Lost Moments

Lost Moments

By: Lynn Metallium

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything! I don’t own Naruto, Enya or The Killers! I’m nothing but a poor little American girl who had to spend all of her money on college and therefore even if you sued me you wouldn’t get any money anyway. So please don’t get mad and hurt me Xx;;

Chapter 5

Sometimes I'm nervous when I talk
I shake a little
Sometimes I hate the line I walk
…
Or should I just get along with myself
I never did get along with everybody else
I’ve been trying hard to do what’s right

…

This River is Wild – The Killers

Flashback

Neji crouched low to the ground, his eyes flickering across the forest floor. It was deathly silent and it did nothing to comfort him. There was nothing that made a ninja more uncomfortable than the deathly silence of a whole forest. He tried to stay still in his spot but every muscle in his body seemed to scream ‘move now you idiot!’ Instead he crouched lower before gathering himself before springing up into the tree that he had been previously under. His fingers gripped the bark tensely as he tilted his head to the side attempting to hear some sign of life in the woods around him.

It had been four months since he had last seen the comfort of his home. Tsunade had not seemed even the least bit sorry when handing him the scroll containing an infiltration mission only moments after his announcement to her of Hinata’s pregnancy.

He had spent the first month of his mission thinking that she had done so merely to please her inner sadist but after the third month he had lost interest in acting generally bitter over Tsunade’s actions. Instead he spent his time thinking of home, a warm bed and a good hot bath that he would gladly have slit another man’s throat for by now. He found himself wondering what had happened at home since he was gone, if Lee had been training harder than usual and if he had plans for a rather vigorous spar upon his return. It would be nothing short of satisfying to pound his so called rival into the ground after sleeping for a week.

The Hyuuga also found himself thinking of Hinata. The first time his shy wife had entered his thoughts, Neji had been surprised. Never before on missions had he even given her a thought. But now he found himself worrying and just the fact that he was worrying over anyone, especially Hinata made him rather irritable yet it couldn’t make his thoughts disappear. He assumed it had to do with the baby more than Hinata herself. The fact that she was carrying his child made him feel an indescribable warm swell in his chest. Similar to the same swell of pride he had after beating Lee again and again but different at the same time. He wondered if she was well, if the baby was well. If her stomach was showing yet, round and full under her clothing. He wondered if she would let him touch it when he returned, if he returned.

The mission was nothing short of frustrating for the young Hyuuga. The village had been wary of him and Neji wondered what it was about him that screamed ‘don’t trust me!’ They had been anything but willing to allow him into their society and it had taken all of his willpower not to simply bust into the compound and take what he wanted regardless of the consequences.

‘Lee would have been a much better choice than I for this mission’ Neji thought bitterly. The green clad ninja was possibly the friendliest man on the face of the earth and no one ever found themselves thinking now there’s a suspicious person, I don’t think I want to befriend him! However the Hyuuga knew exactly why Lee was back home probably attempting to woo Sakura at that exact moment rather than here crouched in a pile of cold wet mud. Lee lacked the Byakyuugan and would have been useless in finding the scroll now firmly tucked in the pocket of his vest. It had been hidden well too, Neji had to give them that but nothing could ever be truly hidden from his eyes.

A noise broke the Hyuuga from his silent thoughts and his eyes narrowed as they scanned through the trees for the source. He had taken the scroll this morning from its hiding place and then raced for the border as fast as his body would allow. Unfortunately the weather had decided not to cooperate with him. When he had awoken this morning to a cold foggy damp morning he had almost abandoned the whole self set mission of taking the scroll and getting the hell out of there. There was always tomorrow he tried to convince himself. Unfortunately his manly pride would have nothing of it, what was a little cold and rain? Was he not a ninja that could work under even the worse conditions?

And so now he was out here, less than five miles from the border and feeling more than a little miserable. Surely by now they would have noticed the scroll gone. Hunters would have been deployed despite the lead he had on them. They knew he couldn’t get all the way to the border unless he was inhuman and while Neji prided himself on being a damn good ninja, he wasn’t inhuman. A normal person would take several days to get as far as he had come, it was a good lead but he knew it wasn’t going to be good enough. It was very unlikely he would make it to the border without being apprehended by the village ninjas.

“Damn it…” The Hyuuga hissed softly under his breath as he stared at the warm outlines of bodies not far away to his left. He had the sneaky suspicion that the men knew he was here just as well as he knew they were there.

There was suddenly a sharp pain in his cheek and Neji whirled around, snarling with pain. His hand shot up, covering his cheek and his fingers quickly became damp with his warm blood. The Hyuuga had been so focused on the three men that he had lost sight of what could been behind him. Obviously they had been fucking decoys, bastards.

Neji leaped from the slippery branch to the ground, kunai gripped tightly in both of his hands before lunging forward at the other men, armed in a similar manor. The forest around him was once again deadly silent except for the soft grunts and high pitched ting of metal smashing into metal.

Spinning around Neji suddenly found himself letting out a howl of pain as a hand snatched the long locks of his hair. Most people knew better than to be so vain, especially when one was a ninja. Long hair was a weapon that could be used against one, however Neji had never faced against someone who was low enough to actually touch his pride and joy much less use it to yank his head back far enough to almost snap his neck. The ninja squirmed, lashing out with fury at the man behind him. His kunai met soft skin and warm blood splattered onto his torso.

The dark haired boy didn’t have time to wince as he jumped backwards, almost backing into another man who made a grab for the Konoha ninja. Neji’s arm shot out and his slick kunai embedded itself into the man’s neck and he made a sickening gurgle as his fingers scrabbled against Neji’s hand in desperation before Neji pulled his hand and the kunai away. The wound suddenly exploded with bright red blood into the Hyuuga’s face and he reeled back as the body fell to the ground with a sickening thud.

He could feel the bile growing in the back of his throat even as he turned away, scrubbing his face furiously with the back of his hand. Milky white eyes flickered open just in time to see a hand being shoved none too kindly into his face. The boy’s eyes widened even more as he suddenly felt a burning sensation all along his face. It burned so badly, oh god…

Neji screamed, his hands shooting out to grab the man’s wrist in an attempt to rip it away from his face. His nails dug into the unprotected skin between the man’s gloves and his sleeve as he attempted to lash out, his fingers aimed for a pressure point. Everything seemed to blur and his body lurched sickeningly even as his fingers slammed hard into pressure point after pressure point on the man’s body.

Shoving himself away, Neji stumbled back as his legs gave out causing him to fall to the ground painting. It seemed so dark and he could hear his heart thudding hard in his chest. His hands shot to his face, scrubbing at his eyes frantically. They burnt, so bad! Letting out a small frustrated groan of pain, the boy knelt over pressing the palms of his hands to his eyes. A choked scream escaped his mouth as he rocked forward still scrabbling at his face. He would have rather have lost a leg for this, a lost limb seemed like it would have paled in comparison to the burning in his face right now and the pain that seemed to be seeping down to his chest. Neji panted suddenly feeling light headed as he pressed his forehead against the blood slick grass. The last thing he thought before passing out was that he wouldn’t be able to touch Hinata’s stomach after all…

End Flashback


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A strangled gasp escaped Neji’s throat as he shot straight up in bed, his body protesting in anguish at his movement. There was a soft humming noise and the stead beep that should have been familiar but only made his body quiver uncomfortably. Where was he? Why was it so dark? Had he been taken captive? A soft curse escaped his shaking lips as his hands flew to his face. Shaking fingers traced over his face to touch the bandages over his eyes. Hastily his fingers curled and started to claw at the bandages, causing them to dig painfully into his scalp as he pulled carelessly at them. White stripes fluttered into his lap and his fingers stilled as they pressed lightly against his opened eyes. Yet the room was still dark as night. His shoulders shook as his fingers desperately patted across his face as if his eyes would suddenly open up normally and see. Neji’s lower lip trembled and his mouth fell open in a scream of frustration and terror.


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At the sound of her cousin’s terrified screaming the teacup slipped from between Hinata’s shaking fingers and hit the floor, shattering into a million pieces that crunched under her feet as she sprang across the room and threw herself across Neji’s body.

Hinata had been surprised to see Neji suddenly sit up with a whimper, his hands automatically coming to his bandaged head. She had started to reach out to touch his shoulder comfortingly until he suddenly began to shake and his fingers started clawing away the bandages. Startled she had jerked back, watching him with wide eyes, the saucer shaking in her hand with a slight clanking noise.

The hospital had been her home for several days now since the time they had brought Neji back on the brink of death. Nothing had ever frightened her as badly as the sight of her husband’s pale face and his unsteady gasps that made his chest wheeze with every attempt of breath. Even the time Neji had nearly taken her life with his own hands hadn’t left her nearly as shaken.

“Neji, please stop this!” Her voice sounded gravely from lack of use as she attempted to grab his wrists. It did little good as his screamed drowned out her soft voice and his hands easily broke her grasp to fly back to his face, nails digging viciously into his skin.

“Stop it! Don’t touch me!” His voice was panicked as he shoved her back and flailed uncertainly at the air between them unable to properly locate his cousin’s body.

“Please you must stop! You’ll hurt yourself! Neji!” Hinata grabbed his hands again, forcing them down into his lap with all the strength she possessed, yet it was hardly enough against her cousin. “Neji please, it’s me Hinata! Please stop!”

“I said get the hell away from me!” It was a lucky punch, probably due more to Hinata being close enough to receive it than Neji knowing her location that sent Hinata sprawling back onto the ground with a cry of pain. Her eyes shot to her husband’s form on the bed as she struggled to right herself but with her bulging pregnant belly, the task was anything but easy.

She had barely gotten herself upright when the door slammed back against the wall hard enough to cause the room to shake and Tsunade stormed through the doorway, her eyes flaming looking like she had woken from a rather long nap which was probably the truth knowing the Hokage some times.

“What the hell is going on in here?” Tsunade snapped, pausing for a moment to survey the broken teacup on the ground then Neji who was now sitting still in the bed, his face hidden in his face and sniveling quietly to himself and finally Hinata, whose face had turned a brilliant shade of red from her sprawled position on the ground. For a moment the Hokage seemed completely perplexed before she gestured to enter Sakura who was hovering nervously beside her until that point probably even less sure of what to think that her mistress at the disarray of the room and its occupants.

“What the hell is your problem Hyuuga?” The blonde woman barked as Sakura darted to Hinata’s side to help the poor woman to her feet. “Do you always go around punching your wife in the face?”

For a moment Neji was dead silent, his shoulders stiff with uncertainty before he finally dropped his hands to his lap and raised his bleeding scratched face to stare somewhere to the Hokage’s left uncertainly not even aware he wasn’t looking directly at the woman. Tsunade hesitated as she watched him stare off to the side with milky unseeing eyes and her body seemed to slump with regret for snapping at the younger man.

“I-it wasn’t his fault-“ Hinata protested in a soft voice as Sakura forced her to sit down in a chair beside the hospital bed. “I got too close that’s all…”

“Where am I?” Neji whispered in a cold voice, his forehead wrinkling as he swiveled his head once again to a different point, still unable to focus on Tsunade’s exact location.

“You’re in Konoha, in the hospital,” Tsunade strolled forward, trying to ignore the way her stomach tightened uncomfortably at the sight of Neji tilting his head and his eyes tracking from side to side, desperately trying to find her location as she moved closer to the Hyuuga. “I’m on your left, here.” She announced to his softly as her fingertips ghosted over his shoulder and his head jerked in the general direction uncertainly.

“What happened?” Neji’s voice cracked as he tried to sound braver than he felt at the moment. He wished he could see the Hokage’s face for reassurance but at the same time he was glad, lest he saw something akin to pity there for his current state.

“What happened?” Tsunade echoed with a bitter laugh. “You tell me Hyuuga, I’ll be damn if I know how you got yourself so messed up. You’re a lucky sonova bitch Hyuuga, almost as lucky as Uzumaki you know? ANBU found you less than a quarter of a mile from the boarder, said he heard a fight and went to investigate, said he found you laying in a pile of your own puke with a bunch of dead bodies around. Lucky thing, you would have drowned there like that. Hell of a way to go if you ask me Hyuuga, in your own puke. ”

Neji swallowed silently, licking his dry lips as he attempted to remember what exactly had happened to him as he took in the Hokage’s words and ignore the way his body jumped every time she touched him.

“Was it there…?” He asked after a moment. Tsunade paused, staring at the man before him. Trust a ninja like Neji to be more concerned about the mission than his own health. He was a good ninja, Tsunade thought with a bitter smile.

“Yes, it was.” She replied with a clipped tone as she took a step back, ignoring how Sakura and Hinata were watching her while pretending not to at the same time. “You’ve given your wife a nice black eye so I hope you’re proud of yourself Hyuuga.”

Neji winced, his shoulders slumping as he tried to glance away in search of his cousin yet he wasn’t sure where she had gone since he had shoved her away. He licked his lips but said nothing, unable to force the words of apology from his lips. Not that Hinata had been expecting it from him but Tsunade gave him a disapproving look at his silence that went unseen by the man.

“What….about my eyes,” The Hyuuga spoke finally, clenching his hands in the blanket covering his lower body. He was afraid to ask, afraid of the answer she would give him.

“It isn’t permanent so don’t get your panties in a twist Hyuuga.” Tsunade crossed her arms across her chest. “You had a run in with some nasty poison and like I said, you’re a pretty lucky son of a bitch to even be alive. I’ve removed most of it from your system but your body still needs time to rest and allow the rest to flush its way out until you’re completely better. Your nerves are capable of repair but I can’t say how long that will take for your eyesight to come back completely. I would give it a month at most.”

A soft breath of air escaped Neji’s chest that he couldn’t remember holding. So he was only temporarily blind…it wasn’t preferable but it was better than the alternate by leaps and bounds. He didn’t know what he would have done if Tsunade had told him the change in his eyesight was forever, probably slit his own throat without a second thought. A blind man could not be a ninja. He would be nothing without his eyes, not even worthy of breathing the same air as others.

“Thank you,” He murmured after a moment, not raising his bowed head. She was right, he was very lucky to even be alive and no matter how bitter he felt about the situation she deserved his thanks.

“See to it that you rest yourself, I know you Hyuuga. If I catch you out on the training field, I’ll kick your ass so bad you’ll wish you’d never been born, got it?” Tsunade replied, ignoring his humbled thanks. “Don’t let him do anything stupid Hinata, and that’s an order.”

Hinata mumbled something in a shy voice that Neji didn’t catch as he sat there staring unseeingly at the blankets as his mouth twitched in a furious frown, his previous nice thoughts thrown out the window in moments. Damn that woman. How did she expect him to sit still for a month?

“You can go home day after tomorrow if you’re looking up to it, so I’d advise you get some sleep Hyuuga because from right here you look like shit.” Tsunade barked out a laugh as she turned from the bed and waved Sakura to come along.

“Ah…but Hinata…Maybe you need a breath of fresh air?” The pink haired woman shot Hinata a look of concern but Hinata only smiled shyly, unworried.

“It’s fine Sakura, really. My husband needs me here…” She could hardly blame Neji for reacting the way he had to her, she should have known better really than to throw herself at a blind man when he was so disoriented.

“Ok…” Sakura glanced back and forth between the two with a look. “I’ll send a nurse to clean up the glass so don’t worry about cleaning it up yourself. You should be resting as well in your condition. Your wife is in no condition for you to be throwing punches at her so I would advise that it is in your best interest not to do that again Hyuuga.”

“I’ll see that I keep that in mind,” Neji replied in a bitter tone. As if he had meant to punch Hinata in the face. Bitch.

There was a moment of silence as the two women left the room, letting the door close softly behind them. Neji listened to the noise of what he assumed was his cousin shifting uncomfortably somewhere in the room. Silently he took a few heavy breaths as he tried to force himself to find the right words to say that would ease the tension that was quickly growing between them.

“Are you…alright?” He asked gruffly after a moment, the words sounding lame even to his own ears and he wanted to kick himself for sounding so foolish.

“It’s fine, it was only a small bruise,” Even though Neji couldn’t see her face he had the distinct feeling she was smiling at him with that sad meek smile of hers and the thought made him bite his lip to keep from telling her to stop it.

“I didn’t mean-” Neji started almost angrily. It frustrated him that she was being so calm and kind about the whole thing. Every time he hurt her she just smiled like an idiot and said it was ok. It wasn’t ok. It would never be ok!

“Please don’t worry about it, I shouldn’t have startled you like that…I just…that is…you were bleeding and I….I was afraid you would hurt yourself…”

There was a soft touch on his write and Neji’s skin quivered and jumped in surprise at how close she had come to him without him hearing her move. Warm fingers ghosted over his palm in a silent warning before cool glass was pressed into his hand. Neji licked his cracked lips nervously as her fingers brushed over his skin once again before grasping his hand and guided the cup to his lips. Eagerly his lips parted to accept the cool liquid from the cup, the water dribbling down the sides of his mouth in his eagerness. It seemed like forever since he had had anything to drink and it felt like heaven on his burning throat and he almost whined when the cup became empty.

“How long have I been out?” He asked after a moment, rubbing the wetness from his face with an uncertain hand after almost smacking himself in the nose. Everything that had once seemed so easy before seemed almost impossible for him to execute. Hinata didn’t say anything though which made him almost feel relieved.

“Almost five days…” She murmured softly, her voice still close to his side. Neji fell silent at that. Five days since he had jeopardized the mission and nearly failed for not watching his back close enough. It was almost ironic, he thought bitterly, for his failure to watch his back he was now blind and unable to see even the smallest attack. Even though he probably could have focused enough to hear an enemy attack he was after all heavily dependant on his Byakyuugan and after all without his eyesight….his skills were surely only mediocre at best.


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Lee pressed his body against the heavy wooden door and peered around the side into the room, a bouquet of slightly wilted flowers clenched in his bandaged hands. He had spent the better part of the morning with Ino attempting to pick them out. Although he had protested against her accusations of the flowers being for Sakura it hadn’t been until he had broken down and admitted they were for his worth rival Neji that Ino’s mouth had fallen open and she had fallen silent. The poor Taijutsu master had spent another good fifteen minutes protesting that it wasn’t whatever it was that she thought and desperately trying to ignore the smug all knowing look Ino was giving him. He loved the fair Sakura so there was no reason to look at him like that and she knew it. It made the poor man so uncomfortable that he had snatched up the first thing she had offered after that, just desperate to escape her.

Neji’s head jerked towards the door as Lee entered and the green clad man watched as his milky eyes darted right past him, leaving his chest aching as he watched his rival stare blankly at a point somewhere beyond his left shoulder. Quickly he tried to smother the uncomfortable feeling he felt at seeing the Hyuuga boy so disoriented.

“So you have finally awoken my esteemed rival! Welcome back to the land of the living!” Lee’s cheerful voice rang out over the room and he almost winced at himself at how loudly it sounded in the small room. Neji however did wince and Lee had to chuckle at that.

“Lee,” Hinata murmured acknowledging the other ninja with a soft voice. The Green Beast’s mouth curved upward into what felt like a mostly awkward smile when his eyes met Hinata’s who smiled back shyly, an empty cup in her hand.

“Hello Hinata! You’re looking well today! How is the little one? The fair Sakura tells me it’s a feisty one! The baby will be a great fighter like its father, don’t you think Hinata? And of course pretty like its mother!”

“Of course,” Hinata murmured ducking her head to hide her embarrassment. “If I may be excused, I haven’t eaten lunch today…”

“Then by all means please! You’re eating for two after all!” Lee laughed enthusiastically and Neji’s head jerked blindly towards the sound, causing Lee to bite down on his lower lip. The action didn’t go unnoticed by Hinata who gave him a look of understanding that made Lee squirm uncomfortably at how perceptive she could be sometimes.

“I won’t be long…” She spoke softly, her concerned eyes not leaving his face. Lee tried to puff up his chest and look braver than he felt at the moment in reply. Neji hadn’t said a word since he had entered the room and truthfully it made him uncomfortable even though he tried to hide it. Taking a breath he presented her with a goofy smile.

“Oh please take your time Hinata! I’ll stay here with this grouchy husband of yours for as long as you need! Take as long as you need, I can’t imagine that Neji is an easy patient to stay with, especially in your condition you’ll need to take a breath away from his negativity!”

“You know I’m right here,” Neji snapped irritably, his head jerking to the side as he tried to locate the two.

“Don’t worry about a thing, if I need anything I’m sure I can flag down a nurse no problem!” Lee laughed, his eyes skittering to Neji’s obviously fuming form in the bed before winking playfully at Hinata who only ducked her head in embarrassment once again, nodding in consent.

There was a moment of silence as the two men adjusted to the room, now alone together for the first time in four months. Slowly Lee shuffled forward to place his flowers on the counter before standing there a bit stiffly no sure what to do next. He swallowed, trying to ignore how dry his mouth felt, like he had been chewing on cotton. His chest hurt something horrible as he watched the other man sit upright, his eyes staring blindly at the corner some feet from where Lee was shifting from one foot to the other uncomfortably.

“So it’s true then,” He blurted without thinking breaking the silence between them, his bandaged hand shooting up to cover his mouth only seconds after the offending words had slipped out of his mouth. Neji’s body stiffened and his chin tilted over just slightly, unsure of where he was attempting to focus his attention.

“Get out,” Neji’s voice shook slightly as his fingers curled tightly into the blanket that covered his lower half so tightly that his knuckles were starting to turn white.

“You know I can’t,” Lee licked his lips uncertainly as he watched his rival sit there stiffly. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to say anything about…”

“Well you did,” Neji was practically hissing at the other now, his eyes staring right above Lee’s head now. “And I don’t want to hear your voice, so get out.”

“I thought maybe you would be glad to hear me, even if you couldn’t see me,” Lee chuckled dryly, wrapping his green clad arms around himself uncomfortably.

“Well you thought wrong!”

“It’s been four months Neji-“

“Don’t talk to me like I’m an idiot! I might not be able to see right now but I know damn well how long it’s been since I’ve seen your face!”

“Hinata missed you,” Lee murmured softly, his bandaged hands rubbing his shoulder nervously as he watched Neji’s face for signs of annoyance. “We all missed you you know. I was worried when I heard you…were here.”

Neji’s angry words fell silent, stuck in his throat at his rival’s words. Hinata…had missed him…For a moment his hands continued to clench at the blanket before falling limp into his lap and his shoulders sag.

“How was she…?”

“Who? Hinata?” Lee chuckled softly, noticing the softening of his rivals face when he mentioned the woman that only a short time ago would have made him roll his eyes in frustration. “As well as a woman who’s six months pregnant can be I suppose.”

“She looks well?”

“Well of course…” Lee trailed off for a moment, watching Neji’s head turn slightly to follow his voice as the green clad shinobi made his way to the chair beside the Hyuuga’s bed to take a seat.

“I see…” Neji’s voice was quiet and Lee narrowed his eyes. Of course…his rival must be so frustrated that he couldn’t see the love of his life after being away for so long! That was what had the other so down for sure!

“She looks nice,” Lee offered with a cheerful smile, reaching over to clasp Neji’s arm, causing the dark haired boy to flinch at the sudden touch. “She’s much plumper than usual, but her skin shines that special shine of a woman carrying a precious life inside of her. Her stomach is very round now! Sakura says the baby is very active, that’s good by the way you know?”

Neji nodded absentmindedly as he listened to the green clad man’s words, his brow wrinkled in concentration as he tried to picture Hinata the way he described her, and yet…he couldn’t see his cousin….his wife…with the bulging stomach that carried his seed.

“Maybe when Hinata returns you could ask her to let you feel the baby kick!” Lee suggested suddenly, his fingers squeezing the other’s arm lightly in his own eagerness.

“It’s a personal thing, I can’t ask her that,” Neji replied gruffly, tilting his head back in defiance.

“But why not?” Lee stared at him with a bewildered look that the other couldn’t see. “I felt it yesterday and you should feel it today! It’s going to be your child as well after all!”

There was a silence and for a moment Lee wondered if he had said something wrong. He felt the sneaky suspicion the other was a little jealous over what he had said, about having felt the baby kick the day before. But it hadn’t been meant in a vicious way, he was just saying. Lee had always wanted to be a father and so to see his rival’s wife with child made him burst with joy inside. Even if it wasn’t his child he felt extreme pride for his rival’s accomplishment.

“It really isn’t a big thing! I will ask her for you!”

“That is unnecessary-“

“Oh think nothing of it my rival! I promise that it is no hardship for me!”

“Lee-“

“I promise! You can’t see me but I am giving you my nice guy pose as we speak my worthy rival!” Lee sprang from sitting on the chair to standing practically on top of it, in a characteristic nice guy pose. He posed there for several seconds before the feelings of stupidity started to creep in on him. Neji couldn’t even see his pose and thus it really was wasteful when his rival couldn’t even see how determined he was. He slipped down from the chair and finally sat down, although his leg twitched slightly now and again with energy waiting to be used.

“If you say anything to her about something so stupid and foolish I will kill you,” Neji muttered under his breath, obviously not as thrilled as Lee when it came to the subject of his pregnant wife.

“It’s nothing to be embarrassed about,” Lee replied, grabbing the chair and dragging it noisily closer to the bed. “I believe it’s perfectly natural for you to be curious about the baby. It’s your baby after all. Who wouldn’t want to know about these things and be in touch with what’s going on?”

“What the hell are you doing?” Neji hissed, his eyes narrowing even though he couldn’t see anything that was going on at the moment. He almost managed to stare directly at Lee this time but it didn’t seem to make the Taijutsu master feel any better.

“Just pulling the chair closer,” The green clad ninja let out a small laugh. “Why what else would I be doing! Don’t be so paranoid!”

“Well how would you feel?” Neji was still sounding less than thrilled and Lee had the feeling that his rival still wanted him out of the room and far away from himself. In truth that kind of hurt the other man. He hadn’t seen Neji since before his mission and just briefly even then. The dark haired man had stopped by the training field before he left that morning. They had spoken only briefly but it had been long enough for Neji to break the news of Hinata’s pregnancy and his mission assigned by Tsunade. Lee had of course expressed his concern that he would be gone for such a long period of time and Neji had replied with his own veiled version of concern. In the end Lee had offered to watch over his wife while he was gone. Hinata and he were not great friends for sure, but they were not enemies by any stretch of the imagination.

“Depressed for sure,” Lee replied with a bit of sorrow in his voice as he watched the other.

“I don’t want your pity, so stop sounding like someone just kicked your cat,” Neji muttered as he turned away in an attempt to hide his face from the other although he wasn’t sure if he was even succeeding or not.

“You know that’s not how I feel,” The green beast tried to smile again and faltered a bit. For the first time since he had arrived in the other’s room he was relieved that his rival couldn’t see his face. His eyes flickered about as he attempted to look somewhere else beside the man laying there in the bed. “Ah…I brought you some flowers…They’re carnations…I know you can’t see them but they look nice.”

“I’m not your girlfriend or something you know,” The Hyuuga’s voice sounded more than a little annoyed and Lee had the distinct notion that if Neji could have see the location of the flowers he would have thrown them right out the window.

“No but you’re surely my best friend and Ino said they would make you feel better sooner! Flowers are youthful after all and it always makes me feel better when I end up in the hospital!”

“Well I’m not you either,” Was the only gruff reply Lee received.

“They’re very lovely,” The green beast continued as if the other hadn’t said a word against the flowers. “I’m sure you would appreciate them if you could see them after all.”

“Yes, of course,” Neji replied, his voice bitter. “If I could see them, however since you’ve seen to forgotten I can’t see them!”

“I didn’t forget-”Lee started to protest as he reached out to grasp his rival’s arm once again causing the boy to jump.

“Stop touching me!” The Hyuuga snarled as he jerked in surprise causing Lee to jump as well, startled by the dark haired boy’s outburst.

“I didn’t mean-“

“Just. Stop,” Neji snarled as he struggled to sit up and the green clad ninja automatically reached out to help him, but the Hyuuga started to smack wildly at him, missing more often than actually hitting the other. Lee winced, it didn’t hurt but he hated to see the other in such turmoil. “Get out! I don’t want to hear your voice anymore! I don’t want to hear you say such stupid things! Take your foolish flowers with you! I don’t want them!”
Lee let out a squeaked noise as the Hyuuga struggled to shove the youthful ninja away from him. Neji grasped the front of his jumper and shoved the other backwards viciously. Lee let out a choked gasp as the dark haired man tipped forward, unable to stay up right in the bed now that Lee wasn’t there to brace him upward. He spilt downward, tumbling head first from his bed. Quickly Lee’s arms darted forward, wrapping around the other to hold him up, his body struggling against the extra weight.

“Neji please!” The other nin let out a heavy puff of air as he pushed the other back into the hospital bed. “You aren’t well! You shouldn’t….”

Neji let out a choked noise as he stiffened, allowing the other to shove him back into place. His head was aching and it felt like he was spinning around in a circle. For a moment his throat muscles made him gag and he thought he was going to puke as he lay back against the bed.

“Please just calm down…” Lee stared at the other’s pale face with worried eyes. Perhaps it was true that he shouldn’t have come at all. The other seemed furious with him although Lee was certain he didn’t know the reason why. “I’ll let you be now, if you promise to stay in bed.”

“Not like I have much of a choice…” Neji snarled, his face turned away from the green clad man now but Lee could see the frustration welling up across his tense body.

“I’ll wait outside…” The green beast continued, wrapping his bandaged arms around himself uncomfortably. “If you need anything you can just call me…I’ll send Hinata in when she returns.”

He didn’t receive an answer from the man lying on the bed and so Lee slipped quietly out of the room, letting the door click shut behind him. A heavy breath escaped him that he didn’t know he had been holding as he pressed his back against the door and let his eyes fall shut. Neji was being especially bitter, not that he could blame him under the circumstances but he wasn’t making it easy on himself by acting so hateful. The Hyuuga was making it especially hard on the others around him.

Even though Neji always said things he didn’t mean, hurtful and spiteful things in a fit of frustration, he never really meant them. He didn’t ooze sweetness or love like Lee, Neji didn’t know how to do those things, nor did he know how to properly convey himself through words. Lee knew first hand how hard that could be, he had suffered many years with his rival, believing the dark haired man hated him but it hadn’t been until that one day Neji had confessed he didn’t really mind the other challenging him that Lee had realized the other never really meant exactly what he said. Neji was really was a ninja that required much looking under the underneath.


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Neji laid there in the bed unmoving for what seemed like forever since Lee had left, leaving him alone. The Hyuuga boy felt cold inside and his stomach lurched, still very unhappy with him for his little stunt earlier that had almost left him sprawled on the floor. He hadn’t realized how hard it was to be like this, true he couldn’t see and that in its self seemed to be pretty bad. However now his whole body was thrown off by it, he had a hard time balancing himself and it annoyed him to no end that his body didn’t cooperate.

He could feel the moisture gathering at the corners of his eyes and he quickly reached up to press the heels of his hands against his eyes forcing them shut. Everything was just dark…dark and lonely...Neji’s fingers curled tighter into the blanket, pulling it up until it touched his chin. He wanted to curl up into a little ball but his body hurt all over and had started to throb ever since his incident with Lee. Damn Lee. He should have never come here. It hurt that his rival had seen him like this, it hurt that Lee’s voice was full of sickening pity, something he never wanted ever. The green beast had even brought him flowers, or so he said. The thought made Neji’s stomach do another unhappy summersault. He didn’t want his fucking pity!

“Neji…Are you ok? Lee said…” Hinata’s soft voice made him jerk in surprise and embarrassment. He had been so caught up in his own moment of angst that he hadn’t heard the woman enter.

“Don’t listen to what Lee said,” Neji muttered furiously. “He’s a moron.”

“You seem upset,” She continued, avoiding his words towards his teammate as Neji knew she would do. Hinata had never been one to bad mouth anyone else and she probably thought pretty highly of the green clad ninja, most people did if they could get past his strange looks. Lee truly was a good guy, but Neji felt more than a little bitter towards the other at the moment.

“I’m fine.” His words were clipped, hoping that she would get the hint and let him sit there and mope in peace over his predicament. Even if Tsunade said this blindness wasn’t forever, he didn’t have to be happy about it right now. In fact he felt like that gave him a right to be cranky until his eyesight really did return, even if he knew no one else would put up with that.

Neji felt the cold feeling of a glass being pressed into his hand and Hinata’s warm fingers closing around his, guiding him to his mouth. For a moment he pressed his lips together not wanting to drink it, she hadn’t even asked if he was thirsty, even though he was. After a moment though his own needs overcame his stubborn stand against his wife and he allowed the water to pass his lips.

Silence fell over the two as Neji laid there on his back. He assumed his eyes were trained on the ceiling but who could say.

“Lee says you’re doing well…” The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them and he quickly pressed his lips together in a tight line.

Hinata paused, her eyes widening as she stared at her cousin laying there on the bed, pale faced and tight lipped. She hadn’t expected him to say anything like that. In fact she really hadn’t expected him to ask anything about the time while he had been gone and least of all about herself.

“I…I’m fine…Lee has been taking care of me….while you were gone,” Her mouth curved upward into a small shy smile even though Neji couldn’t see it. “He has been very helpful, taking me out and getting me things when I can’t go out. Your teammate is very kind.”

Neji blanched a bit, his fists clenching. Even if Lee had offered to take care of her and Neji had accepted, it didn’t mean he had to be happy about how well his teammate had taken care of his wife in his absence. Hinata was his wife, not Lees. It was his baby…His hear clenched in frustration.

“Then you haven’t….been doing those things…” Neji struggled with himself. He didn’t want to ask, he didn’t want to know frankly about those marks on her arms, about the things she did behind closed doors and yet he couldn’t stay away from it. It ate at him late at night, when he had laid alone in his bed miles away on his mission. What was she doing? Was she crying? Was she holding a kunai right now? Was she cutting down on the pale white skin of her wrists? It scared him…It scared him to think about it and made him worry, would she be so selfish as to take the life inside of her by taking her own?

“I’m afraid I don’t know what things you mean,” Hinata tilted her head to the side as she watched her husband’s face. He seemed uncomfortable and she had a notion about the things he was asking about but her heart quivered uncomfortably when she thought about talking about them with her husband. Her arms were not clean and she knew deep down it would only upset him to know the truth.

“He says that the baby kicks now,” Neji swallowed and let out a heavy breath, his courage leaving him, forcing him to change the subject rather than bruise his pride by stumbling around the subject of her unhealthy actions any longer. It had been brief for sure but he had the feeling he couldn’t have stood talking about it longer even if she had known what he was attempting to get at. It just unnerved him too much.

“Yes,” Hinata’s voice was small, uncertain. “It kicks strongly, I’m certain it will be a strong boy like his father.”

They were the words every man wanted to hear from their expectant wife in a clan like the Hyuuga clan. No one truly wanted a daughter, if they were honest with themselves. It had been Hiashi’s worst nightmare when Hotaru had given birth to two daughters and the fact that she had become useless after the birth of Hanabi only added salt to the injury of having no sons.

The urge to have sons was so great that knowing the sex of the child before it was born was against the law within the clans. It didn’t stop death after the birth of the child however, even if such things were thought to be barbaric now days and not as widely practiced. People still tended to look the other way however when tragedy struck. Even if Neji wished for a boy with all his heart he could never imagine killing his child for something it couldn’t control. He knew Hiashi, despite all his short comings and harsh treatment of his daughters must have felt the same in his heart.

Neji’s body quivered when he felt a warm small hand grasp his, pulling it upward and placing it onto warm firm flesh.

“What….?” His throat felt tight and he couldn’t speak.

“Can you feel him?” Hinata’s voice was still quiet and uncertain as if she couldn’t decide if her action was appropriate and acceptable or not. He could feel her shaking under him slightly or was that him? Neji’s fingers quivered as he pressed his bare palm closer to the warmth of her round belly. Under this warm tender skin was a child…not just any child but his.

Her hand pressed down lightly over his and he stiffened a choked noise. His wife was carrying the most precious thing in his life now and even though he couldn’t look upon her or her round belly, he could feel the tiny life there and it made him feel something he hadn’t felt in his cold heart for years. It felt as if he was basking in the sunlight. Warmth flooded his chest and for a moment he felt like he was going to die with joy.

“Hinata…” He choked softly, his eyes prickling with the feeling of tears. His body shook as he tried to hold back his emotions. “I can feel him…”

“He’s your son…”

Neji sobbed.