Reunion
A firm hand on his shoulder. A familiar warm, spicy scent. Safety. Peace.
He stepped forward. He knew of illusions. The hand pulled back. The words didn’t.
ₛ̵̼̱̣̀̕͝ₒ̷̻̑͂͋ₙ̴̠͓̄̔
̷̬̈ₛ̷̬͂ₜ̷̭̔ₒ̸̪̍ₚ̵̤̆
̷ᵖ̵ˡ̴ᵉ̶ᵃ̷ˢ̵ᵉ̵
̴ʟ̴ᴏ̴ᴏ̸ᴋ̷
I AM RIGHT HERE
Reflected in endless pools of green. Himself. His shadow. His..
ᵈᵒ ⁿᵒᵗ ᵐᵒᵘʳⁿ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʰᵃˢ ⁿᵉᵛᵉʳ ᵇᵉᵉⁿ ˡᵒˢᵗ
A soft, hesitant voice.
“Are you alright?”
Neji became aware of himself again. He was on the ground. He didn’t remember falling.
The pink haired civilian lingered over him. His head was resting on a familiar lap.
The world seemed out of sync. Even the dust in the air had stopped moving.
“Oh, precious boy. Hiashi should never have let that sin rest on him.”
A startled glance brought the visage of his father into view. He wondered if he was dreaming, if he could deserve such a good dream.
“Must a dream always remain untrue?” the green-eyed child told him in a gentle tone. “This is as real as anything else, and you may take all the time you need.” An incline of the chin met Hizashi’s eyes in sternness.
“You love, and you cling, but if you stay like this- the dead was never meant to reside with the living. It will cause you agony and twist you into something bitter. It will hurt him.”
“NO!” Denial poured from the throat of the heavy burdened boy. If his father had been here the whole time.. He wasn’t ready to let go.
A perplexed look twisted the button nose of the 5 year old. “I did not say he couldn’t visit? I can ensure that he takes the path safely. But he cannot stay here. Whatever would be left would not be your father. Surely you do not want that?”
If Neji had known this child before, he would have known that this was the most she had spoken in her entire life. He was unaware of the effort she was making, but his father was fully aware. Having been Other this long, and seeing as a parent sees a child- the softness was from disuse. He knew his son had found a worthy ally, even if he hadn’t yet realized it. And so he answered.
“She is correct,” Hizashi told Neji solemnly. “But we have time, don’t we, little blossom.”
She smiled and nodded, palming the frozen stopwatch to her chest. “Enough time for that.”
A returned smile met her, and then shoulders slumped in guilty grief.
“Come. Neji, and let me tell you the truth behind that night.”