Close Call
Another day of staring at the wall with a blank expression, simply hoping for something interesting to happen. The cream walls felt like they were closing in on her as her knees were drawn to her chest. Laser focus on a chip in the paint at the edge of the bed that appeared to be moving. Were her eyes deceiving her? A stream of sunlight broke through as the curtain was shoved to the side, a low meow echoing. Chihiro smiled at Peaches whom was curled up on top the comforter stretching. She shuffled down to be closer to her, to feel the animals warmth as she felt solemn. Her index finger ran up and down between her eyes as she purred in content, it made Chihiro smile. The way Peaches's tiny little paws padded into the blankets as she laid on her side stretched out.
Like the universe heard her plea for something to do, a knocking at her front door tore her attention away from the biscuit making cat as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed. She was nervous, primarily, but also excited about who it could be. Her first thoughts were the man but her hopes were Neji. Even as her stomach sank opening the door, but her mood regained immediately.
"Neji!" she squeaked, motioning for him to come in. What she wanted to do was pull him in for a hug, happy he was back safe and in one piece. But she wouldn't do that, he was more a stand-off type anyways. The soft clicking of tiny claws against the wood floor grabbed their attention,
"Hi Peaches," Neji said as he rubbed his knuckle down the cat who'd followed Chihiro from the bedroom, "she's already looking healthier."
"Mhmm, vet took good care of her. Gave some meds for a few days but mainly just needed food. All mine now, Ino said she's seen her running around over the last few months so guessing no owners there."
The two chatted, small talk for awhile as she began to ask about his mission. Neji didn't want to tell her too many details, he came out very unscathed so it didn't matter much. All he could think as he looked her over was his late night thoughts of her, his fears of her. But it didn't matter in the end because there he was in her apartment. He just couldn't stay away from her.
"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk?" Neji asked shyly, an emotion he rarely showed. He never asked people to do things with him in such an intimate way.
"Oh yeah that sounds good. Uh. Let me get changed first." It was like Chihiro attached to the first person who was there for her. But Neji hadn't been the first person in Konoha. He was the last likely person to go out of his way for someone, to be their rock. But that was exactly what he was becoming for Chihiro.
Chihiro got ready quick, unknowingly dressing herself up. She wanted to look cute in one of her skirts and loose blouses, have her hair flow down her back. Because at the front of her mind she wanted to look good for Neji, wanted him to find her cute. Which made her blush to think about.
When they stepped out of the apartment, Neji had butterflies swirling in his stomach from being besides her. He couldn't stop sneaking looks at her.
It was quiet between them as they walked on the streets weaving through groups of people. Neji kept his eyes laser focused on her as they made it to the edges of town, near southern gates. It was a beautiful sunny day, butterflies jumping from flower to flower in a stagnant breeze. Puffy clouds were unmoving in the sky as the sun shone down like a laser beam. Chihiro felt tiny walking besides the shinobi, finally feeling safe knowing if the figure from days ago were to show up... she'd be okay. Her eyes were focused on him rather than the beauty of the nature around her. Neji made her forget of Yggdrasil. He was pretty, tall, poised, and confident. The way he held himself drew her right in.
"How are you?" Neji broke the comfortable silence between them as they walked down a path in sync.
"You mean that seriously don't you?" Chihiro asked, seeing the concern painted in his eyes. The way he asked it was like he wanted to know something specific. And she gulped assuming what it was, based off prior meetings. She thought about her eating, how she confessed her problems to him. She also thought back to the cloaked figure, but she didn't want to tell him about that.
"Mhmm,"
"Well I talked with Sakura, was a bit awkward but she gave me some medical tea and gonna try to get on a schedule of when I eat."
"I'm glad that you're um, doing better." Neji swallowed hard.
"I hope I didn't have you worried."
"I know you'll be okay." he replied, which maybe it wasn't exactly what she wanted to hear, but she brushed it off.
"I-I want to get to know you more." it was bold. Maybe bolder than she should have been. It made Neji stop walking, eyes alit with an emotion she couldn't make out. She stopped in place too, about a foot in front of him.
His head was telling him to stop this, but his insides, his heart wanted to keep going, "what do you want to know about me?"
"I don't know." she stammered not thinking he'd respond like that, "that's too much pressure."
"You said you wanted to get to know me."
"Okay then what's your family like?"
Neji shook his head, "ask that another time."
"Oh I'm sorry." she saw the discomfort flash on his face, that is was a topic to avoid. She was aware of his family having status, but there must have been more to it.
"You're fine Chi- can I call you that?"
"Yep, fine with me."
"So then what about you? Anything I should know,"
Chihiro's face scrunched as she thought, "my three best friends at school are named Hana, Kai, and Kasumi. I miss them dearly, I hope they're doing okay with my absence." Neji nodded sadly in understanding, "I love flowers, very sad my tulips from the other week died. And on my end, I don't have any family. All I can think of.."
"No family..." he murmured, "so I imagine your friends are important."
"Yes very. I live at school year round basically, besides breaks we have I'll go home with Hana or see a family friend. It's not too bad. My school, Eva Academy, is quite nice even if school is a drag, I mean I'm on my twelfth and final year."
"Twelve years?" and Neji thought being in the academy for just a couple was bad, "I see. You'll get back there." he added.
"I know you're just trying to reassure me. But at this point, it's been a few weeks I have no idea what's going to happen to me. Sakura keeps insisting I'll always have a place here and she could figure a way out for me to help... I don't know though. I wish I could have come here under different circumstances."
"I understand that, it's justified."
Neji felt his heart truly ache for her. Lack of family. Separated from those she loved and her places of safety. What could have ever been going on in her mind perplexed him, he may never know.
"Chi,"
"Huh?" she looked at him, cocking her head to the side.
"I'm here..." he said like he was forcing himself or uncomfortable. Like those words of support and care were foreign to him and she couldn't tell if he regretted saying it or not.
But either way it made her smile, "I appreciate it."
Their walk continued and so did small talk. And so did their sneaking glances at the other when the coast was clear. Lingering eyes on each other's forms. A calm day that had them at inner peace as she recounted tails of her friends to him. The happiness that radiates off of her in that moment made him feel the same, made him understand more about her. Neji was an observant person, needed to be to survive, but it caused him to notice all her big or little traits. He wanted to learn what she liked and didn't like, wanted to learn about her life in Yggdrasil.
It was sudden.
A dense change in the air ruining their moment.
Neji abruptly stopped and activated his Byakugan making her jump.
"What?" Chihiro felt panic rise in her chest as she watched him activate his eyes for the first time, veins forming on his cheeks.
"Get behind me," he commanded.
"Neji I'm scared-"
In a flash, all she could see was Neji shoving her forward with force taking her place, then she felt her body hit the ground. She felt pain as gravel skinned at her hands and arms, adrenaline coursing through her. Drops of blood sprayed out into the air as she watched in horror as a kunai cut Neji's face.
What happened next was a blur. Chihiro didn't understand it. But what she could, was that a cloaked black figure stood on the Konoha walls in the distance.
-
"I don't understand." Neji said as he paced an empty infirmary room filled with Kakashi, Ino, Sakura, and Kiba. He'd felt shaken up from earlier, the sudden attempt on Chihiro's life. He had a gauze and bandage over his left cheek that pulsed with pain, "she didn't tell me about that encounter..."
"I think she wanted to forget about it." Sakura added.
"We're past the point of forgetting about it." Neji snapped, "this is serious."
"We know Neji we know-"
"So why did no one tell me?"
Kiba shrugged, "didn't think you were obligated to know."
"Of course I am-"
"What are you her boyfriend?" he teased the Hyuga, purposefully trying to get a rise out of him to see how he'd react. Rumors were already swirling.
Neji rolled his eyes with discontent, folding his arms over his chest, "watch yourself."
"Let's calm down," Kakashi interjected as the two shinobi looked ready to fight for a split second, "we have two strange incidents with a figure nobody can identify. I'm sure Chihiro is scared and needs support right now over arguing who's told what." when the Hokage saw their body language calm he continued, "For now, we're the only people that know about this. We should let a few others know like Naruto, Shino, Tenten, and more. I'll make sure ANBU and other Jonin are aware of this figure, but besides that I don't know how much we can do."
"She needs protection." Neji said.
"I agree."
"But have people on her at all times?" Sakura asked, "I don't think she'd like that."
"Right now that doesn't matter if someone is trying to kill her."
"Neji, she's already going through a lot."
"Then I'll just do it." Neji retorted.
"We all will," Ino interjected, "I consider her a friend."
"Same," Kiba nodded.
"And you know when Naruto gets a whiff of this he'll be all over it." Sakura added, "he'll probably never leave her alone."
It wasn't until until Neji got Chihiro to the infirmary and bursted into Kakashi's office was he made aware of the other day's fiasco. And when Sakura forced her way in to patch up his cheek after Chihiro told her about his injury. He was mortified when he heard about her being put under a jutsu to bring her to the same cloaked figure that tried to send a kunai through her head. To think while he was away, she would have been taken from under his nose and he'd have no idea. Neji felt genuinely upset about the turn of events, upset about what it was doing to Chihiro.
There was rage seeping off of Neji, his Chakra lighting up the room, absolutely burning red. It had the shinobi on alert, backing away from him with eyes ready to pounce.
"I need to go," Neji just said as he pushed his way out of the room with no further explanation. By god nothing would touch her. Everything in this world would have to go through Neji.