98Title: The Gift
Summary: I just like writing 'Summary:'…grins
Disclaimer: I own a new handbag…it's really purty
A/N:Exams are over…and this is the final chapter. The epilogue is right behind it.I won't even comment on chapter 382…except to say that it's impossible for me to write a prequel now.
Chapter 6:The Execution (Part II)
Hinata felt surprisingly at ease. Perhaps this was due to the fact that all the plans were put in place and success loomed on the horizon. She was relaxing in bed at the moment, counting down the hours until Neji returned and counting the number of paces Naruto made across the bedroom floor. It had been two hours since they returned from their strategy meeting, and Hinata was determined to relax until the appointed time arrived. Initially husband and wife had another argument which consisted of him telling her she's out of her mind and that he won't allow her to do it. To which she had responded that she'll do whatever she pleases, but his support would be greatly appreciated. After recognizing that she would not budge in her decision, he reluctantly agreed (again) and started pacing. She smiled slightly when she realized that Naruto had completed his 1201st pace; Lee would be proud.
"Why are you smiling Hinata?" he paused mid-pace and looked at her inquiringly.
"Nothing Naruto-kun," and her smile grew wider. He glanced at her and continued pacing, with his right hand at his chin. Hinata thought he looked adorable.
"What?"
"Nothing Naruto-kun."
"Hn."
"One thousand two hundred and twenty-three."
"Huh?" His expression was so clueless that Hinata's smile grew even wider.
"That's the number of paces you have done across the bedroom since we came back. It's very relaxing and it feels like I'm counting sheep."
"Sheep?"
"It's a western term," he looked even more perplexed, "just forget about it."
"Hn," and the pacing continued.
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"Give him anaesthetic!"
"No."
"Why not? You just want me to hit him don't you?"
"Of course not Ten-Ten."
"So why Sakura, why the hell should I knock him out?"
"…"
"Don't look exasperated when I ask you a valid question!"
"Maybe his youthful energy will be affected by the punch and that is why our delicate flower is upset."
"Shut up Lee!" was the combined response.
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"Will everything really work out Dad?"
"I don't know son."
"Why is it that the Nara clan has never made use of these pills?"
"Because it is experimental and no matter how small the risk, we have never found a situation that was worth it."
"This one is worth it."
"I believe that too son."
"You know as much as I told Naruto that everything will be fine, I'm thinking of that 0.05."
"That's your analytical core at work."
"As a friend I believe it will work out, but whenever I close my eyes I see 0.05."
"That's your concern being manifested."
"But it will work out right Dad?"
"Of course it will son." They both continued staring up at the clouds from their position atop the Hokage monument.
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"You're sure that you've correctly figured out what handseals to use?"
"I am certain."
"How certain are you Jiraiya, because we spent a lot of time talking about what Hinata has to do, but if you messed up that part then everything goes straight to hell on a shuriken."
"Tsunade-hime," his response was grave, "I am certain. I will never put Hinata's life at risk. I have found in her and Naruto the family I've always dreamed of while traveling. I can't describe how much it would pain me to see her hurt, even if her life as a kunoichi is one of many risks."
"Imagine Naruto."
"Hai."
"This will work won't it Jiraiya," she rested her head lightly on his shoulder, "I'm an old lady even in this jutsu, and I've seen too many come and go. I almost lost you, I almost lost Naruto, I almost lost a lot of persons and actually lost a lot of persons."
"I know."
"Yeah, cause you're as old as I am and tired too right?"
"That I am Tsunade-hime."
"But this will work and we won't lose Hinata or Naruto."
"Because if he loses her, he'll lose a part of himself."
"Hai."
"Tsunade-hime….it will work." They remained motionless on Jiraiya's couch, staring at the farthest wall.
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"Three thousand one hundred and twenty-eight," a soft voice muttered sleepily.
"Huh?"
"Nothing Naruto-kun," and droopy eyelids remained closed.
Naruto stopped pacing and looked at his sleeping wife. He didn't feel like any significant time had passed since the meeting concluded, because he was so engulfed in his thoughts. Now he noted that time was fast approaching and by tomorrow they would be executing their unofficial mission. He felt helpless and could not think of any way to prepare for the possibility of Hinata…dying. Ugh, he thought in frustration, just thinking about this is giving me a headache and how the hell can Hinata sleep so peacefully?! He walked over and sat beside her; he reached out to caress her cheek but stopped in mid-action as the familiar feeling of new memories flooded his mind.
"Dammit," he said, loud enough to wake his wife.
"Hmm," she looked at him questioningly through heavy eyelids, "whasthamatter?"
Naruto kissed her softly on the forehead, "KB was being an idiot and knocked himself out so I've got to go and finish up the paperwork he was supposed to be doing."
She smiled at him and went back to sleep, while Naruto rose in preparation to leave. He stood for a moment and watched the rise and fall of the chest that belonged to his most precious person. Please Kami-sama, he thought reverently, I'm not ready to lose her yet, so please…please…let everything go well tomorrow so she'll remain with me. I know I'm an idiot most of the time and I know I'm selfish but I also know that if she's taken away a part of me would die. With one last look, Naruto exited their home still inwardly praying for a situation he had no control over.
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"I'm home Ten-Ten," Neji said while opening the door. He paused in shock and looked around at his otherwise humble home. For some reason a large bedspread was a few feet away, within which was almost all their belongings. Another container with pictures, vases and other items from the house was in a corner, while kunais and shurikens were strategically embedded in different places on the walls and in the furniture.
"Neji!" Ten-Ten came from the direction of the bedroom and smiled widely at him, a smile he hadn't seen for a whole week.
For the moment, the havoc around him was forgotten as he became lost in her smile. She walked straight up to him, placed her right hand at the back of his head and pulled his face down so her lips met his. Neji was so taken by surprise that for a moment his eyes remained wide, but after Ten-Ten's tongue begged entrance to his mouth, his eyelids fluttered closed. His arms found her back and he leaned in closer as the kiss deepened. Ten-Ten by now had released his neck and gripped his upper arms in an iron grip as she allowed her tongue to explore the inner caverns of his mouth cavity. Her lungs were screaming for air but she continued murdering the lips of her husband while struggling to get as close to him as possible in spite of her protruding abdomen. Finally Neji pulled away in a loud gasp.
"Ten-Ten," his voice was husky as he gasped for air, "the baby needs air."
She nodded in response and breathed deeply before grabbing his head again to kiss his thoughts away, to kiss away her fears, and to display to him the depth of her love.
"I missed you Neji," she said with a lopsided grin. Neji was about to reply but her eyes fluttered close and her body went limp. Slightly shocked, he lifted her and took her to the bedroom. Looking around at the bare room and back to his unconscious wife, he wondered to himself at what exactly could have occurred while he was away to push his wife to the brink of exhaustion.
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Ten-Ten opened her eyes and blinked at the bright sunlight that filtered in through the windows. For a moment she wondered how it is that she had come to be in bed…
"I carried you." She looked to her right and saw Neji looking at her in concern.
"Did I voice my thoughts?" she was surprised that he had answered what she was thinking.
He smirked at her, "No…I read your expression."
"Oh."
He got up and pulled a shuriken out of the door-jam, "What exactly have you been doing in the 24 hours I was gone Ten-Ten?"
She looked away guiltily as she remembered that today was the day that everything would be done. She closed her eyes and was immediately reminded of her last conversation with Sakura.
"For God's sake would you give me a direct answer?!" Ten-Ten shouted, "I swear it Sakura, I will pull every pink hair out of your big head!"
"Now now my delicate flower…"
"Shut up Lee," Ten-Ten said icily, "or you will know what Gaara feels like without eyebrows." Lee gasped in shock and remained quiet. The thought to him was unimaginable.
Sakura sighed, "Ten-Ten…you're overexerting yourself. We brought you home so you could rest."
"Then stop delaying my rest and talk to me."
"I don't want to give him an anesthetic," Sakura said quietly, "because tomorrow we'll need it while Hinata conducts the procedure, and because there are still so many questions regarding his genetic make-up and the effects of this cursed seal, we want to limit the amount of chemicals we put into his body. Frankly, we don't even want to use it because we are worried about the side effects."
"I see," Ten-Ten's eyes clouded with tears, "Was that so hard?"
"Please rest my delicate flower," Lee took her hand and guided her to the bedroom. She was too tired to protest and allowed Lee to help her into the bed. They all ignored the fact that it lacked bedding; there were more important things on their minds.
"We will await your signal when it is done," Sakura said.
"Where will the procedure take place?" Ten-Ten asked and the strain in her voice was evident.
"Master has secured a room in the hospital that is separate from everywhere else. All will take place there."
"Thank you Sakura and I'm sorry I threatened to pull out your hair."
Sakura smiled at her friend, "It's okay Ten-Ten. I pray that in the morning you will find the strength to carry out this deed." Ten-Ten barely heard the words as she felt sleep overtake her.
"Ten-Ten," her husband's voice drew her back to the present and she realized that he was now kneeling beside the bed looking intently at her, "Are you okay?"
She looked at him as tears filled her eyes, "I'm sorry Neji."
Before he could respond, the dull end of a kunai had forcefully connected with his temple. He only had time to blink in surprise before collapsing headfirst into the soft mattress. Ten-Ten immediately burst into tears and lowered a bright red scarf out her window before pulling her husband's head into her lap.
From several feet away the group of shinobi who were gathered on top of Hinata's roof, nodded grimly at each other before disappearing and then reappearing almost immediately before Ten-Ten. They paused only briefly at the sight of Neji out cold in the lap of his wife. Her head was touching his and their faces were barely visible through the veil her hair had created. Lee gently removed Neji from her grasp and handed his limp body to Shikaku, who immediately disappeared to take him to the hospital. Hinata moved towards Ten-Ten but stopped at the shake of her friend's head. Ten-Ten was not ready for Hinata's comfort.
"We have to go…NOW," Tsunade said, "at this point there is no time for any undue delays." She looked at Hinata who nodded her head and reached for Naruto's hand.
"Lee…carry Ten-Ten," Tsunade ordered, "Jiraiya is already at the hospital waiting. Lets's go!"
As quickly as they appeared, they were gone and Ten-Ten clung to Lee for dear life as she cried her heart out.
"Don't cry Ten-Ten," Lee said while stroking her hair, "It will work out."
She paused and looked at him, noticing that his eyes were also cloudy, "Oh Lee…will it really be alright?"
For the first time Lee was speechless, he could only swallow the bile that had risen into his throat and nod at his team-mate. The three of them had been together for so long, and he wanted to believe that they would be together for many more occasions. However, as he felt the tears slowly making their way out of his own eyes, he also wondered if everything will work out alright. How much more tears will we all cry before we smile again, he thought while holding Ten-Ten a little tighter, in two hours will we cry because we are happy or will it be for another reason? Can this actually work?!
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Hinata stood in the hospital room and watched as they laid Neji on the hospital bed. There was an ECG machine at the bedside and she looked on as they attached wires to his chest that lead to different portals on the monitor. Then they attached wires to his head, his arms, his feet and just about everywhere else. She squeezed Naruto's hand even tighter and wished he would say something…anything to put her at ease, but he remained quiet. He had been quiet since that morning, and only an occasional nod made everyone aware that he was not sleeping while on his feet. Hinata had no idea what was running through his mind but the hardness of his jaw line and occasional movement of his Adam's apple were proof that he was worrying. She felt his hand squeeze hers in turn, and that motion gave her a feeling of reassurance. It was good that she was able to relax the day before, because her body had needed to be prepared for the extreme nervousness she felt now. The pit of her stomach was fluttering, her chest felt on fire and she felt extremely nauseous. She was actually fighting the urge to poke her two index fingers together, a habit she had not done in years.
"Hinata," the voice of Sakura drew Hinata's eyes from Neji, "we're almost ready." Hinata blinked rapidly and nodded in response.
"Have you already memorized the seals?" Jiraiya asked.
"H…hai," her voice quivered in response and at that moment she felt like she could not go on. She started to back away slightly, "I don't…I don't think I can do this."
She turned to flee the room as she saw them inject the anesthetic into Neji's arm. She did not get far because her right hand which still clutched Naruto's hand refused to budge. She looked down at their hands and traced her husband's arm with her eyes, until they found his face. His expression was soft and he gently pulled her into an embrace.
"You're not a quitter," were the words he whispered into her ear and then he released her. She blinked away the tears that were again threatening to make their way out and nodded.
"C'mon Hinata," Tsunade beckoned, "he's fully asleep now."
"Oh shit!" Sakura shouted and everyone jumped in shock.
"What?!" they all shouted, and then looked towards the bed. Neji's eyes were partially opened and stared directly at them.
Time stopped and the world was shrouded in silence. Everyone stared at Neji as his eyes blinked sleepily and he stared at everyone in turn. His eyes rested on Hinata and his mouth parted slightly…ready to speak. Hinata stared directly into his eyes, not knowing what to say or do. There was no chance for her to act upon any thought because Sakura had injected another dose of anesthetic into his arm and his eyes blinked one last time before they remained closed. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and Jiraiya chuckled.
"Well…that takes care of that," the sage said still chuckling. Hinata smiled and the tension in the room decreased.
"Hinata," Tsunade's direct voice was commanding, "we have ten minutes to get everything right. You are clear on this?"
"Hai Tsunade-sama."
"Good…" she turned to Shikaku, "Give them to me." He handed her the capsules and she delicately removed one from the box.
"Hinata."
"Hai."
"You will take only one. Immediately following you will perform the Kage Bunshin and we will start the technique." Her instructions were interrupted by the arrival of two medical ninjas with tubs of ice.
"What's the ice for Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked
"Sakura and I are going to lower Neji's body temperature to the point where he is almost dead."
"What?!" All eyes in the room turned to Ten-Ten who had just arrived, supported by Lee, "Is that really necessary?"
"We won't freeze him to death Ten-Ten," Sakura said, "we'll just make him realllly cold."
"Don't patronize me Sakura," Ten-Ten's voice was hard. It seemed like every time she turned her back someone was plotting some other way to torture her husband.
"It'll be fine Ten-Ten," Hinata said, "I won't allow any harm to come to Neji." She looked directly into Ten-Ten's eyes and the other kunoichi felt her promise was true.
"Take a seat over in the far side of the room Ten-Ten," Tsunade ordered, "It's good that you are here, but I don't want anyone in the vicinity unless they have to. You too Naruto."
Everyone in the room felt a chill. Naruto stared icily at Tsunade. He had no intention of being placed in the far side of the room. Tsunade was not fazed, she looked directly at him and placed her hands on her hip. Her lips tightened and she was about to bark out an order but Jiraiya intervened by standing between her and his former pupil. He walked over to Naruto and pried his hand from Hinata's then took the young man by his shoulder.
"I'm not leaving her," Naruto whispered fiercely.
"Minato and Kushina gave me charge over you Naruto," Jiraiya replied, "You are my god-son and just like I have watched over you in the past, I will watch over the other side of your heart even now." His gaze hardened as he stared at Naruto. "We are all capable and you will listen."
Naruto took a seat next to Shikamaru but his expression had not lost his fierceness. His eyes narrowed as he watched silently, ignoring the discomfort in his chest.
"Are we ready?!" Tsunade asked.
"Hai," was the collective response from Hinata, Sakura and Jiraiya.
Hinata moved forward slowly and took one of the capsules from Tsunade and a glass of water from Jiraiya. She inhaled deeply and then swallowed the pill, immediately washing it down with the water. Everyone watched closely.
"Hm," Hinata said, "I don't feel anything."
"Nothing?" Tsunade asked in disbelief, "Is it immediate…I wonder?"
"I dunno," Hinata said with a shrug, "but I feel…" Her words were cut off as her eyes sprang open and immediately her byakuugan was activated. She twitched slightly and blinked rapidly. Naruto had jumped out of his chair but was restrained by Shikaku's kage mane no jutsu.
Hinata felt strange; there was an odd sensation going through her body as if her tanketsu were forcing out the maximum amount of chakra, but she knew there was no time to dwell on that fact.
"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" she said suddenly…and two shadow clones appeared.
"Let's go…start piling on the ice!" Tsunade ordered. "Hinata…activate the first series of seals! KB Hinata start activating the second set of seals!"
All paused when a sudden loud noise came from the monitor attached to Neji…BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
"Halt Hinata!" Tsunade ordered, "Sakura what the hell is happening?!"
Sakura hovered over the patient before looking up with widened eyes, "Hyperkalaemia!"
"What?!" Tsunade barked and in the same breath ordered Hinata to release the jutsu.
"I don't know…" Sakura said while running her chakra infused hands all over his body, "but his potassium levels just shot through the roof. At this rate he'll go into cardiac arrest."
"Stand back Hinata!" Tsunade called out and then rested her head against Neji's chest.
"Tsunade-sama?" Hinata asked quietly.
"Arrhythmia," Tsunade muttered, "Sakura try and manipulate his sodium/potassium pump to move the potassium out of the blood stream, I'll try and cancel out the effects by pumping in more Na."
"Hai Master."
"I wish Shizune were not out on some damned mission," Tsunade growled in frustration, "or she could regulate his nephrogenic functions."
Everyone looked on in total confusion, but fully understanding the gravity of the situation. Collectively their heartbeats increased when the ECG monitor started squealing.
"Dammit!" Sakura shouted with her palm over his heart, "at this rate we'll lose him."
"What's happening?!" Ten-Ten screamed, panic lining her features.
"I dunno," Sakura responded and Tsunade followed up with, "Maybe a reaction to the double dose of anesthetic!"
"But Sakura said she wasn't sure about that so why give him a double dose?"
Naruto looked at her and softly responded to Ten-Ten's question, "Because he woke up."
Ten-Ten's eyes widened in shock at the revelation. He woke up? He woke up and I wasn't even here to offer some reassurance, she thought as she watched the two medical kunoichis attempt to save her husbands life. They were all aware that two minutes had passed and at that moment all members present felt like the world was caving in on the hospital room.
"Sakura we need calcium now!" Tsunade barked and her pupil quickly filled a syringe and injected the calcium solution directly into Neji's bloodstream. Immediately the beeping of the monitor lessened to a slight degree.
"Okay…good!"
"I'm going to administer sodium bicarbonate now Tsunade-sama," and with those words another injection was given. Hinata felt sick to her stomach as she watched Neji's body give a slight lurch.
"DamnnnIT! Sakura give him another dose!" Everyone watched as his body relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief when the sound from the monitor started to decrease.
"I never wanted to give him so many drugs," Sakura said and although her tone was business-like, the weariness on her face showed that it was not business as usual.
Seconds ticked by as Tsunade and Sakura continued to use their chakra to work on levels that were not visible to human eyes. Not a sound was heard except that which came from the ECG monitor. As they helped the drugs to restore the body's facilities to normal, the monitor started to beat normally. Finally when all levels appeared to be fine, master and pupil looked up and smiled at each other. Sweat poured off every inch of their body, but they had succeeded.
"How much time do we have left?" Tsunade asked wearily.
"Less than 7 minutes," Jiraiya responded, "Can we proceed now Tsunade?"
"Mm-hmm…he's alright now," she turned weary eyes to Hinata, "Let's go girl."
Hyuuga Hinata's byakuugan flared to life, "kage bunshin no jutsu." The two Hinatas stared at Neji and then at each other, before positioning themselves on either side of his bed. "We're ready!"
Sakura inhaled deeply, "Freeze him!"
"Activate," Jiraiya ordered.
"Tora, Tora, Nezumi, O-ushi, Usagi, O-ushi, Ryu, Tori, Saru, Inu…." Hinata's voice muttered as she went through a series of handseals.
Simultaneously the soft voice of the shadow clone echoed the exact same seal in reverse. No one picked up on that because there were so many to go through.
"We need him near the point of death before they both reach the end," Jiraiya said, "When they both say 'tora' to signify the end, the jutsu has to be done and he should 'die' then."
"I know that!" Sakura muttered, "But his temperature isn't going down fast enough."
Hinata had blocked out all the chatter around her, as she focused on the handseals. At the appointed time she and her clone had to 'inject' their chakra into Neji. If she had to start over the sequence of 175 handseals, she would be run out of time. Sakura and Tsunade stayed out of her way as they piled the ice around Neji's bottom half.
"I'm an idiot!" Tsunade whispered harshly before going over to Naruto and dragging him quickly to the end of the bed. He looked at her in shock. "Ice him."
He responded with a nod and placed his hands on the feet of Neji. Wind blew softly from nowhere and water particles were suspended above Neji's body. Within milliseconds they started to join and a thin film of ice quickly surrounded every section of skin, except his head.
"Not too much yet Naruto," Sakura said, while wondering why they never thought of using their Hokage in the first place.
"We'll give you the signal when to decrease the temperature even more," Tsunade said.
Jiraiya watched Hinata closely, ensuring that every handseal she did was correctly followed by the next. The 175th one fast approached.
"Get ready Tsunade!" he shouted.
"Ohitsuji…"/"Usagi…" was heard from the combined voices
"171," Jiraiya muttered
"Uma…"/"O-ushi…"
"172…"
"Saru…"/"Nezumi"
"173…" Everyone collectively took a deep breath.
"Saru"/ "Tora"
"174…" Everyone collectively held their breaths
"TORA!"The last word was shouted loudly.
"175…DO IT!"
As Jiraiya spoke both Hinatas held up their index and middle fingers. The chakra that emanated from the two digits was bright, blue and magnificent to behold. It swirled like flames from their fingers and brilliantly shone in the way a fluorescent light bulb would. With the briefest of nods to each other, they simultaneously touched the point on Neji's forehead within the centre of the seal and his temple. Their bodies were illuminated in blue light and everyone watched in amazement as all the light seemed to exit their bodies through the tips of their fingers, as the chakra was directed into Neji.
"Lower it Naruto!" Tsunade screamed, and in that moment Neji technically died as his blood was momentarily frozen.
Within his body the optic nerve was about to be severed, however a change in gene XB196A, stopped the acetylcholine from squeezing the nerve to oblivion right on time. As the chakra coursed through his body like electricity, to the outside world his body lit up and with the ice sheath he looked pale blue and very dead. Ten-Ten gasped and hid her face in Lee's shirt. Within moments, all the chakra had emptied itself from Hinata's finger tips and immediately the kage bunshin disappeared and the Hyuuga heiress fell limp. Jiraiya did not hesitate in catching her, while fully ignoring Naruto's piercing gaze.
"Naruto!" Tsuande screamed, "Release him!" The ice immediately disappeared, but Neji still remained blue.
"Shit!" Sakura scowled.
"Heat him up Sakura!"
"I'm working on it Tsunade-sama!" she shouted while she applied heating pads to various parts of his body.
"If we don't heat him back up in 30 seconds he will die," Tsunade said pointedly, "the body can't last much longer than that."
Sakura started moment injecting warm fluid into Neji's blood, while Tsunade used chakra to melt the ice out of his veins and arteries while directing the excess water to his bladder.
15 seconds
"He's still too cold," the apprentice said.
13 seconds
"Where's the damn heating blanket?!" The master questioned harshly
11 seconds
"It's on him!"
9 seconds
"Inject more warm fluid!"
7 seconds
"Bloody hell…I just did that Master!"
5 seconds
"YOSH…it's flowing Sakura!"
1 second
"I think we're good now Tsunade-sama."
BEEP…BEEP…BEEP…
"Umm…that's a good beep right?" Shikamaru asked.
Sakura smiled brightly at him, "You bet your ass it is."
Slowly everyone moved toward the bed, and looked at Neji and they all seemed to find tears. He was breathing fine, but more importantly his forehead was bare. Tsunade lowered herself to the ground, with her head resting on the side of the bed. She smiled and looked towards Hinata, expecting to see her in Jiraiya's arms. She shouldn't have been surprised to find Naruto cradling her like one would a child. He stared at Neji's forehead in amazement before turning to look at Hinata.
"You did it girl," he told her sleeping form, "and I'm so proud of you."
Tsunade smiled at the scene before closing her eyes in exhaustion. She was so damn tired.
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I don't know where I am.
Where is this place?
It's so white and…purple. Why is it purple?
"Nejiiiiiii!" Who are they calling to... "Oi...Neji!"
They're looking at me, so I must be Neji.
Ahhh…I am Neji, and that is…
"Let's get ramen Neji! Oi!"
…Naruto. Who's that beside him?
She has pretty eyes, with no pupils. Hn…weird. I think I know her.
"Neji-niisan!"
I know her and I think I hate her, but I can't find any hate now. So I don't hate her?
"Neji…I love you."
Who's that?…Beautiful. She's coming towards me too.
"Neji, hurry up and come home…I miss you."
"I can't come home," I say, "My cage is locked."
"Of course it isn't silly," she smiles and I feel lost in her expression, "Look down"
I look down and naturally I'm confused. When did I end up in a cage? Strange…hmm…the cage has no base.
"How is it I haven't fallen out?"
"Cause you need to use your youthful energy to leave Neji-kun," another voice says, "Hinata cut you an opening, now you can leave."
I look up in terror at the green person. How on earth is he so green? His face, ears, hair and even eyebrows are green.
"You clash with the purple and white," I inform him pointedly while allowing myself to fall out of the cage. I'm not sure what I did to fall out but…oh well, I'm out now.
"I'm proud of you Neji," and the voice gives me pause.
I turn to face him and my eyes cloud with tears.
"Otou-san."
"Yes my son," he says with a smile and I feel warmth course through me, "You have been freed. You have set the stage for a new era and I am so proud of you."
I've missed him so much, and his words are not enough. I start running towards him and I'm not sure how old I am but I feel like 4 years old again. The closer I get is the sadder he looks.
"Don't be sad Father," I call out, "I'm coming."
He takes the Hyuuga stance and activates his byakuugan (I'm not sure what that is though).
Then…he smiles and starts spinning,
I draw closer and he spins faster. Then with one last smile he looks at me and says…
"I'm proud of you son but it's not time yet." His kaiten blows me away and I feel my back hit painfully against the wall.
Immediately my eyes fly open…
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"Neji…you're awake!"
Neji gasped as Ten-Ten jumped on him. He was completely confused, had no idea where he was and was even more clueless as to why Ten-Ten was clinging to him and sobbing her heart out. He felt strange and just had the oddest dream on the face of the planet. He was also very thirsty and his windpipe was being crushed by his wife's arm.
"Ten-Ten," he choked out, "Please desist from squeezing my neck."
She flew off him quickly with a slight blush, "Sorry love."
He cleared his throat and put a hand to his temple while surveying the hospital room he was in. Wait…hospital?!
"Ten-Ten, why am I in the hospital?" She did not respond, only blushed and smiled widely. Neji closed his eyes and suddenly foggy memories started to take shape.
"You hit me," he said pointedly and then frowned, "and I woke up in a strange room with Naruto, Hinata and a bunch of other folks."
He opened his eyes and looked at her intently, "What happened…and why do I feel so funny?"
"Ummm…"
Neji was about to lift his hitai-ite to rub his forehead and then realized it wasn't there. He looked towards Ten-Ten but she only shrugged and smiled even wider. She pointed to the bathroom and he slowly rose from the bed. He figured she was telling him to wash his face or something.
"I feel funny," he muttered as he shuffled to the bathroom, completely missing Ten-Ten's grin.
He ignored the mirror and splashed water on his face. Then he looked up and saw his reflection. He ignored it completely and went back into bed. Ten-Ten watched in shock as he closed his eyes and settled more comfortably on the pillow.
"Neji?" she asked.
"I hate this stupid dream," he muttered, "always haunting me."
Ten-Ten felt her eyes begin to water and she lowered her lips to his cheek. He blinked in shock and stared at her wide-eyed.
"You're not dreaming honey."
With unrivalled speed, Neji shot into the bathroom. He brushed his hair fully away from his face and proceeded to poke at his forehead with his index finger.
"No…" He pulled at the skin.
"No…" He pushed his skin together.
"No," his voice started breaking and he turned in shock to see Ten-Ten nodding furiously at him while tears streamed down her face; the grin still present.
He opened his mouth and closed it again, because he couldn't find the words. Ten-Ten stepped close and embraced him. His tears rolled silently and he did not return her embrace because his hands were still occupied with pulling at the skin of his forehead. Finally she looked at him and removed his hands, marveling at how her stoic Neji suddenly looked like a child. His eyes were still wide in amazement.
Finally he found his voice, "How?"
"Hinata."
Neji lowered himself to the ground, "I feel different," he said again and for a moment he was so filled with emotion that he couldn't go on, "I feel…free…it's weird, and I wish I could explain it, but..."
"You are free Neji."
"When did…?"
"Two days ago."
"Where is she?"
"She's asleep," a male voice responded
Neji looked up to see the source and saw Naruto standing at the door. He wore the traditional robes and hat, and at that moment he never looked more deserving of his title, as far as Neji was concerned. He slowly rose from his position at the door and knelt before his friend.
"Hokage-sama…"
"Oh cut the crap Neji," Naruto said with a smirk and reached out a hand to pull the other shinobi to his feet. Neji accepted and stood before his friend, as the latter stared at his forehead.
"You look alright Neji," Naruto said with a smile, and Neji noted a hint of sadness behind it.
"I feel alright Naruto."
"That's good to hear," Naruto then turned to Ten-Ten still smiling, "How are you doing Ten-Ten, have you cried out all tears yet?"
Ten-Ten sniffed and nodded her head. "I think I'll cry every time I see his forehead."
"Why don't you lie down Ten-Ten?" Neji asked and helped her into the hospital bed.
"I know where you're going Neji," his wife said wearily. "Tell her I say hi."
Neji nodded and inhaled deeply. He could not describe his feelings at present. His body felt odd and he still felt like he was trapped in a dream. He could not help but believe that someone would shake him awake. Everything was surreal. He stood looking at his wife as she slipped into sleep, and would have probably remained in that position if he had not felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and faced Naruto, and noted again that his smile held a hint of sadness.
"Take me to her Naruto."
They walked the halls in silence, each engrossed in their thoughts. However, Naruto had not lifted his hand from Neji's shoulder and to the Hyuuga it was a constant reminder that everything happening was real. Eventually they reached the door of Hinata's temporary room and at that point Naruto removed his hand.
"You can take it from here Neji."
"…"
"Hn," Naruto smirked, "Well your personality seems to be coming back. I have a meeting with the Raikage in a few minutes so I must go."
"The Raikage?" Neji asked in surprise.
"Yeah…we're trying to work out an alliance."
"That's good…." Neji said and Naruto smiled at the lost expression in his eyes.
"Well…take care of her while I'm gone Neji."
Neji sighed and looked at the door, "I don't deserve that honour. My behaviour…"
"…was understandable." Naruto stared at the door one more time before turning to leave.
"Wait!" The Hokage turned his head to see Neji bowing at the waist. "Thank you Naruto."
"I did nothing to deserve your thanks," he faced forward and disappeared
"You did a lot Naruto," Neji said to the empty air, "because without you, Hinata-sama would not have attained such strength."
With another deep breath, he opened the door. Immediately his nostrils were filled with the fragrance of vanilla and lavender and his eyes were assaulted with the sight of far too many purple and white flowers. Purple and white, he thought in surprise, just like the dream. He turned his attention to the female that rested in the bed to the corner of the room. Sunlight filtered in and caressed her face, which appeared a little too pale for Neji's comfort. He noted grimly, the IV that was attached to her arm and the ECG device that monitored her cardiovascular functions.
Slowly he made his way over and sat in the chair beside his cousin and for a moment he stared. She looked so peaceful. He reached for her hand and grasped it with both palms and using his elbows for support; he rested his head on their joint hands and finally let the silent tears flow. For the moment he could not speak because words were inadequate but his thoughts repeated the question that his mouth would not say…Thank you, I don't know why you did it. I don't know what you went through to do it, but I thank you. Much later when Ten-Ten went hunting for her husband, she found him asleep at his cousin's bedside.
"Damn these tears," she muttered as her eyes filled up again.
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"Two damn weeks Baa-Chan!" an angry voice shouted, "Why the hell is she STILL out cold?!"
Everyone loved Naruto when he was happy, hated him when he was annoying and feared him when he was angry. After his outburst the entire room was quiet as all the occupants became suddenly fascinated with their nails, the wall, the ceiling or their shoes. The Hokage stood in front of his desk, still robed in the traditional garb and faced the group of shinobi who stood before him and avoided his eyes. They had all received an official summons to meet with the head of Konohagakure in his office and at that moment they were facing the Hokage and not 'Naruto.' At least he still referred to Tsunade as 'granny', which brought some comfort to the group.
Jiraiya, Sakura, Shikamaru, Shikaku, Lee and Neji felt very uncomfortable on behalf of Tsunade, who was frowning and glaring at the far wall. Neji wasn't sure why he was there because no one had asked him to be. He heard that there was a meeting and decided to make his presence known.
"Naruto," Tsunade said, "You are being unreasonable!"
"No I am not!"
"Yes you are!"
Naruto growled ferociously and turned to Shikaku, "Your damn pills were supposed to wear off by now?!"
"Hokage-sama we…" but Naruto ignored him as he whirled on Sakura.
"And you should be able to wake her up!"
"Naruto," Sakura said, "you're not the only one affected by this. Stop acting so selfish!" A pin could have fallen and no one would hear it.
"Selfish?!" Naruto's glare went right through her skin, then his voice lowered. "Do you know how hard it is to go home and she's not there waiting?"
"I'm sorry…this is entirely my fault."
Naruto turned angrily to the one who had spoken, "Don't you dare make Hinata's sacrifice go to waste Neji. She did all, but move mountains to get that seal of your forehead so don't belittle her actions."
"We all did a lot Naruto," Jiraiya said, "and we do understand your frustration, but getting angry and demanding answers to an unknown question is not making anyone feel better."
The blonde-haired shinobi lowered his head. He knew he was being unreasonable, but as the hours ticked by and Hinata showed no signs of improving, he felt like his world was slipping away. He walked around to the front of his desk, lowered himself into his chair and put his head on the table.
"It wasn't supposed to end like this," he muttered softly, but all present still heard the words.
"Hinata would want us to rejoice with Neji in this season," Lee responded, "even as she regains her youthful vigour through sleep. We should all go to her room now and perhaps our combined flames will awaken her from sleep." His statement was punctuated with the flash of his pearly white teeth.
"Not a bad idea," Shikamaru said with a yawn, "not the whole crap about flames and stuff, but we can go check on her instead of standing here as witnesses to Naruto's pity party."
"I'm not having a pity party," was the muffled response.
"No," Sakura added, "you're having a 'scare the living shit out of my friends with killing intent' party"
"Sorry," another muffled response before Naruto lifted his head so everyone could see the strain on his features, "I've been in a horrible mood since I came home from Suna two weeks ago. You're right though…let's go and combine our flames….ugh…our strength in her room."
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"Poor Ten-Ten has been sitting with Hinata for so long," Sakura said mournfully.
"Yeah but we brought in that nice comfy chair so she'll be fine right?" Lee questioned.
The group was led by Naruto who turned to shush them before opening the door. Everyone stared at Ten-Ten fast asleep in the chair beside an unoccupied bed. Their eyes kept darting from the bed to Ten-Ten while everyone wondered where the main occupant was. They didn't have to wonder long. The noise of the bathroom door opening swung everyone's gaze in that direction. Hinata exited the little wash room in her hospital gown and was entirely oblivious to her audience as she examined her index finger.
"Oh my," she said softly, "at what point did I manage to break a nail?" She looked up from her examination and was shocked to see her husband and friends looking back at her. For a moment she could only stare before a wide smile crossed her face.
"Naruto!" She shouted and within moments she was in his arms hugging him fiercely. Everyone suddenly found their voices as they asked how she felt and what time she had woken up. She ignored all their questions as her eyes searched for a face that was dear to her.
"Where's Neji-niisan?" she asked and her eyes looked fearful as she considered the possibility that she had failed. Her hands gripped her husband's upper arm.
"I'm right here Hinata-sama."
Neji stepped fully into the hospital room and faced his cousin. She released the iron grip she had on Naruto and walked over to meet Neji. Her eyes were trained on the hitai-ite he still wore. Neji nodded at her inquiring gaze and he lowered his head so she could untie the knot at the back of his head. Gently she undid it and held his forehead protector with her right hand. She used her left hand to cup his chin as she gently raised his head. Her soft gasp was barely audible.
"I'm glad," she whispered, while she smoothed away all the hair from his forehead, "I'm so glad."
"Why did you do it Hinata-sama? You could've left well enough alone."
Her smile was gentle and before responding she brought her lips to his forehead and blessed him with a feather-light kiss. "Because as long as you remained within a cage, I could never be fully free."
"When you sealed Nana, I didn't understand." His eyes were slightly moist, "I could not fathom how it is that you would so easily betray me."
"I'm sorry Neji…"
"No…I understand now what you did, although after Ten-Ten explained it to me I felt angry. My freedom came at such a high price. You could have died."
"But I didn't."
"Hell…I could have died."
"But you didn't."
"Hinata-sama…you were brave and stupid," he looked her directly in the eyes, "but your stupidity has forged a path to the freedom many of us have dreamed of. Your stupidity has given us hope and a choice. Each branch member who would like to be free now has that opportunity."
"We'll start with Nana," she told him softly and then added with a slight frown, "after we fine tune the procedure."
Neji smiled at her and replaced his hitai-ite, it still felt odd not wearing it. "I will always be there to aid you Hinata-sama…you only need to show me the path."
"Awww hell no!" Everyone turned to Ten-Ten who had just woken up, "I missed the whole damn reunion!"
Everyone laughed even as they breathed huge sighs of relief. During the merriment Hinata found her way to Naruto who leaned against the wall with his eyes closed.
"Are you alright Naruto?" she whispered, ignoring the loud chatter around them.
"I'm happy Hinata," and his eyes now opened as regarded her with a slight frown. "More importantly, how are you?"
"Oh," Hinata blushed slightly, "I'm so terrific. That nap was really refreshing. I feel ready to take on the world."
"Nap?"
"Oh yes," she smiled happily at him, "You were so worried that I'd be knocked out for long, but after doing the procedure last night and sleeping for a few hours I feel so refreshed." Everyone in the room looked at her in shock and noticing the stares she looked pointedly at them all. "What?"
Naruto laughed loudly and grabbed her into a hug. Then he released her, gave her a loud kiss and hugged her again.
"What is it Naruto?" She was completely perplexed although not minding his show of affection.
Naruto released his hold and gave her a fox-like grin. "My cute little baka…you've been sleeping for two weeks."
"Ehhh?!" Her response was so unladylike that everyone burst out laughing.
The End…..not really. Go forward to the Epilogue. (hehe)