Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Silver Eyes ❯ Realization ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: auronsgirl 
Our heroine is feeling very inscure and scared, and our hero is feeling very protective.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Martial Arts / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.26.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 163 | Status: Completed
Our heroine is feeling very inscure and scared, and our hero is feeling very protective.
Anime/Manga: Naruto Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Romance / Martial Arts / Drama / Adventure | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.26.2008 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.0K | Visits: 163 | Status: Completed
The only characters that are mine in this story are Issuru, Ichimaru, Kokoro, Saiai, Emiko, and
Arichi. The rest are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, that wonderful, wonderful man.
By: Amanda Smith aka silverwingedwolf
Date started: January 20th, 2008
Date finished: February 4th, 2008
Pairings: Sakura/Lee, Neji/OC, Kiba/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari
Rating: 18+, for non-consent, minors, incest, blood, gore
*Infiltration*
The sun was setting, and the forest outside of the Village Hidden in the Moonlight was quiet. The
birds were chirping, alerting anyone who cared to listen about impending nightfall, and there was
a slight breeze travelling through the dense forest just outside the large wall. Although everything
was quiet in the approaching dusk, nothing was resting easy. Along the wall, paired sentries
made rounds every fifteen minutes or so. They made their final perimeter checks before reporting
in for the night.
A fair distance away from the wall was a large clearing filled with white dandelions. The great
orange globe clinging to the sky turned the small, fluffy globes into small orange globes of their
own. A clear, blue stream ran through it like a paintbrush stroke, from the direction of the Village
to the opposite side of the clearing. Its moving depths were streaked with red, and looked like
silk with someone running their hand under it. The field was not visible from the Village,
although even if it had been, it was probably the goons on the wall would not have taken the time
to appreciate the beauty.
The glade was devoid of any life, save one small brown rabbit. It was drinking in the stream
peacefully. It lifted its head, sniffed the air, then made its way to the forest, in the direction of the
Village. It hopped through the opening, sending little puffs of dandelion in its wake, and entered
the forest. It hopped through leaves and over a small log, looking for a place to stay for the night.
It sniffed its way over to two rocks with a log over it. Before inspecting it, it looked around to
make sure that nothing was around to attack it. As it climbed into the hole, it failed to notice that
the leaves surrounding the recess in the ground were trampled almost flat.
When it climbed into the makeshift shelter (which was nothing more than a hallowed out swell in
the ground with the two rocks at the entrance for cover from the wind), it discovered it was quite
dry. The ceiling was relatively high, and even if it jumped its best jump, it still wouldn't come
close to hitting the top. It decided that this would be its home for the night, and went outside to
get some leaves to sleep on. Upon exiting the shelter, a large animal picked it up by the neck
roughly and squeezed. The rabbit fought valiantly, but in the end, blacked out and died.
*****
`Sorry, little guy,' Saiai apologized, `but I'm really hungry, and I bet Neji is, too.' Neji had gone
to collect some edible plants from the forest, while she had stayed behind to keep an eye out for
any possible scouts in the forest. Saiai thought it would be improbable that Ichimaru would send
scouts into the forest, as he would rather have all available guards near the Tsuki compound.
Security was scarce as it was, and he would rather not have it scattered to scour the immense
forest surrounding the Village.
Saiai set to skinning the rabbit with a kunai Neji left her and hanging the skin to dry. She made a
small fire, and boiled the rabbit. It had been a while since Neji left, and she was starting to
wonder where he had went. They were out far enough from the Village so no one would be able
to see fire, and due to her uncle's cowardice and need for self-preservation, she knew that none
of the security would be this far out into the forest. Not that Neji wouldn't be able to handle
himself, Saiai reasoned.
While she was cooking the rabbit, her mind drifted off. She reminded herself of the times her
father would take the day off from the political drudgery he submitted himself to daily, and took
his daughters to the very field she was now staring into. He would teach them hand-to-hand
combat and small amounts of basic ninjutsu. The odd time their mother would accompany them,
they were taught medical ninjutsu. It was in that very field where Issuru taught his daughters
how to use the `Sacrifice Rejuvenation' jutsu. Saiai, however, was the only one to ever really
master it. Emiko had very little talent in the medical jutsu area, so she couldn't get the hang of it.
Arichi, on the other hand, blossomed with talent for medical jutsus, and didn't need to learn the
technique. She rubbed her forearms unconsciously, remembering the first time she had
masterfully performed the secret jutsu. She had done it on a fish her father caught from the
stream, and although she needed very little chakra to heal it, her arms still hurt terribly. She
shivered, thinking what her father must've felt when he had saved her life.
Saiai snapped viciously out of her reminiscing when a hand clamped on her shoulder. She
squeaked and flung herself forward. She whirled around to face her opponent when she tripped
over the rocks she had placed around the fire and fell, butt-first, into the pile of rabbit entrails she
was planning to bury after the meal. She looked to see her assailant, and was greeted by the
familiar smirk of Neji Hyuuga.
`Well, that was one "welcome back" I'll never forget,' he said, walking over to her and extending
a helping hand. She sighed, accepting the outstretched with a healthy coating of red gracing her
pale face. Neji's smirk grew, and he walked back over to the pot, putting his load down.
Saiai brushed away the odd piece of rabbit fur that stuck to her backside, wincing at the sound it
made. `So, did you get some berries?' she asked. It had been days since they've eaten proper
food.
`Better than that,' Neji said, opening his package. A red circular object flew in Saiai's direction,
and Saiai caught it effortlessly.
`Holy hell, Neji, where'd you get these apples? They look delicious,' Saiai asked, rubbing the
apple on the front of her dress before sinking into it.
`There was an apple tree about ten minutes from here,' Neji replied, pointing vaguely to the left
of them while he ravished his apple. `We can keep the rabbit for lunch tomorrow.' Saiai agreed,
thinking a decent pre-offensive lunch would do both of them well. Saiai walked over to Neji, and
they sat in the quiet of the night, silently eating their meal. They sat side-by-side, covered from
the moon by the ceiling of leaves. Night creatures sang their songs and went about their business.
The two enjoyed each other's silent company, each contemplating about the impending mission.
Finishing her apple, Saiai sighed, and muttered, `I guess we had best get to sleep. Tomorrow
comes early, and I'm so nervous, I can hardly stand it.'
Neji turned his opalescent eyes towards Saiai and caught her silver gaze. `Saiai,' Neji said, softly
but firmly, `I meant what I said to Hanabi: I'm not going to let anything happen to you.'
Saiai's mouth worked in a silent response, until it decided it wasn't going to come out with it.
Instead, she smiled, put her hand on his shoulder and said, `Thanks, Neji. I'll see you inside, if
I'm not asleep before you come in.'
Neji nodded, and said, `I'll be in after I bury the rabbit intestines.' She groaned, and he laughed,
searching for a good place to hide the remains. After he buried the remains, he also wrapped the
rabbit meat in the material he used to carry the apples, so they would be able to eat it tomorrow.
He made his way to the little cave, and crawled in. The ceiling was high enough for him to sit up
comfortably, but he still crawled carefully to his bedroll. Saiai was breathing softly and Neji
knew she was sleeping. Over the past four days, he watched her become increasingly more
nervous, and he worried about her. She never gave a specific reason as to why she was nervous,
and that worried him further. He couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to her, and she
knew he would protect her till the mission was finished, so why was she apprehensive? He
pushed the thoughts from his mind and focussed on sleep, which fortunately came quickly.
****
Neji woke up roughly 3 hours later, his senses noting something was wrong. There was a slight
breeze outside, making the trees sway in the moonlight, casting eery shadows across the entrance
of the mini-cave. Neji closed his eyes and let his other senses heighten: no new odours, nor no
new sounds. He activated his Byakugan and searched the immediate area. Nothing. Suddenly it
hit him: no sounds, no chakra.... no Saiai. He bolted out of the shelter, searching the area with his
Byakugan. Much to his relief, he found Saiai quickly. She was leaning against a tree, looking out
into the clearing.
`Mind if I join you?' Neji asked, coming up behind Saiai.
`Not at all,' Saiai said, moving over to make room. `Grab a tree, have a lean.'
Neji made himself as comfortable as one possibly can leaning on a tree, then looked out into the
clearing. The stars and the moon were particularly bright in the night sky, shimmering with a
liveliness only the deepest reaches of night could muster up. The midnight lights cast their
illuminations down on the field below, blessing the glade with a nocturnal beauty. The small
stream glittered a watery reflection of the night sky, the twinkling stars rising and falling with he
flow of the clear water. The field of white dandelions danced with the soft breeze, the moon
sharing its white-silver brilliance with the small flowers. The glade was lit with the pale
reflections of the dandelions, a million silver-haired dancers moving in the moonlight to the
night's song.
`Wow,' Neji said simply. He had shown Saiai what the Hidden Leaf Village looked like at night,
but that was nothing compared to the breath taking display in front of him.
`That's not the best part,' Saiai said, tilting her head up a little. Neji looked in her direction and
caught a small glimmer of silver behind her bangs. He wanted to see more, but Saiai pointed a
gloved hand towards the field. Neji reluctantly followed her hand, but was more than pleasantly
surprised.
A large breeze blew in from the forest, picking up the dandelion fluff and swirling it around in
the air. Some of the dandelions remained whole, and still resembled silver-haired dancers
swaying underneath the moon. The stray fluffs glinted in the moonlight and copied the stars,
glowing softly. The wind died down and let the little stars snowed down, around the two near the
trees. Saiai put her hand out and let the petals cover her palm.
`My sisters and I snuck out of the house one night to come here and practice our taijutsu,' Saiai
said, still not turning towards Neji. Instead, she was paying with the fluffs in her hand.
`Naturally, Arichi got hurt, and Emiko had to go back and get our father. Arichi and I stayed in
this exact spot till our father came. Heh, to say the least, he was not pleased with us. But instead
of getting mad with us, he showed us what just happened here. He called it Moon Tears, and if
you caught the Tears in your hand, made a wish, and blew them away, your wish would come
true.' She blew the petals from her hand out into the open, and dusted her hands off on the front
of her dress.
`What did you wish for?' Neji asked. Saiai tensed up, and started shivering. Neji put a reassuring
hand on her shoulder. `Saiai?'
`Neji, why did you agree to help me?' Saiai asked, turning towards Neji, her head down, fists
clenched.
`I decided to help you because you looked like you needed help,' Neji replied. `Besides, now that
we've become friends, I don't think I could've refused you, even if I wanted to.'
`We're friends, now,' she muttered, thinking it over. There was a small silence between them, and
Neji turned towards Saiai, about to question her further, when she spoke up again. `Then, Neji, as
your friend, would you please abandon this mission and leave it to me?'
Neji stared at Saiai, dumbfounded. `Why? Why would you ask me that now?' He grabbed her by
the shoulders, and shook her softly. `Saiai, why would you ask that of me now? Nearing the end
of our mission? We trained together, we lived in the same house. For Heaven's sakes, we've slept
in the same bed. Why are you saying this?'
Saiai's hands shook, and her voice wavered when she spoke. `It's for that very same reason that I
don't want you finishing this mission: we've become friends! Great friends, in fact...' Saiai's
voice dropped in volume until it was barely above a whisper. `I don't want anything to happen to
you because of me...'
Neji's voice softened when he replied next. `It's because we're friends that I'm here. I told
Hanabi I was going to protect you, and I'm not going to go back on my word. As long as I'm
standing, nothing's going to hurt you. If your uncle touches you, the last thing he's going to see
are my eyes.'
Saiai quit shaking, and she finally raised her head. `Thanks, Neji. That means the world to me.'
She noticed Neji's eyes widened and a look of shock swept over his face. `Neji? What's wrong?'
`Your eyes,' Neji said, very softly, `...I've never seen your eyes before now.' They were even
more striking than in the daylight. The silver sandstorm contained in her eyes swirled constantly,
but now, under the bright moonlight, small diamond-like flecks flickered randomly in her irises.
Along with her pale face outlined by her dark hair, she was breath-taking.
She smiled sadly. `My father said never to show anyone my eyes in this state unless I absolutely
trusted them with my life. Looks like one of a selected few.' Her eyes watered, and her faced
worked in a tremendous effort to keep the tears from coming, but the strain of keeping
everything inside for a month took its toll. Tears started to roll down her pale cheeks, and
gigantic sobs wracked from her small body. She brought clenched fists to her mouth and held
them there in an attempt to hinder the sobs, but it did nothing.
Neji's heart ached to see Saiai in such a state. Tears streaming down her cheeks, and yet she
bravely struggled to push them back. She was fighting so hard to protect everybody, even him,
but she cared nothing for herself. He knew that her uncle had robbed her of something,
something that would never allow her to trust anyone easily again, and he had gained her trust.
He felt he had to do something for her, but the only thing he knew of, he was never very good at.
`Oh well, here goes.'
Saiai tensed when she felt warm arms around her shaking shoulders. Eyes wide, she looked up
and saw Neji looking down on her. `Neji...' she said, awestruck. `I thought...'
`Yeah, well, there's always a first. Now, cry. You've been holding back far too long. Get it out of
your system.'
Her tears had momentarily abated for the moment, but knowing that Neji cared enough to push
aside his physical discomfort to comfort her, the tears came back with a vengeance. She clutched
at the front of Neji's white shirt and buried her face into its soft material. Neji felt her tears seep
into his shirt, the wet warmth spreading over his chest, but ignored it. Instead, he pulled her
closer and placed his chin on top of her head.
Several minutes passed, and Neji felt Saiai's sobs subside. He pulled back slightly and placed his
hand on Saiai's cheek. `Feel better?' he asked. She nodded, pushing her face into the warmth of
his palm. She was reluctant to let him out of her embrace.
`Good,' he said, wiping away a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb. `Now do you believe
me? I'm not going to abandon this mission, and I refuse to abandon you. We're going to defeat
your uncle, and we're going to get your Village back. Now, come on, we'll go sleep now.
Tomorrow's going to be a day we'll never forget.' Saiai nodded again, not trusting herself to talk,
and allowed Neji to lead her back to the shelter, his arm never leaving the place where it was
draped across her shoulders.
Arichi. The rest are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, that wonderful, wonderful man.
By: Amanda Smith aka silverwingedwolf
Date started: January 20th, 2008
Date finished: February 4th, 2008
Pairings: Sakura/Lee, Neji/OC, Kiba/Hinata, Shikamaru/Temari
Rating: 18+, for non-consent, minors, incest, blood, gore
*Infiltration*
The sun was setting, and the forest outside of the Village Hidden in the Moonlight was quiet. The
birds were chirping, alerting anyone who cared to listen about impending nightfall, and there was
a slight breeze travelling through the dense forest just outside the large wall. Although everything
was quiet in the approaching dusk, nothing was resting easy. Along the wall, paired sentries
made rounds every fifteen minutes or so. They made their final perimeter checks before reporting
in for the night.
A fair distance away from the wall was a large clearing filled with white dandelions. The great
orange globe clinging to the sky turned the small, fluffy globes into small orange globes of their
own. A clear, blue stream ran through it like a paintbrush stroke, from the direction of the Village
to the opposite side of the clearing. Its moving depths were streaked with red, and looked like
silk with someone running their hand under it. The field was not visible from the Village,
although even if it had been, it was probably the goons on the wall would not have taken the time
to appreciate the beauty.
The glade was devoid of any life, save one small brown rabbit. It was drinking in the stream
peacefully. It lifted its head, sniffed the air, then made its way to the forest, in the direction of the
Village. It hopped through the opening, sending little puffs of dandelion in its wake, and entered
the forest. It hopped through leaves and over a small log, looking for a place to stay for the night.
It sniffed its way over to two rocks with a log over it. Before inspecting it, it looked around to
make sure that nothing was around to attack it. As it climbed into the hole, it failed to notice that
the leaves surrounding the recess in the ground were trampled almost flat.
When it climbed into the makeshift shelter (which was nothing more than a hallowed out swell in
the ground with the two rocks at the entrance for cover from the wind), it discovered it was quite
dry. The ceiling was relatively high, and even if it jumped its best jump, it still wouldn't come
close to hitting the top. It decided that this would be its home for the night, and went outside to
get some leaves to sleep on. Upon exiting the shelter, a large animal picked it up by the neck
roughly and squeezed. The rabbit fought valiantly, but in the end, blacked out and died.
*****
`Sorry, little guy,' Saiai apologized, `but I'm really hungry, and I bet Neji is, too.' Neji had gone
to collect some edible plants from the forest, while she had stayed behind to keep an eye out for
any possible scouts in the forest. Saiai thought it would be improbable that Ichimaru would send
scouts into the forest, as he would rather have all available guards near the Tsuki compound.
Security was scarce as it was, and he would rather not have it scattered to scour the immense
forest surrounding the Village.
Saiai set to skinning the rabbit with a kunai Neji left her and hanging the skin to dry. She made a
small fire, and boiled the rabbit. It had been a while since Neji left, and she was starting to
wonder where he had went. They were out far enough from the Village so no one would be able
to see fire, and due to her uncle's cowardice and need for self-preservation, she knew that none
of the security would be this far out into the forest. Not that Neji wouldn't be able to handle
himself, Saiai reasoned.
While she was cooking the rabbit, her mind drifted off. She reminded herself of the times her
father would take the day off from the political drudgery he submitted himself to daily, and took
his daughters to the very field she was now staring into. He would teach them hand-to-hand
combat and small amounts of basic ninjutsu. The odd time their mother would accompany them,
they were taught medical ninjutsu. It was in that very field where Issuru taught his daughters
how to use the `Sacrifice Rejuvenation' jutsu. Saiai, however, was the only one to ever really
master it. Emiko had very little talent in the medical jutsu area, so she couldn't get the hang of it.
Arichi, on the other hand, blossomed with talent for medical jutsus, and didn't need to learn the
technique. She rubbed her forearms unconsciously, remembering the first time she had
masterfully performed the secret jutsu. She had done it on a fish her father caught from the
stream, and although she needed very little chakra to heal it, her arms still hurt terribly. She
shivered, thinking what her father must've felt when he had saved her life.
Saiai snapped viciously out of her reminiscing when a hand clamped on her shoulder. She
squeaked and flung herself forward. She whirled around to face her opponent when she tripped
over the rocks she had placed around the fire and fell, butt-first, into the pile of rabbit entrails she
was planning to bury after the meal. She looked to see her assailant, and was greeted by the
familiar smirk of Neji Hyuuga.
`Well, that was one "welcome back" I'll never forget,' he said, walking over to her and extending
a helping hand. She sighed, accepting the outstretched with a healthy coating of red gracing her
pale face. Neji's smirk grew, and he walked back over to the pot, putting his load down.
Saiai brushed away the odd piece of rabbit fur that stuck to her backside, wincing at the sound it
made. `So, did you get some berries?' she asked. It had been days since they've eaten proper
food.
`Better than that,' Neji said, opening his package. A red circular object flew in Saiai's direction,
and Saiai caught it effortlessly.
`Holy hell, Neji, where'd you get these apples? They look delicious,' Saiai asked, rubbing the
apple on the front of her dress before sinking into it.
`There was an apple tree about ten minutes from here,' Neji replied, pointing vaguely to the left
of them while he ravished his apple. `We can keep the rabbit for lunch tomorrow.' Saiai agreed,
thinking a decent pre-offensive lunch would do both of them well. Saiai walked over to Neji, and
they sat in the quiet of the night, silently eating their meal. They sat side-by-side, covered from
the moon by the ceiling of leaves. Night creatures sang their songs and went about their business.
The two enjoyed each other's silent company, each contemplating about the impending mission.
Finishing her apple, Saiai sighed, and muttered, `I guess we had best get to sleep. Tomorrow
comes early, and I'm so nervous, I can hardly stand it.'
Neji turned his opalescent eyes towards Saiai and caught her silver gaze. `Saiai,' Neji said, softly
but firmly, `I meant what I said to Hanabi: I'm not going to let anything happen to you.'
Saiai's mouth worked in a silent response, until it decided it wasn't going to come out with it.
Instead, she smiled, put her hand on his shoulder and said, `Thanks, Neji. I'll see you inside, if
I'm not asleep before you come in.'
Neji nodded, and said, `I'll be in after I bury the rabbit intestines.' She groaned, and he laughed,
searching for a good place to hide the remains. After he buried the remains, he also wrapped the
rabbit meat in the material he used to carry the apples, so they would be able to eat it tomorrow.
He made his way to the little cave, and crawled in. The ceiling was high enough for him to sit up
comfortably, but he still crawled carefully to his bedroll. Saiai was breathing softly and Neji
knew she was sleeping. Over the past four days, he watched her become increasingly more
nervous, and he worried about her. She never gave a specific reason as to why she was nervous,
and that worried him further. He couldn't stand the thought of anything happening to her, and she
knew he would protect her till the mission was finished, so why was she apprehensive? He
pushed the thoughts from his mind and focussed on sleep, which fortunately came quickly.
****
Neji woke up roughly 3 hours later, his senses noting something was wrong. There was a slight
breeze outside, making the trees sway in the moonlight, casting eery shadows across the entrance
of the mini-cave. Neji closed his eyes and let his other senses heighten: no new odours, nor no
new sounds. He activated his Byakugan and searched the immediate area. Nothing. Suddenly it
hit him: no sounds, no chakra.... no Saiai. He bolted out of the shelter, searching the area with his
Byakugan. Much to his relief, he found Saiai quickly. She was leaning against a tree, looking out
into the clearing.
`Mind if I join you?' Neji asked, coming up behind Saiai.
`Not at all,' Saiai said, moving over to make room. `Grab a tree, have a lean.'
Neji made himself as comfortable as one possibly can leaning on a tree, then looked out into the
clearing. The stars and the moon were particularly bright in the night sky, shimmering with a
liveliness only the deepest reaches of night could muster up. The midnight lights cast their
illuminations down on the field below, blessing the glade with a nocturnal beauty. The small
stream glittered a watery reflection of the night sky, the twinkling stars rising and falling with he
flow of the clear water. The field of white dandelions danced with the soft breeze, the moon
sharing its white-silver brilliance with the small flowers. The glade was lit with the pale
reflections of the dandelions, a million silver-haired dancers moving in the moonlight to the
night's song.
`Wow,' Neji said simply. He had shown Saiai what the Hidden Leaf Village looked like at night,
but that was nothing compared to the breath taking display in front of him.
`That's not the best part,' Saiai said, tilting her head up a little. Neji looked in her direction and
caught a small glimmer of silver behind her bangs. He wanted to see more, but Saiai pointed a
gloved hand towards the field. Neji reluctantly followed her hand, but was more than pleasantly
surprised.
A large breeze blew in from the forest, picking up the dandelion fluff and swirling it around in
the air. Some of the dandelions remained whole, and still resembled silver-haired dancers
swaying underneath the moon. The stray fluffs glinted in the moonlight and copied the stars,
glowing softly. The wind died down and let the little stars snowed down, around the two near the
trees. Saiai put her hand out and let the petals cover her palm.
`My sisters and I snuck out of the house one night to come here and practice our taijutsu,' Saiai
said, still not turning towards Neji. Instead, she was paying with the fluffs in her hand.
`Naturally, Arichi got hurt, and Emiko had to go back and get our father. Arichi and I stayed in
this exact spot till our father came. Heh, to say the least, he was not pleased with us. But instead
of getting mad with us, he showed us what just happened here. He called it Moon Tears, and if
you caught the Tears in your hand, made a wish, and blew them away, your wish would come
true.' She blew the petals from her hand out into the open, and dusted her hands off on the front
of her dress.
`What did you wish for?' Neji asked. Saiai tensed up, and started shivering. Neji put a reassuring
hand on her shoulder. `Saiai?'
`Neji, why did you agree to help me?' Saiai asked, turning towards Neji, her head down, fists
clenched.
`I decided to help you because you looked like you needed help,' Neji replied. `Besides, now that
we've become friends, I don't think I could've refused you, even if I wanted to.'
`We're friends, now,' she muttered, thinking it over. There was a small silence between them, and
Neji turned towards Saiai, about to question her further, when she spoke up again. `Then, Neji, as
your friend, would you please abandon this mission and leave it to me?'
Neji stared at Saiai, dumbfounded. `Why? Why would you ask me that now?' He grabbed her by
the shoulders, and shook her softly. `Saiai, why would you ask that of me now? Nearing the end
of our mission? We trained together, we lived in the same house. For Heaven's sakes, we've slept
in the same bed. Why are you saying this?'
Saiai's hands shook, and her voice wavered when she spoke. `It's for that very same reason that I
don't want you finishing this mission: we've become friends! Great friends, in fact...' Saiai's
voice dropped in volume until it was barely above a whisper. `I don't want anything to happen to
you because of me...'
Neji's voice softened when he replied next. `It's because we're friends that I'm here. I told
Hanabi I was going to protect you, and I'm not going to go back on my word. As long as I'm
standing, nothing's going to hurt you. If your uncle touches you, the last thing he's going to see
are my eyes.'
Saiai quit shaking, and she finally raised her head. `Thanks, Neji. That means the world to me.'
She noticed Neji's eyes widened and a look of shock swept over his face. `Neji? What's wrong?'
`Your eyes,' Neji said, very softly, `...I've never seen your eyes before now.' They were even
more striking than in the daylight. The silver sandstorm contained in her eyes swirled constantly,
but now, under the bright moonlight, small diamond-like flecks flickered randomly in her irises.
Along with her pale face outlined by her dark hair, she was breath-taking.
She smiled sadly. `My father said never to show anyone my eyes in this state unless I absolutely
trusted them with my life. Looks like one of a selected few.' Her eyes watered, and her faced
worked in a tremendous effort to keep the tears from coming, but the strain of keeping
everything inside for a month took its toll. Tears started to roll down her pale cheeks, and
gigantic sobs wracked from her small body. She brought clenched fists to her mouth and held
them there in an attempt to hinder the sobs, but it did nothing.
Neji's heart ached to see Saiai in such a state. Tears streaming down her cheeks, and yet she
bravely struggled to push them back. She was fighting so hard to protect everybody, even him,
but she cared nothing for herself. He knew that her uncle had robbed her of something,
something that would never allow her to trust anyone easily again, and he had gained her trust.
He felt he had to do something for her, but the only thing he knew of, he was never very good at.
`Oh well, here goes.'
Saiai tensed when she felt warm arms around her shaking shoulders. Eyes wide, she looked up
and saw Neji looking down on her. `Neji...' she said, awestruck. `I thought...'
`Yeah, well, there's always a first. Now, cry. You've been holding back far too long. Get it out of
your system.'
Her tears had momentarily abated for the moment, but knowing that Neji cared enough to push
aside his physical discomfort to comfort her, the tears came back with a vengeance. She clutched
at the front of Neji's white shirt and buried her face into its soft material. Neji felt her tears seep
into his shirt, the wet warmth spreading over his chest, but ignored it. Instead, he pulled her
closer and placed his chin on top of her head.
Several minutes passed, and Neji felt Saiai's sobs subside. He pulled back slightly and placed his
hand on Saiai's cheek. `Feel better?' he asked. She nodded, pushing her face into the warmth of
his palm. She was reluctant to let him out of her embrace.
`Good,' he said, wiping away a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb. `Now do you believe
me? I'm not going to abandon this mission, and I refuse to abandon you. We're going to defeat
your uncle, and we're going to get your Village back. Now, come on, we'll go sleep now.
Tomorrow's going to be a day we'll never forget.' Saiai nodded again, not trusting herself to talk,
and allowed Neji to lead her back to the shelter, his arm never leaving the place where it was
draped across her shoulders.