The Hidden Heart of the Nausicaa Forest
I do not own Naruto. This is a complete work of fiction. Enjoy.
Chapter 2 – When They First Loved
-A few months before the mission-
Ino strolled through the woods that was located right outside of Konoha village. The blonde was in search for something. A meadow, Ino and Sakura used to pick flowers at this meadow, she recalled, as the sun pierced through the leaves. This was when they were young and still friends. The meadow was special to her. Occasionally, she would visit this meadow to clear her head after a stressful mission.
Although, Ino had lost her way. She set to find the right path again. The young kunoichi waded through the thicket, branches snared at her, scratching soft skin but she prevailed and managed through.
On the other side was a clearing, flat dirt with patches of grasses, tall trees with rich green leaves that encircled the Yamanaka girl. From the corner of her eye, Ino noticed a boy sitting under one of the trees.
It was Neji, who was a year older than her at fourteen. Both of his eyes were closed as he meditated under the shade of the tree. Ino watched the Hyuuga boy. His skin was pale but shone like white pearls even under the guise of the shade, in contrast, his long hair was as black as night which almost made the boy look godly.
It's funny, I never noticed how handsome he is. Ino had always thought of Neji as a strong ninja but never paid attention to his appearance. They have never spoken to one another if you didn't count the time at the Chuunin exam. She recalled how she tried to make the unfriendly shinobi fall for her charms and beauty only for him to reject her.
Ino found herself unable to tear her eyes away from him. A soft wind blew, his dark hair swayed in the breeze. She wondered how soft it would feel through her fingers.
What's wrong with me. Stop talking like that Ino, that's not you. Your only love is Sasuke! No one else.Ino snapped back from her thoughts and realized Neji wasn't under the tree. "He's gone! Where did he go?"
She turned and jumped back. "Ah!" Two white eyes stared into hers. "Neji!"
Neji raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing, Yamanaka?"
"No-nothing! I was just searching for my bracelet. You see it fell under this bush here and I was... I was just searching for it." Ino got down, pretending to search for something on the ground.
Neji didn't buy it, he exhaled and walked back to the tree. "You're distracting me."
Ino got up and followed him. She didn't know why but something inside her told her to. Neji stopped walking and glared at her.
"What are you doing now? " Neji said, clearly annoyed.
"Hey, I just wanted to ask if I could join you?" Neji gave her a blank stare, but resumed walking back to the tree. Hmph, how rude. This Hyuuga is so stubborn, but he didn't say no….
Ino sat nearby the quiet boy, not saying a thing. At first, she felt uncomfortable but as she watched as insects performed their jobs and small animals played, she felt more at ease. She sat there until the sun began to set. "I'll be back tomorrow, Hyuuga."
And she did. The next day, Ino headed towards the woods, finding Neji under the tree. When Ino got close to Neji he opened his eyes and tossed her a deadly glare. The first few days were like this, after a while he ignored the blonde.
"Tulips come in variety of colors but each have their own meaning." The blonde girl was saying to Neji. She wasn't sure if he was listening but she had grown tired of the silence and next thing she knew she was yapping away about flowers.
"And then there's Asagao which means morning glory." After a short time of nothing, Ino stood up and said goodbye. "Let's do this again tomorrow." For some reason, Ino didn't want to give up and let Neji win.
After two weeks of talking to herself, Neji finally spoke up. "What do you want from me, Yamanaka?" He scowled at her once again. He had a bad habit of doing that, Ino noted.
"Would you stop calling me that. Call me Ino, okay?" Neji ignored her.
"Stop being so cold and talk to me." Ino smiled warmly at him.
Neji thought about for a moment. "If I do, would you stop bothering me?" Ino bobbed her head, excitedly. She stood up from where she was and sat down next to him.
"What do you want to talk about Yamanaka?"
"Erk, let's start with you calling me by my first name, I really don't mind."
Neji squinted at the girl then turned his head away. "Ino."
The blonde grinned. "Good! We can talk about anything really? Like for instance, what do you enjoy doing?"
"I like meditating."
"Oh."
It became quiet. Ino watched as a butterfly landed on a red tulip. "I like flowers. How they look, how they smell, and their meanings. There's something about flowers that always brought me peace and understanding."
"Meditation is similar in a way."
"Is that so? That's good. I guess we have something in common then."
They met in the same place to talk several times a week. Neji let down his guard a little and talked about himself. Neji wasn't a fan of Ramen like Naruto was, Ino discovered.
Neji found Ino to be very different than she let on to be in public. She talked about flowers and what they meant. She was much calmer when she did this. They went on like this until it got late and was time to go.
"You know there's a flower that is known to bloom in isolated, dark places," said the blonde. Two months had passed since she first began talking to Neji. And Ino felt as if she told the boy all she could that is except a few secrets she held dear. "But this flower is more like a folktale. It's called Yorugao, the Night Glory."
"Sounds like the opposite of Asagao," Neji told her.
Ino smiled, he had been listening. "Yea, that's why it's regarded only in folktales. No one is sure it's real. But the flower is not only known for its name.
In the tales, the Yorugao had a type of magic to it. Some say it has chakra ability. If you were to ever find the flower all you had to do is touch its petal and think of the person you loved. The flower would find that person for you.
You know, I never told anyone about it. I didn't want to risk being thought of as a child believe in make-believe. But when I think about it, it reminds me of you. I think this flower fits Neji, you thrive better in isolation… but you're also good at finding others."
Ino laughed. Neji couldn't help but smile at the joke. When she saw this, Ino's heart almost stopped. It became quiet again until Ino broke the silence.
"You know, I've been wondering. You could have just moved location to meditate. Go anywhere but here. But you chose to keep coming knowing that I knew where I could find you and that I would come… Why?"
Neji thought for a moment. A light breeze blew startling a few fire flies. "Naruto's words during our fight at the Chuunin exams still resonates. I control my destiny. I choose what I do, not an outside force. I chose to continue meditating at this spot because I felt I should."
Ino felt warm inside after hearing that. "I remember what Naruto said. I also remember the marking… on," Ino was uncertain if she should continue. Was it a sensitive subject? Would he become angry and distance himself from her? But to Ino's relief, Neji smirked and reached behind the back of his head.
He took off his headband, revealing the mark on his forehead. She reached over to touch his forehead. Neji caught her hand. Ino only smiled. "It doesn't always have to mean a prison."
He let go of her hand as she ran her fingers along the shape of the mark. Then without thinking, she leaned her forehead against his. Her heart was beating all rhe while. She didn't know why she was doing it but it felt so right. They stayed like that for a while before Neji closed the distance between their lips. Ino closed her eyes as did he.
She ran her finger through his hair. It really is soft, she thought. The sun started to set and a pair of eyes, hidden behind a tree, watched the two young ninjas.
