of putting herself in danger. He knew there was no way he was going to let that happen.
When he felt a gentle touch on his arm, Neji looked at his side questioningly. Seeing his female cousin's soft gaze, he sighed and decided to let the chicken-haired male continue without any interruptions on his part.
Sasuke continued. "Haruno Sakura. She has amnesia and has been here for a long time. She asked for my help in recovering her memories."
"D-did you a-agree, Sasuke-san?" Hinata's surprisingly calm voice only met silence. When she was about to rephrase her question, Sasuke's voice reached her ears.
"No. Your cousin came before I could answer her question."
The Uchiha's choice of words made Neji narrow his eyes. He never said anything about turning her down. However, he stopped himself from talking. After all, he did give a silent vow to his cousin. It seemed his friend was still reluctant to talk about "old myths".
There was a moment of silence before Hinata chose to voice her next and most important question. She did it with some reluctance on her part, after all, the shy heiress was never one to be so straightforward. Seeing his cousin take a deep breath, the older Hyuuga knew that she was composing herself and trying to muster enough courage not to stutter.
"Do you plan on helping h-her?" Hinata's voice cracked slightly at the end. It was apparent to all of them that the situation was giving her the jitters.She probably still remembers the incident with the old lady, Neji mused. After all, how can she forget the one incident that nearly stole her soul and almost kill her in the process?
No answer was heard from the Uchiha.
It was common knowledge for Neji that his friend did not bother himself with matters such as these. The dark-haired male did not care much for the supernatural, preferring to stay as nonchalant as possible when it involves their clans' secrets. However, Sasuke was acting weird at this moment. Because with the way things were going, it actually seemed to Neji that he was considering involving himself with that ghost girl's problem.
The silence between them became too much for Neji to bear. Just when he was about to voice his frustration with the all-too-quiet lad in front of him, he heard Sasuke let out an annoyed sigh. Then, Uchiha Sasuke, Mr.-I-know-everything-so-NEVER-tell-me-what-to-do, released the three words he never thought would come from his rival's mouth.
"I don't know."
If he wasn't so utterly surprised that Sasuke admitted that he didn't know what to do, Neji would have glared at him. The three foreign words simply took all of the three people off-guard, the male Hyuuga especially, since he knew that if the situation didn't call for it, never in a thousand years would he hear that phrase from his friend/rival. He knew the onyx-orbed male meant it.
Judging by the way Sasuke ran his hand through his hair, and by the sheer look of frustration that was evident on his pale face, Neji figured that there must be something else bothering him. Knowing his normally calm and collected friend, he knew that the Uchiha would never let this much emotion show on his face. Indifference was something he used to cover all traces of unwanted emotion.
The older Hyuuga turned to look at his cousin. Hinata's eyes showed that gentleness she always seemed to portray, and aside from that usual look, there also resided a gleam of compassion in her silver orbs. Compassion for a friend that was confused beyond reason. Remembering the silent promise earlier, he decided to wait for conversation to pick up.
Hinata must have felt his gaze, for she cleared her throat and turned to look at him. "Nii-san? What do you suggest w-we do about th-this?" Unsure silver eyes, and a pair of black orbs, looked questioningly at him then.
He looked up at the sky. "If only Shikamaru was here. He is the strategist, after all."
A light breeze passed the silent trio. None of them said anything for another while. Neji stared at Sasuke for what seemed like the longest time, before he finally settled on voicing his thoughts. "You seem more troubled than is necessary. Is there something else that we should know, Sasuke?"
He saw the Uchiha's eyes narrow slightly at the ground. His lips were pursed tighter than normal, and the two Hyuuga could see the beginnings of a frown on his face. He knew that his friend would likely deny anything else was wrong, but it was apparent from his facial expression that there was something else he was struggling with.
"It's nothing."
Sasuke's all too quick answer only served to prove Neji's suspicions. He won't dig into that matter for now, as it was more important to focus on the problem at hand. He didn't need another matter on his plate. It was quite full as it was now.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his cousin give out a small, soft sigh.
Pretending not to hear her, the older Hyuuga moved to stand beside his rival. He placed his right hand on the dark-haired boy's shoulder, and faced forward. "You might be troubled now, but it is best if you leave this matter alone. I am merely voicing my opinion, however, what you decide to do is your decision alone."
Glancing at his female cousin, he added, "There is one thing I would like to ask of you, though."
Hearing his friend's grunt, Neji moved to look at Sasuke in the eye. "Whatever your decision may be, make sure that it won't severely affect any one of us. You know how interference with the supernatural world could alter all of our fates in a second."
"Sasuke-san?" Hinata's surprisingly determined and no-stutter voice reached their ears. Both males turned to look at her, and Neji saw the fierce determination he has only seen quite a few times in those silver orbs.
"Should you decide not to help her, we could a-all f-forget th-that this ev-ever happened. However," Hinata stopped at this point, and the look in her eyes looked to be a combination of determination and understanding and gentleness all in one.
"If you decide to help her, Neji-nii-san and I will always be around should you need our assistance."
Somehow, Neji wasn't surprised at the words that came out of her mouth. It was really just a Hinata thing to do, after all.
Seeing Hinata's smile and Neji's affirming nod, Sasuke merely sighed and responded with a bob of his head.
And with that, the three friends resumed their trek home in silence.
If Neji bothered to look back, he would have noticed a dark silhouette at the top of the stairs, just beyond the golden gates of the academy, staring intently at their retreating backs.
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That night, Neji couldn't sleep. He kept tossing and turning in his bed. Even meditation didn't calm him down any. It was too late in the evening to take a stroll in the compound, so he didn't bother with that option. It was already one am after all.
There was no reason he knew of as to why he couldn't sleep. Usually, sleep would claim him when he laid in bed for more than ten minutes. An hour has already passed by, and still, he was wide awake.
A knock came from the other side of the door. Sighing, he got up and moved towards the door. He idly wondered who could still be up and about at this time of night. He turned the knob to find the heiress on the other side of the door.
Hinata was fiddling with her thumbs, looking pretty much the same as her cousin. Sleep deprived.
"Gomen, Neji-nii-san. Did I w-wake you?" she inquired shyly.
Neji shook his head. "I couldn't sleep. Did you need something, Hinata?"
"I-I just wanted to ch-check on y-you. I w-was wondering if-if it was just me, or if this has something to do with the gh-ghost earlier?" Hinata asked.
Neji supposed it made sense. However, there was no way the ghost could have followed them to the compound. There was an ancient spell of some sort protecting the gates and walls. If by any chance it had the power to bypass that barrier, the clan members would immediately sense the presence of a ghost. Their entire family could see the supernatural, and every family would be alerted accordingly to take necessary measures to keep everyone safe.
Again, Neji responded by shaking his head. "I don't think the ghost has anything to do with this. If she does, the spell would have alerted us immediately. You should try and get some sleep, we still have classses in a few hours." He told his cousin.
"O-okay. You t-too, nii-san. G-good night."
After muttering a "Good night" of his own, he shut the door and moved to lie down on his bed. Closing his eyes, Neji waited painstakingly for sleep to claim him. And after another hour of waiting, it finally came.
Only, it brought with it the most horrible nightmare Neji has ever had.
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A/N:Okay so I kinda lost inspiration for a bit, but I might (MIGHT!) be back now. Kind of. :D
You know the drill, READ AND REVIEW, MINNA! Pwease? :3