[Open] Bittybody?

[one_without_wings]

"Aaah! Get back here!" he'd let some concentration slip, and the paper had been blown off by the wind. He groaned as it flew far, far off, and pouted. He'd done good holding it for the best part of two hours, too!

He blinked then, eyes widening. There -was- a paper nearby! Not his paper, but any clean one was good, and this one was laying on the grass, all really bright and yellow! It demanded to be picked up, and Sasuke did!

Comments

[guiltoftruth]

"It doesn't matter how much you've taught him. He... He's still like I was. He wouldn't have been able to change anything back then."

[openedthebasket]

He exhaled quietly through his nose and didn't remove his hand or open his eyes. "It isn't your fault, what happened," he murmured quietly, lips pressing more firmly together. "You were young then, and events were far out of your control."

[guiltoftruth]

"I should have been able to do something!"

Something akin to a pained noise left her before she curled up more tightly determined not to let her emotions get the best of her even as they continued to do so, "Niisan was a genin by the time he was 7. I should have graduated long before that night, but I was never good enough. If I was better, maybe I could have stopped it...!"

It was no good. She shook, hiding completely under the blanket then.

[openedthebasket]

"Even were your skills greater, would you have had the ability to predict a thing no one in your clan saw coming...?" His hand shifted to her shoulder to grasp a little more tightly, offering what support she was willing to accept. "It is not your fault, Sasuke."

[guiltoftruth]

She shook her head, shivering under the covers but again not bothering to try and move Neji off of her.

[openedthebasket]

He only closed his eyes and let his hand rest there. "You asked once what changed my opinion about the Hyuuga elders. Please let me ask you now... do you think, had I been stronger, I would have been able to do anything to prevent my father's death...?"

[guiltoftruth]

She didn't answer, but she did shake her head once more.

"That's different. You were a lot younger, weren't you?"

[openedthebasket]

"Even still, do you not think that question haunted me as a child, and still does so today? Had I been the one to discover Hinata-sama's attempted kidnapping, had I been able to see it, had I been strong enough to stop it... Do you think I have never asked myself those questions?"

[guiltoftruth]

Again she was just silent, remaining under the blanket where she was and just listening.
"..."

[openedthebasket]

He just exhaled through his nose again, squeezing her shoulder briefly before shaking his head. "I would be lying if I said... that I still did not ask myself those questions," he admitted softly. "And yet... all the wishing will not make a difference now."

[guiltoftruth]

She just sighed, curling up as much as she could under that blanket as she tried to hold back her emotions over the whole thing. But it didn't change how she felt. How weak and powerless she was... And how she regretted that inability to act.

[[OoC: Bitty sauce and Sas-chan can switch back now if you guys want.]]

[one_without_wings]

Earlier in, as he was sipping tea, he'd found himself sneezing. He could only wonder if this meant someone was saying bad things about him, or about the one whose body he currently resided in. It amused his mind into pondering more about his situation, at least, instead of just grumbling and sipping tea.

Finally, this odd feeling came again... and everything around him was dark. Dark, but pretty nice and comfortable under all those blankets. He could feel his body in all sorts of whack somehow, mainly being that there was still-fresh water on his cheeks. He was still for a minute. Why had she been crying? He was unable to think of a reason right now. He could feel a hand upon his head, a presence nearby. His sensei had found her, then... and somehow she'd been crying, hidden here.

It wasn't hard for him to sound cheerful. To pretend nothing happened as he remained under the blankets. "Oh hey, I'm me again! Who turned off th'lights?" First thing was making him aware it was actually him.. and part two? If these two had anything happening they needed to continue, would be to send him after her. "Girl-me's probably off in th'kitchen!" and he should explain that tiny edge of tremor in his voice too. "Next time she drains that super-hot tea with my body, I'm gonna eat all the tomatoes so she has none left! That really hurts" hey, -that- would explain the puffy red eyes if nothing else would, should his sensei want him to get off from under there!

[openedthebasket]

Neji went tense, then relaxed slightly as it became clear it was the younger of the two. A valiant effort, on his part, to pretend that she hadn't been crying herself.

"Hopefully there won't be a next time, Sasuke-kun," he answered in a quiet murmur, letting his hand rest there a moment longer before he pushed himself to his feet. "Now, take a few minutes, then would you kindly go see if your mother has any errands to be run? I'll accompany you, if you like."

But first things first, he had to go find the once-again-female Sasuke. One more pat to the blanket-covered boy, and he was off, hoping she'd stayed in the kitchen instead of disappearing entirely. Byakugan was useful for things like that.

[one_without_wings]

"Right." he was happy again, totally convinced he had fooled him. "I'll see 'bout it n'meet you later, Neji-sensei." he would, after all, really need to recover if his mom was going to see him like this..

[guiltoftruth]

It was jarring to be back in her own body so suddenly, and it prompted a sigh from her before she got to her feet and poured out the rest of her tea. She didn't feel like drinking it anymore, or like sticking around. By the time Neji got close she was still in the kitchen, although she wasn't going to stick around for long.

[openedthebasket]

He exhaled quietly with a little relief that she was still there. It's not a natural gesture for him, certainly, one he owed more to Naruto than to anything, but he moved in to rest a hand on her shoulder, then try to draw her into a loose, easily-escapable hug.

[guiltoftruth]

Immediately she tensed when she was hugged, her eyes widening as she had to take a moment to comprehend that Neji was hugging her, "Neji?"

At least she wasn't pushing him away.

[openedthebasket]

"Forgive me," he murmured in response, hold tightening a fraction around her. "It seemed... something I should do."

[guiltoftruth]

For a long time she was silent, as if unsure of how to take it. At long last she leaned into the hug, sighing softly and keeping her eyes closed as she attempted to keep calm.

[openedthebasket]

He only finally tightened his grip into something like a proper hug when she leaned into it, a hand coming back to just gently brush the back of her hair as he closed his eyes... as much a gesture of support, it was also an attempt for him to try to... understand his own feelings.

[guiltoftruth]

She rested her head against his shoulder, a little flushed as she felt her eyes starting to water again despite her best efforts. Neji had been through the same self-loathing, the same regret, so how was he so much stronger than she was? It was... Frustrating.

"Why do you care," Sasuke mumbled softly, shaking a little as she tried to focus more on breathing than anything else.

[openedthebasket]

He couldn't answer immediately, holding her in against him and letting his cheek lightly rest against the top of her head. Nearly a full minute passed before he answered in a murmur, "I believe... someone I knew well would say that I do not need a reason, but... you remind me of myself."

[guiltoftruth]

She didn't say anything in response to it, keeping her eyes closed as she just... let him hold her. What else could she do or say? They were similar, but... He was so much stronger... How could he even care someone like her?

Her shoulders slumped as that bled into another thought, backtracking to Sakumo's words but... It wasn't worth bringing up. She'd just have to get stronger, like she always had, somehow...

[openedthebasket]

He wished he could say more, do more, but his own uncertainty held him back. If he were only using her as an escape... she deserved better than that, more than he could give her right now. Even still, she was too soft and warm against him to make him want to let go, too fragile to release so easily. Her physical strength was hardly in question, but her emotional one was... too much like him, as a child.

"I intended to do some errands for your mother today," he murmured quietly without letting her go. "If you would care to accompany me, it would be my honor."

[guiltoftruth]

"... All right," The answer was quiet as she nodded, though it seemed like she was in no hurry whatsoever to move away from him.