one_long_mission | Entries tagged with character: hyuuga neji

Laying low and being unnoticeable is something every shinobi knows how to do. So it wasn't hard for Neji to just sit in dark corners of the village, watching people bustle around. The bad weather, festivals, celebrations, people- it just passed him by.

He had nothing to do with it. When he was in Konoha, he could freely say that he could pack whole his life in one box. Now he can pack it in his palm. And it doesn't bothers him.

What bothers him is that he still has to wake up in the morning, knowing that he's not dead, knowing that he's stuck somewhere for whatever reason, that he can't go on. He wanted to go on, to just disappear from here.

He lived in clustered neighborhood- the houses were not in too good state. The yard was full with metal scraps and junk, the wooden fence didn't really offer much protection, the clothes hanging around, drying. Yet it somehow didn't fall apart no matter what kind of weather came forth. So as long as his place is not in shambles he sees no need to leave the cluster. People didn't bother him, even if it was noisy throughout the day.

This morning was the same. He woke up to the old lady yelling like every other morning. His eyes stared at the wall, listening as she urged her household to wake up and get a move on to work. He knows she sits on porch, leaned on her cane. She was like alarm clock to him.
After rolling up futon and getting dressed, carefully avoiding mirror when doing so- he's still not used to see himself with big scar on his throat, and his clothes didn't really hide it.

When he was finished tidying up his one-room house, he left the house dressed in green sleeveless shirt and white shorts. There were people out already, talking loudly and yelling in the cluster, but... something felt different in the air. As if he missed out on something. He couldn't really place his finger on it.

Deciding that it was probably another of those things related only to this village, he made his way to the training grounds, again avoiding bumping into someone he knew. He wanted to train and meditate in peace. He didn't notice anyone on training grounds when he arrived and he hoped it will stay that way as he climbed on the tree and taking position to meditate. He doesn't really want to have to leave the grounds because of the others.

If this, then, was home, then for some, it was the only thing they knew.

For one teen girl, the life of a shinobi was all she truly knew. Her mother had died not long after giving birth to her, and her uncle and rest of family did not exactly approve of her suddenly being thrust upon them. Neji was somehow less than their own flesh and blood, and chafed under her reduced station.

If there were a way out, she would take it. As long as she did not dishonor her mother's name, she would take it.

Today was an uncharacteristically peaceful day as she sat atop one of the many tree branches around Michi no Sato. Border guarding was vital, if uninteresting. At the sound of approaching footsteps, she tilted her head; the direction was from the village itself. Likely no threat.

If they wanted her attention, they would request it; if they continued walking, she would have them halt to learn their purpose.

"There must be a leader, Hinata. If something were to happen to my honored father and myself, who would be the strongest voice in opposition to a more distantly-related member of the Main Family becoming heir?"

Neji clasped his hands behind his back and sighed through his nose, a carefully measured sound as he stared straight ahead. This spot, their favored training field, was so far undiscovered by other members of their family. One of the places where they might speak freely without fear of the rest of their clan.

"If it is a group, who is the loudest voice?" A moment as he paused his steps, eyes falling closed for a moment in thought. If they did find the leader to the opposition within the Branch, what would they do? Report it, yes, but then what...?

But when he reopened his eyes, he went still. Before the two Hyuuga was anything but their training ground. In fact, it wasn't Konoha at all. Genjutsu?

[Replies will come from both Neji (

fatedtolead) and Hinata (

borntofollow) from an AU where Hizashi was born to the Main Family.]

Neji was walking upon the village's small roads, white eyes sweeping the crowds that came to and from the markets. He was done with helping out there for today.

Heading home will certainly be nice. I can look forward to more of this tomorrow...
He was not certain if he was enthused at the last part or not. At least the hour versus the wages are not so bad while waiting for missions.

He lived alone and a little isolated -- by choice, comfortable with renting a small house with no neighbors -- and so Neji was unaware of the strange new effects filling the village as he headed to a normal training session with Lee. Being here was less than no excuse to let himself fall out of condition, no matter what the circumstances of his arrival were, and so he threw himself heartily into a routine that was familiar, comforting, and soothing.

And a few other things besides, things he carefully tried to keep in the back of his mind while they trained. Lee was... well, Lee, and Neji's feelings about him were not anything he particularly felt the need to air. After all, it wasn't as though it would do any good...

The situation with Sakura has made that plainly clear for years, after all, he reminded himself. There's really not even a chance...

There was no purpose in continuing to ponder it; he forced himself away from that line of reasoning, forced himself back to thinking only about the spar, only about Lee-the-teammate, not Lee-the.... well, anything else.

Neji had taken all the time he truly believed he was entitled to. Time to settle into his life in this strange new village, time to at least begin coming to grips with what his existence was now, to process what had happened on the field of battle.

He wasn't nearly done yet, wasn't nearly settled within himself as to his sudden death and apparent resurrection, but he knew he had to stop delaying. It was time to tell his team.

So he headed out to look for them, one at a time, to gather them together and find a quiet place to talk.

( Konoha AU, now with more badass ladies )

[Because these two are adorable in every world.]

A.
It was late evening by the time she ventured into the village below. Scoping it out from above, the Hyuuga Jounin had taken her time, studying the landscape, the people. Many mysteries, none of which seemed to have an easy answer. Tian's Chakra in the body of a female, rogue ninja living side-by-side with those of Konoha...

Chakra very similar to her own, inhabiting this village.

Curious. Perhaps as curious as the way her path had curved sharply and then disappeared on her way here. In spite of herself, she doubted this was the correct path to Amegakure. The image of this village didn't match anything in any of the briefings.

A quiet sigh of annoyance as she ducked beneath the cover of a shop's overhang. A village of yellow flowers, a mysteriously disappearing path, and duplicates of the same Chakra network? Even if this were not the village she were tasked to investigate, it was still certainly something of interest.

The trick would be getting back out.

B.
And yet, despite her efforts, in spite of the information she had gathered... nothing. As it was, were it not for her Byakugan, she would be hard-pressed to see outside the village at this time of night. It seemed, for the moment, she was to remain in this village. Further investigation could come with the daylight.

A relaxing soak in the onsen would do her mind and body wonders, after everything she had encountered today. Fools who thought a female was not a trained shinobi to assault her on the road, the walk itself, and then this strange place? Warmth and steam would be perfect right about now.

Or so she had thought. Being told that both the female and the male baths were closed for the night for maintenance meant she would have to make use of the mixed baths. As long as they remained empty, she was rather disgruntled, but found little fault with it as it stood.

So long as it remained empty, that is.

He'd been doing his part for Lee's most recent genjutsu, which apparently called for him to be a princess today. Fine, so he could be Nejiko-hime until Lee's point was made! No problem. He could hold an umbrella over himself for the dramatic part of the scene and it would work out.

Still, he'd sighed and closed his eyes, because Lee wasn't being convincing at all today, but when he opened his eyes! It was no good, suddenly all the props were gone and the water falling on him wasn't coming from a hose. Where did everyone go?

He turned in a circle, activating his Byakugan as he spun the sunny red parasol on his hands, but no! No Tenten, no Lee?

DID LEE MANAGE A REAL GENJUTSU?!

The idea stymied him, because that wasn't the point of their show! That made no sense.

Freeing a hand, he put it to his head, trying to understand what just happened.

This isn't what he expected.

Neji stands at the outskirts of a village, one he's never seen before, and tries to trace the moments that brought him here. The battlefield, Hinata's suicidal move to protect Naruto, his own moments later to protect them both... The stunning, numbing pain as his body was pierced. Naruto supporting him, holding him up, as he gasped out a few soft words...

And then darkness, and an almost-unfelt flare of pain in his eyes as the seal did its ugly work.

But now, there is no evidence of it. He wears the uniform of the allied army, and it is clean, untorn, unstained. His body is whole, with no pain or weariness.

He can see.

The seal still sits on his forehead, a quiet but tangible presence, a gentle pulse that doesn't quite match up with his heartbeat. Foreign, but for short times, forgettable. It's there, as though he's never died to trigger it.

What happened?

He gains nothing by standing here. Slowly, still feeling a floating sense of unreality as though his feet don't truly touch the ground, he steps forward.

Where am I?

Perhaps there will be answers. Or perhaps this is what death is. His fingers rise to touch his forehead, covered by his hitai-ate, manji pulsing beneath. Is even death not an escape, then?

Who knows?

He enters the village, silent and wondering.

The teenager was walking upon the village's streets, intending to get to the markets and see if the price of fish was finally starting to be on the more affordable side.

A piece of paper, however, as attracted by some strange magnetism, drifted onto him. He caught it, briefly looking around tos ee if anyone had lost it. No one was in the immediate vincinty. A shrug. If important information was on it, perhaps he may seek the ower, although important things were generally not tossed to the wind.

The words he saw written froze him to his core, even they were ones he had said many times before.

No one can escape Fate.

White eyes, unreadable as ever, stared at the paper.

You deserved to die.

The piece of paper was snatched out of the air before it could hit his face, leaving him pausing and frowning down at it with a sudden chill. Where could it have come from? A moment as he formed the seals to activate his Byakugan, but -- no one to be seen who could have tossed this at him. Troubling, somewhat cruel, but seeing as how he could see other papers drifting to the ground before other people...? Hardly something to be concerned about, lest this were another seal of some kind.

Still, he couldn't let it fall, running a thumb over it before letting it slip into his pocket. It hadn't been much more than another few steps when a second paper fell, snatched before it could land on his shoulder.

You deserved to die.

This wasn't home.

He might only be four years old, but Hyuuga Neji wasn't some stupid kid. He was a Hyuuga, and that meant he was one of the best! He just... hadn't been outside without Father before. The compound was fairly clear on what areas he was allowed in, though he wasn't sure he understood it all yet. Father had said that he wasn't allowed many places, and so he'd done as Father had said.

But... none of this looked familiar. Feet bare, he kept to the wooden walkways, wearing only his dark-blue shirt and tight-fitting pants, easy to move in. Father had just been here, and then he'd walked away. Something bad was going to happen to him. The Main Family was going to do something, and he just knew that he had to find him.

Things in the village had been peaceful, so far. This new life was something he was easily settling into, executing smaller tasks when he could for some ryo, which the villagers were grateful. His last big earning had been the caravan escort, and while it had held him financially for the bast part of the month, his week where he had been unable to do much but heal from an unforgiving but quite deserved juuken stab had made a dent in his finances.

He would, however, had liked if he could have a chance to earn ryo under better premises.

Wounded travellers, news of ones that were found dead, and the most agonizing thoughts: kidnappings and just what would happen to the women that would be subjected to these despicable lowlives' whims.
It took no more, attacks would already be enough. This had set him on a definite warpath, and he had made a point to make his availability as escort known. Anyone foolish enough to come and seek harm to the ones he was bound to protect would be met with ruthlessly devastating blows. These offenders had killed others, and done -worse- to defenseless women. Why should he show any mercy?

They had escaped their fate long enough.

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One Long Mission, the Naruto dressing room.

January 2014

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One Long Mission

A Naruto Dressing Room

Entries tagged with character: hyuuga neji

[open] Life in a box

[open]

[open] A New Intrigue

[open] You get no title!

Off to Train [Open]

[Closed] Revelations

[closed] Egotistic Darkness-Obsessed Lady Geniuses...

[closed] Multi-Purpose AU Post for Neji and Flirtsuke

[OPEN]

[Open] ... .... WHERE DID EVERYONE GO?

[Open] Where do the dead go when they die?

[Open] Not Amused.

Fated

[OPEN] Clipped Wings

[open] Headhunting

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January 2014

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