#inopara

[notasliceoflife]

@proudxkunoichi​

Original Post Here

It was strange, spending your entire life living with an outer shell. Neji didn't like showing his emotions. It was a sign of weakness in the situation he had found himself in. Four years old and alone. His only family either being scared of him, or using him as tool, as if he were just property. The rest of the Hyuga clan weren't exactly great to be around either. They would often talk about the unjust treatments from the main house. Neji would have to listen to it, be told all the horrid things the main house members would do to the branch family members. It had made him cold, in a way. He locked all that warmth up, seeing it's vulnerability. His uncle would never see his kindness. No one would, again. He wasn't going to be kind, in the cruel world he had been thrown into. But the entire time, as the years grew on, he not only hated his destiny. But he also hated himself in a way. Death was probably best, than being someone you really were not. A cruel person. Neji had never wanted to be cruel. That, like the rest ofh is life seemed to be his lot, however.

An unlucky lottery, overall. Killing his mother, his father's hatred being so strong that sometimes it even reached to Neji. Of course Hizashi had been the only family Neji had, outside of the main branch that relatively ignored him. Hizashi was the model for which he copied after. It often happened at night. His fathers anger would come out. A day of being used, or perhaps abused, by the main branch would trigger something in his father that Neji didn't like. That angry person who would not even smile, not even for him. Nothing Neji could do could satisfy his father in these times. His training for a while would become more cruel. Even so, Neji had never hated his father. Eventually he would even come to understand that same anger. He inherited that cold anger the moment his father died. The image of the body searing into his mind. It was the first of very few times he had lashed out. Going from a crying four year old over the most important person in his life to swearing to himself that he would no longer be warm hearted toward those who did that to his father.

Neji inhaled, the anger still there, of course. It never seemed to truly leave, it still bothered him how things turned out. Even knowing what really happened. How could he just simply for get, or forgive such things. It wasn't as though a glass bowl was accidentally broken and could be replaced. A human life can not be replaced. Once it is taken away, it can never be given back. Right? Neji could only believe this to be true. At this moment it was clearly that.  He wasn't Kakashi... He was simply just Neji Hyuga, of the branch family. Once a prodigy the Hyuga family probably really didn't want at all.  Though he had felt like that for so long, unwanted. He had to become better than any one else, and so he did. He was going to change the Hyuga clan, right? Maybe, a little. But he didn't want a little. He wanted the entire structure obliterated. He wanted the Branch to get their fair redemption. Was that a bit much? Was he going to be that begrudging? Or was he just going to simply let an apology and some small changes in the family be it.

It was still too early, perhaps, for any of that. As his head rested into Ino's shoulder he nodded at her words. No one had been there for him in a long time. Even after his fight with Naruto it seemed his credibility had waned. Who got beat by Naruto?!? After all. Well, everyone, since Naruto was the 'Chosen One' or whatever. Not that Naruto cared about any of that or any absent minded damages he did to the rest of the Konoha Eleven on his treck to greatness.  Neji hadn't been crying by that point. A few good tears was all that was necessary. He continued to listen to her, nodding against her shoulder " No?" He then asked. As if he were still a small child wanting some kind of reassurance in such a claim. Of course, it had been a slip up, accidentally sounding some what vulnerable. But he didn't try to retract the question either. He closed his eyes for a moment " It's hard to be seen as gentle, here. Either others will think they can walk all over you. Or you have to become someone you’re not." He commented, though he had gotten a feeling she knew these things " That last person who hugged me like this was my father, the last time I ever saw him alive." Of course it was the last time he would ever see his father, because the next time Hizashi would be dead "I really...miss him, all the time."

[notasliceoflife]

@proudxkunoichi​

Original Post Here

Without expression, blank white eyes stare toward the other.  Neji could already tell she was about to lie to him. Even before she thought she had been giving herself away, he had seen it. In the last couple of years since the war, he had grown to continue being more or less indifferent. Except for when it came to work. That was a time to be serious, to be honest. To trust those of which you had put your life in the hands of. Thinking of it now, he had known that Gai had been the most effective in teaching him this. Of course his sensei had been,it was his sensei, after all. Silly, meaningful, Might Gai.

So he could only stare at her, disapproving as she lied right to his face. Her dishonesty disappointing him immensely. But he held himself respectfully, knowing she had been through something. One would need time to process it. But the question would be, did they have the time for it? Her lying, avoiding, could cost them everything. As her captain, the one that had hand picked her and their other teammate for this job. He wanted better from Ino, thought he had deserved better, than to be told lies and be met with dishonesty. Lowering his head then he finally speaks " It matters, Ino, because we are a team. We must trust one another, and be able to be trusted. Your mental health and well being are just as important as the rest of you."

Neji gave her a small reassuring smile then " And you are my comrade, my companion. Whatever you are going through. I'm there with you. I'm going through it, with you. My sensei was a good teacher. At first, I believed I was far too arrogant. But I wasn't dishonest." Though he imagined Gai already knew what he had needed to know. To Gai, his team must of been more like his children. The smile dropped from Neji's face "A man like that, dealing with the kind of brat I used to be. --Ino, I will trust you. Do not make me regret it." Neji knew that Ino was a smart, talented ninja in her own right. That's why he had picked her.  What ever she was choosing to hide from him, eventually would come out though, with, or without her " Unless this is too much for you, Ino. Then I will need to replace you with someone else, for our teams safety."

[notasliceoflife]

@proudxkunoichi​

Original Post Here

Of course, his voice had raised. He wasn't usually like this. But it had been too close, even for his comfort. Not only to someone he had cared about. But to his own life ending. In those brief moments of defending himself and her life, trying to battle off the attacker, those moments from the war where he had...should, have died, flashed before him. The blood, triggering that trauma even more as he finished off the attacker and felt the pain that littered his own body. It was too close, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He would have been fine, with dying. Both times, it would have been okay, he supposed. He would have chose his death, and would have been free. To him, that was enough. But why these feelings that lingered despite this willingness to die for his friends. Coughing a bit, he lift a hand up to his chest, blood seeping out, staining along his white clothed top, dripping down through the cracks of his fingers. He wasn't dying. But it had hurt, the cut had been deep. Slivers of blood inched down from the others cuts that traced his body. But he didn't try to look at the damage.

Instead, he was looking toward Ino, listening to her, but more importantly, taking in that she was okay. That she had been alive. He had done what he needed to do. Letting out a heavy breath, he slouched a bit into his hand, blood drizzling from his hand and onto the ground " No. You don't have to ask me to risk my life for yours. I wanted to." The Hyuga had said to her then, now calming after the risk of the moment was passed. With her question toward him, however, he turned his head a way. He didn't know how much is own life really had meant to him " Yours means more." He said this, of course to Ino, about her own life compared to his. But this answer would have been the same. Their lives had meant more to him, then his own. He would die for any one of them. Because he had, un-admittedly so, loved them all. Even the less appealing of the Konoha Ninja's, or the less skilled. Though he didn't need the reminder about how it looked like to someone who didn't fully understand what had been going through his mind since the day he was four years old.

Glancing briefly toward Ino, Neji nodded "I will protect you, just as I would protect them, or any other one of my comrades. Even if I die." Neji reaffirmed, resolute in his decision to risk his entire life on the lives of his comrades, his loved ones. He was sure, if it were anyone else, he would still choose death. Just so his comrades could live. As his wounds began to heal, he dropped his hand from his chest, blood stained now, it dripped from the tips of his fingers for a few brief seconds before drying enough to begin caking around his hand. Looking at her, he noticed the tears, finally. Even though he was sure he would do something like this again. Seeing her cry, had made him feel uncomfortable. For one, he knew how proud Ino was. Secondly, he didn't know what to say that would make her truly feel better about him risking his life for her. As her hands moved to the cut on the side of his face, he shift his eyes away for a moment before looking back to her when Ino asks him why he did it " Because, I wouldn't know what to do with myself. If I didn't protect you. I ...you were defenseless. I don't want you hurt. I-" He swallowed " You are too important, to me. To not protect you with my very body, if I must." She would have probably disliked this answer. But, it was true. Neji would use his body as a shield, to protect her. If he must. That was the case here.

[notasliceoflife]

Heavy is The Head That Wears The Crown// Neji & Ino AU

@proudxkunoichi​

Original Post Here

Neji had been standing where he usually stood. At attention, always keeping an eye on guests or others who might have been a threat to the queen. it was always better to be cautious than to let anything slip by on the possibility of nothing nefarious happening. One should not be so foolish and always be on the alert. Though this was the kind of life he had been born into. A life of being someone who watched. Peeked out any sort of threat to the king or queen under his guard. Of course, that had been his entire families role. They were good at it too. He was very young when his father had died. The only parent he had. His uncle had given the former king permission to have Neji protect the princess. Something that the four year old in training really wasn't the biggest fan of. He was told to be Princess Ino's 'companion'. He had spent a lot of his time wondering, then, what good would it be to be close to the princess, when he could spend all of his time training to be a lethal killer instead. Like the rest of the boys. But the rest of the boys were of such low ranking birthright, compared to him. This sort of thing was in his family's blood. His uncle would say to him.

He had never did most of what Ino and her ladies in waiting would do. Spending hours in the gardens playing children's games, even at such a young age had never appealed to him. The girl had made friends a lot easier than he had ever been able. But he was always there, sitting against the tree in the shade, pretending to nap. Silently contemplating to himself. As Ino had made nice with the other children in the Kingdom that would be invited to the castle, or happened to be their due to their own parents status. Neji often stuck out like a sore thumb, even having rejected offers to play by other young boys of the castle. Noble's sons who were far to soft, Neji had thought. Too soft to play any games he would had preferred to play, without crying about it. Neji had remained this way their entire lives. Mind stuck in one focal point. On being a protector to the princess, and now Queen of Konoha. It was a long wait. But one he had been content with. Because this was the sort of thing he was good at. Silent, and deadly.

As he watched the red head be escorted out, Neji had narrowed his eyes on them. The newly appointed King of The Sand Kingdom had quite a bloody reputation. But the boy himself had seemed to be troubled until recently. Within the last few years that is, changing themselves almost entirely, into a fine King. At least that was as much information as Neji managed to gather. However, it was not HIS king, and Gaara was not his worry. Ino was, and he had to think of Ino first, before himself, before anyone else. At her question he continued to look toward the door. Dull pale white eyes locked on it for a moment before he turned his head slightly to look toward her "Most Kings only ever want wars, it is about taking as much as they think they deserve, land, women, the people, the treasures." Neji had said then glances down " Rumors about him have made it to this land, however. The young King once was compared to a 'murderous demon' in his youth... It is best we not take everything he says at face value." Neji informed.

Of course, it was best to avoid war, even if they might have been stronger than King Gaara, there was a lot that went into a war than just bodies. Anyone who wore the crown would eventually need to battle, whether it be with another kingdom, or their own people. Kings, Queens, and anything in between, would not get far without spilling a bit of blood every once in a while. His eyes narrow a little bit " No. But it is always better to be prepared for the worst. Rather than waiting till the last minute when the worst is already happening." Neji had said to her then. At her last question he let out a sigh "Double the guards at the entrances to the castle, make sure The Watch is also doubled around the kingdom. Leaves a little entry points open as possible, to the castle, and to the kingdom itself. Make sure Gaara's guards remain in their quarters with their King, double the guards there." Neji proposed to her then looked away " If he is up to something, he will more than likely try something at our most vulnerable. The night must be treated with greater care than usual."