"Look at me," he asked in a strained voice and slowly let go of the bars.
Hinata gasped, and he answered that with a proud grin that was mostly a grimace.
"You can do it!" Her voice, though low, was embedded with fervour.
He was standing! Finally! And without having to hold onto anything either! Euphoria running through his veins, Neji then decided to push progress forward and raised his right foot, taking a first tiny step.
"You're walking, nii-san! You are so amazing! I'm so happy!"
He was happy too. He didn't want to die anymore. He could win this if he had her there, in front of him, lovely moonlit eyes gleaming with pure joy, for him, he could win over any battle. Neji reached towards her face, and instead of retracting or looking confused, Hinata just smiled as his pink gloved hand cupped her face. Her smile was so big she was squinting, and he took another vacillating step forward. They were very close now. Neji's whole body was shaking and it wasn't only because of the colossal effort he needed to stand. She opened her eyes, smile melting into something else. It wasn't the first time she looked at him like that, but it was still hard to believe it was true. Her gaze dropped to his lips and Neji let out a little tortured sound from the back of his throat. He leaned forward, he was considerably taller than her and had managed to grow a few inches even in sickness. They were so close now. He tried another step, but this time, his knee betrayed him, giving in. But before he could fall over, Hinata hugged him, keeping him standing.
"I've got you, I've got you," she promised in a firm but gentle voice.
Shame burnt in Neji's chest, but when he raised his head from her neck, all he could pay attention to was how she felt pressed against him like that. He searched for her eyes and found no pity in there. Instead, she looked like a cat that had just swallowed a very plump canary, white pupils blown, rosy cheeks, slightly parted lips.
Since the war he had dared to hope but that...
Neji had no fear then, not anymore. Forget walking, he was ready to take a leap.
chapter 9/10? 11? of Rebel Heart
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