Mmm…Neji/Hina drabbleicious…Yum.
Fireflies
She sat on
the old wooden steps in the back of the Hyuuga compound—a venerable structure
that seemed to exist outside the trappings of time, ancient even when her
ancestors moved among the confines of its walls—and watched the soft glow of
the lanterns that swung rhythmically back and forth on wrought, cast-iron pegs
shaped like vines. The sky was a rich shade of indigo dappled with stars, and
she heard the melodic hum of cicadas singing to one another in the grass.
Hinata took a breath, the air sweet as it filled her lungs, and let it out
slowly, savoring the moment. Inside, the voices of their guests had begun to
taper as the night wore on, many departing for the comfort of their own homes
and beds. It had been a long day, the celebration in honor of her engagement
spanning the entirety of the afternoon and well into the evening hours. Despite
her youth and assumed stores of boundless energy, she was tired. Yes,
maybe pleasantries were not all that difficult for her to exchange, however she
did have her limits, and they had stretched almost beyond the point of
endurance.
“What a day,” she sighed,
resting her weight on her arms as she leaned back, the ebony fabric of her
kimono trailing across the ground. She could picture her father’s look of
disapproval if he caught her in such a position, and that thought alone would
have cowed her into submission once, but she was no longer the shy, timid
little girl she used to be.
The years since the Great
War had changed her, forced her to grow up and take her place as the rightful
heir of the Hyuuga legacy. That was her duty, her destiny, and she could
either submit her will and allow it to own her as she had for so long, or stand
tall and embrace it, make it as much a part of her as the heart that pumped the
lifeblood through her veins. She was finished being a coward, flinching away
from the world that surrounded her, too afraid to take that crucial step over
the threshold of her safe haven, her self-constructed prison.
Hinata often wondered why
her cousin scorned her when they were younger; now she knew. Neji was of the
branch family and she the main, yet it was she who behaved as though the curse
seal was branded upon her brow, not him. She had the freedom he yearned for,
but she took it for granted, did not appreciate it as she should have. For the
first time, she truly saw herself through his eyes, and was ashamed of what she
beheld.
Neji’s disdain was well
earned.
“He was proud today,
though,” she mused out loud, a strange exultation swelling in her chest when
she remembered the brief glances he’d spared her, the touch of his fingertips
on her palm… “I could tell.” A smile tugged at her lips. The regard was not
one-sided. She’d never been more proud of him than on this day. In the face of
the people he had considered his enemies, he held himself with poise and grace,
accepting the somewhat empty, even hostile congratulations along with the
respectful ones. They had a turbulent road ahead of them, and neither was naïve
enough to believe that Neji’s recently elevated status would be readily
embraced.
But they were prepared to
shoulder the burden. For better or worse, the Elders had decided, and what was
divided would be whole again in time. The separation had only reaped the seeds
of destruction, and Hinata refused to stand idle while her line tore itself
apart at the seams. With Neji by her side, they would construct a new
foundation that would weather the ages, even if they had to do it by force.
Today had been a prelude
for what was to come.
“Hinata.”
She knew that voice, deep
and sensual and rumbling, as if it sprang directly from his core, a voice that
was Neji in every way.
“Had enough excitement?”
she said, lifting her chin to grin at him. He wore a plain white kimono secured
just below the waist with a black sash, his river of dark hair unbound, and the
seal uncovered. On anyone else, the style may have appeared feminine, but never
on Neji.
He made an indelicate
noise. “If I had to endure one more word, I think I would’ve snapped.”
Hinata could not suppress
her giggles. “That’s why I left,” she explained once her amusement was under
control. “It’s peaceful out here.”
“Mm,” he agreed, and then
his sour expression changed to one of near fondness. Hinata’s breath caught in
her throat when he extended a hand to her. “Come with me. I…have something I’d
like to show you.”
Unable to conceive of a
reason to decline, she placed one of her own hands in his and allowed him to
draw her up. A million giddy thoughts raced through her head, about the warmth
radiating from his palm, about the way his grip was not tight, but possessive
all the same, about the thumb he traced lightly over her knuckles…
She wasn’t used to this,
not from her cousin. Their relationship had healed to a degree, however
he usually refrained from showing any outward signs of affection. That he chose
to do so now surprised her, but also brought her comfort, and with it, a tiny bit
of hope that, perhaps, they might be able to love one another.
They walked in silence for
a while, he leading, she following. Eventually, she detected a faint trickle of
water close by, and felt dew on the sides of her feet, where her simple
thong-sandals provided no cover. The trees parted up ahead, and she thought she
glimpsed light of some sort, though she wasn’t quite sure of the source.
“Neji—” she began, but he
had stopped, a smile on his face.
“We’re here,” he said, and
then tugged her forward, passing through the gate of trees.
Her mouth opened, and her
eyes went wide.
“Gorgeous,” she murmured,
and even that was an inadequate way to describe this place. All around them,
moss bearded the stones that lined a small creek, and wildflowers of all shapes
and colors sprouted between them. A lone weeping willow stood at the head of
the brook, its mournful, drooping branches tickled by the flow of water. The
tiny pinpoints of bright gold she discovered were fireflies, the miniscule
organs on the underside of their abdomens winking in and out while they flew.
The atmosphere was as
ethereal as a dream, the faery kingdom of Queen Mab, and Hinata had never seen
anything of its like.
She whispered, “How did you
find it?”
Neji’s smile was sheepish.
“Luck,” he replied honestly. “I stumbled on it by accident when I was searching
for a spot to meditate.”
“I…I can’t even…” She froze
when he gathered her hair, now almost as long as his, and draped it over her
shoulder, exposing her ear and a section of smooth, porcelain neck.
“Then don’t,” his lips
brushed her skin, “and dance with me.”
Her body was one giant mass
of sensation, all stemming from that one spot, that one mouth, that one voice…
She could not comprehend
why Neji was doing this; she knew without having to be told that he was
seducing her, and it was working. If he commanded her to jump, she’d ask him
how high, or how far, or from where… He had her in his grasp, and she’d do
anything he wished.
Isn’t that what he
wants? The
rational, cynical part of her mind questioned. You’ve always had power over
him, and the tables have turned. He’s manipulating you, silly, foolish girl.
And the funny thing was…she
didn’t care.
Critically, he examined her
kimono, sliding a finger under the V of silk at her collarbone and gently
inching it down. Hinata barely moved, barely dared breathe as he revealed her
bandaged chest, the top and sleeves of the garment hanging limply about her
waist.
The breeze nipped at her
flesh, but she was far from cold. Neji’s closeness behind her radiated heat
like an oven; she felt feverish, liable to collapse if he didn’t hold her up.
Dangerous…I should stop
this…
She was Hyuuga, the eldest
of Konoha’s noble clans. She wasn’t supposed to show such weakness. Hadn’t she
already borne enough grief for that offence as a child? Hadn’t she transformed
herself into a formidable kunoichi whom her opponents took seriously? And for
what? To forget all the hard work and the training and the blood she’d shed in
an instant of pure, unadulterated lust?
Oh, she knew what she should
do; she just couldn’t get her traitorous body to obey.
So I really haven’t
changed…everything is exactly the same…
The surface of Neji’s hand
slid along her left arm, effectively cutting short her reflections. His right
arm he lay alongside her corresponding limb, and curled them inward, so she fit
snugly against him. In the dip amid neck and collarbone he rested his chin, and
she closed her eyes, head tilted to give him better access.
As he had led her here, he
led the dance, a series of dips and twirls and smoldering glances. Hinata could
not say for certain how long they moved together with the rush of the water in
the creek as their accompaniment, only that it ended when he removed his hand from
around her middle and turned her face so that their eyes, identical, pupil-less
orbs, were at a level.
He’s beautiful, she realized as his mouth descended
upon hers, yearning and demanding and loving all at once. He kissed with
an intensity that made her mind reel, and, although she had little experience
in this area, she snaked her arm behind his neck and tangled her fingers in his
hair, pulling him closer. There was no point for modesty, now.
By the time they broke
apart, flushed and gasping for air, he was cross-legged in the grass and she
was in his lap, the fireflies perched on tree limbs and rocks to watch in
fascination.
After she caught her
breath, she leaned back, head nestled beneath his chin, and glanced up at him. She
saw her future in his eyes, in the curve of his nose, in the decidedness of his
lips…
“We can make this work,
can’t we?” There was a hint of desperation in her tone.
He was quiet for a moment. “Do
you want it to work, Hinata?” She ordered him to stop addressing her with the
honorary ‘sama’ a while ago, and he seemed to have no trouble obliging.
Questions within
questions, she
thought wryly. He’s as insecure as I am.
She replied, “Yes,” and
showed him the smile she’d saved for him and him alone, the smile only he could
induce. “I want you,” she whispered.
It was what he was
searching for, and she knew it because his arms tightened around her. Yes,
perhaps they were bound by circumstance, but that did not mean they had to be
victim to it.
“Then it will work,” he
said softly.
She trusted him.
This is the
result of a dream I had at, oh, 3 ‘o clock last night. The scene plopped itself
in my head, and I had to get it out before it drove me crazy…
:is jealous of people who can pop out drabbles in under an hour: