![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Entry tags:
(naruto) The bird
This is supposed to be a one-shot, and i'm about two thirds finished, but i wanna post now because i'm afraid internet is dying. If it doesn't die, i'll post more later.
It's a Neji-centric fic, because OMGNEJIPRETTYOMG. It's a present for Kineko, who will no doubt be happy that I'm starting to see the appeal, (tu devais pas m'appeler d'ailleurs?) and Saro, for encouraging my neji-wibbling vibes and inspiring me. :D
One could see very faint amounts of shonen ai (nejinaru) in it, but one could also consider it gen. I don't have an opinion either way.
Neji had seen him coming, of course -- not that seeing Naruto coming was anything special, even for people who didn't possess the byakugan. The noise he always made was enough of a warning in itself.
"Hey, Neji! I've got something for you."
... what he hadn't seen coming, was what Naruto had just deposited in his lap.
"I've got a mission, so I can't take care of it, but -- well, with your leg and all -- it will keep you busy for the next month or so, right? I know you're probably bored as hell."
The bundle squirmed, made an odd chirping noise. Neji lifted a corner of the blanket, in case the fabric had fooled his eyes or something like that.
"So -- I have to go, 'nother mission -- ANBU's running me into the ground, I swear!" He didn't sound like he actually minded. "Get better quick, okay? gottagoseeya!"
Neji looked up, but Naruto was already gone, bouncing down the corridors with the same enthusiasm he'd forced on the world when he was twelve.
The bundle chirped again, and squirmed, and tried to bite down on his finger. Neji looked down at the thing trying to claw its way free of the blanket it was wrapped in, and stared.
Naruto had given him a bird. A brownish, fluffy, pissed-off baby bird.
The idiot had forgotten to tell him where he'd gotten it, how old it was, what it needed to eat, and more important, if he even wanted it.
Neji glared at the bird. The bird glared back. From the way it pecked viciously at his fingers, Neji concluded that at least he had the reply to one of his questions; it just had to be carnivorous. Sighing, he got up, awkwardly holding the bundle under his arm, grabbed his crutch, and hobbled to the phone. Maybe one of his teammates would know how to find answers to his other questions.
+
"It sure is ugly," Tenten commented as she poked at the bundle of downy feathers.
"It sure is fast," Lee replied with a grin as she yelped and sucked on her bleeding finger. "I find it cute, too! Don't worry, Mister Downybutt. You're adorable. Tenten cannot recognize your true beauty."
"Stop grinning at the bird, Lee, you're making it nervous," Neji commented, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the nickname. "Leave it alone," he ordered, reaching out with his crutch to push the crate he'd placed the chick in under the table. Hopefully it would prevent anyone from bumping against it by accident, and the darkness would help settle down the thing.
"Aww, you're right, nap time for Mister Downybutt," Lee sighed as he gave the crate a regretful look.
Tenten was sucking on her finger thoughtfully. Neji looked up at her. She had a cat; it was more experience with animals than Neji had ever had in his life. Pets were not encouraged on the Hyuuga compound.
"Conclusions?"
"Carnivorous. Probably a bird of prey like hawks and eagles, not a vulture or an owl, seeing the shape of the beak and the claws. Can't say what species it is, though; I'd have to find a book. Did Naruto say where he found it?"
"No," Neji grunted, still annoyed at the way the blond had dashed in and out without even stopping to exchange a few words.
"It seems big, so it's probably an eagle of some sort, but I really can't tell."
"If you can drop at the library and find me the books most likely to be helpful, I'll find the info myself," Neji proposed. Tenten was busy these days, and he didn't want to make her actually research the stupid bird.
"Okay, I'll go this afternoon. It should survive on minced rat meat in the meantime, or maybe crushed insects or something..." she added, a teasing smile appearing on her face as Neji's upper lip curled faintly in distaste.
"But Neji can't hunt for his protégé while he's hurt!" Lee objected, looking heartbroken. "What a tragedy--"
"Make Hanabi do it," Tenten commented, chuckling. "I'm sure if you present it like an occasion to show off her skills in tracking and hitting small, quick prey, she'll be delighted to help."
Neji privately doubted that Hanabi-sama would ever be delighted of anything, especially not hunting rodents for him. That and he could still throw a kunai himself. It was his leg that was hurt, not his arms.
"I'll find a way," he replied sharply, and got up to walk them back out of his apartment.
+
Stupid bird better appreciate it, Neji growled to himself as he tried to negotiate the narrow, slippery stairs leaving the basement while leaning on his crutch, holding his kunai and three dead rats by the tail. There was no railing. Usually his balance was good enough that it was not a problem, but he had to avoid reopening the few stitches on his back as well as sparing his leg as much as possible. He really should have thought to find a bag to carry his bounty as well. These rats were surprisingly heavy.
At least there was no one close by to witness how incompetent he was being.
"Neji-niisan?"
Neji repressed the urge to growl.
For such a shy girl, especially one who used to be terrified of him, Hinata could be surprisingly pushy when she thought that he was overworking himself. Before he knew it, Neji had been helped up the stairs, down the corridors, plopped down in a chair and was staring at his rebandaged leg, wondering how Hinata-sama had managed to do all that without giving him even one occasion to voice a complain. She was now standing by his sink, skinning one of the rats with a surprising lack of squeamishness. He didn't ask how she'd known about the bird. It was squawking and screeching so loudly, it was a wonder none of his neighbors had come to check what was up.
"If I may ask -- how...?" she asked softly, nodding toward the crate.
"Naruto," he snapped back, still annoyed.
She didn't flinch like she would have a few years ago; she smiled, as if that explained everything. "Ah, Naruto, of course. I saw him jump over the wall, but he looked in too much of a hurry to stop."
He's stopped for Neji, though... but that was probably that he needed to drop off the thing. And even then, he hadn't stopped long.
"Do you know where he was on his last mission?" Neji asked; he didn't particularly want to make conversation, but he needed more information on the possible origin of the beast, and as Hinata was free to walk around, she probably knew more than him.
"The Grass country, I think. I can check on the native species if you want..."
"Tenten is doing that," he replied.
Hinata turned away, head lowered like a kicked puppy.
"... if you wish to search on your own anyway, though, don't let me stop you," he added for some reason he didn't quite understand.
Beaming, she started mincing up the rat.
+
The stupid bird was not in any of the books Tenten had brought him back. Neji had narrowed it down, sure, but there was always a detail or two that didn't match. Tail feathers of the wrong size, wrong markings, wrong eye color, wrong -- argh. Stupid bird. The closer he'd found was Grass Plains Hawk, but the bird was bigger than it should be at this age. Of course Naruto would find him a freak as a pet.
He closed the latest book and leaned back in his chair, briefly closing his eyes. Of course the shrieking started again at precisely that second. Stupid bird was telepathic like that. Neji got up, spent a minute picking up his crutch, and hobbled to the kitchen counter. A rat was awaiting mincing. It was scary how much such a little thing could devour.
Listening to its demanding chirps, Neji tried to convince himself that it was good, that it meant the little pest was healthy and strong and wouldn't need too much coddling. It had been a whole two weeks, and Neji's handling hadn't killed it yet. But then, Neji's handling was the only sort that could be used on the beast in the first place; he was the only one fast enough not to get bitten and scratched every time he put his hand in the crate. Hinata-sama and Tenten had abandoned after a few days, and he didn't let Lee try in the first place; the idiot was always too scared of hurting Mr Downybutt to hold him tight enough, and as a result the bird regularly escaped. How one chick that couldn't even fly yet could manage to evade a skilled taijutsu user in a closed room was beyond Neji's abilities to comprehend.
Well, Naruto had been right on one count. He was definitely not bored. Tired was more like it. The bird required food every four to five hours.
Sighing, he deftly pulled the box out from under the table with his crutch and grabbed the bird when it attempted to pounce on his hand, folding the wings along its body.
"Calm down, stupid thing," he muttered, filling its beak with meat. In two voracious gulps, the bird's throat was empty again and it chirped for more. Neji fed it, eyeing it warily. One thing it was actually good for was his dexterity. Finding the right moment to put food in its beak and pull his fingers out of range was a challenge, considering how erratically the chick shook its head on all sides and randomly snapped at him. Also, if he didn't feed it fast enough, it attacked the hand he was using to hold its wings closed. He had so far not managed to feed it too quickly.
"Here," said Hanabi as she threw his door open, flung a few dead rats at his sink, and crossed her arms, glaring down her nose challengingly.
Neji ignored her, because diverting his attention at this point would have meant losing a finger.
Neji had never known if Tenten had suggested to Hinata to suggest it to Hanabi-sama, or if she'd gotten the idea on her own, but Hanabi-sama had been hunting for him. She brought more and more rats, but somehow the little hellbeast seemed to be eating more and more, and in the end there was always just barely enough. Neji thought that Hanabi-sama saw it as a challenge : flood Neji's kitchen corner with dead rodent carcasses before his evil pet could devour them all. Hanabi had not liked not being fast enough to avoid getting clawed, and she had not liked that her father had refused to order Neji to get rid of the animal. Hyuuga-sama was too busy to take care of such an unimportant problem.
So now she helped feed it. Neji had never understood any of his cousins. He was not going to complain, though, as long as it was to his advantage.
"Thank you, Hanabi-sama," he said absently as he fed the beast a crunchy bit of cartilage. He didn't want to be impolite, but if he'd looked sincere, Hanabi would have died on the spot. Or tried to kill him as an imposter. Or -- well, she would kill him anyway if he started to laugh for nothing, so it was better not to imagine her face, really.
"It was no challenge at all," she replied flippantly. Since he'd kicked her ass during a training session, she lived to beat him. It was kind of -- amusing. In a not-so-amusing way. He'd dedicated his life to beating the members of the Head Family, and even now it was hard not to challenge every one of them to prove how much better he truly was, despite belonging to the Branch Family. And she'd dedicated her life to beating everyone who was stronger than her in an effort to prove that she was not as weak as her sister, that she was indeed worth being the Hyuuga heir.
"It's getting bigger," she commented with a disdainful sniff as she stepped a little closer. "It's going to end up too fat to fly."
Neji repressed a flash of annoyance. "All babies are chubby and disproportionate, Hanabi-sama. I'm sure you've seen pictures of yourself."
Direct hit! an irreverent little voice commented as a thunderous expression passed over the girl's face. For one second, he was ready to turn around, but he'd only been imagining Naruto's comment.
"I'll have you know that Mother says I was a perfect baby!" she replied, offended. "This -- this animal is certainly not perfect. It's moth-eaten and chubby and -- and loud!"
Neji hid --badly-- a smirk. "All babies are noisy, Hanabi-sama, perfect or not. And it's not moth-eaten; it's losing its baby down."
He privately agreed that it made the creature even uglier than usual. But he'd gotten used to it.
"It, it -- do you even know if it's a male or a female?" Hanabi asked, still disdainfully looking down at him. She sounded contemptuous, but he knew her enough to realize that she was actually interested. Hinata and Tenten had asked too. What importance was it? He would never understand girls.
"No, I don't," he said in a tone that also meant he didn't care. "You're free to look," he added challengingly.
She smirked, and activated her byakugan. She was sure that she could find its genitals easily enough.
Neji smirked back. He knew where to find its genitals, but he could bet that she wouldn't know how to identify them anymore than he did.
"... What sort of mutant is this?" she finally growled, defeated.
Neji hid his smirk. He'd been just as confused. "Male birds don't have a penis, apparently. If the patterns are close enough to other birds of prey, we'll know when it gets its adult feathers. For now it's an it."
She grunted an acknowledgement -- he was surprised to recognize the gruff sound as an imitation of her father's sounds. Somehow, on an eleven-year-old girl, it failed to look as badass as it was intended.
"It's calmer now," she commented, frowning quizzically at the chick.
Neji looked down at the bird in his lap, and realized with surprise that the little beast was indeed calmer. It was still on its back, wings and claws blocked by one of Neji's hands. Apart from its head swiveling around to look at him, then at her, it wasn't moving.
"Maybe the rat was bad and now it's going to die," Hanabi commented with relish as she leaned forward just a little bit more.
A lock of her hair fell over her shoulder.
Shrieking, the bird exploded in a flurry of movements.
Two minutes later, the ruckus finally died down. There were brownish feathers floating in the room, Hanabi's hands and her chin were sporting bleeding claw marks, and Neji was heavily leaning on the table ; when he'd tried to get on his feet, he'd forgotten his bad leg. The chick was on the floor, hissing and beating its fluffy wings threateningly at Hanabi, a lock of black hair still tangled in its beak. It was as ridiculous as getting attacked by a chicken, Neji thought absently, except that chickens didn't have beak and claws that sharp, and didn't target eyes as a matter of course.
It had almost managed to reach them, too. Hanabi was livid.
"Don't move, Hanabi-sama," he ordered tiredly as he looked around for something -- a shirt or a blanket-- to throw on top of the bird and bring it under control. If it didn't return to its box fast, he feared what the Hyuuga heiress would do to something that had the audacity to threaten her byakugan.
Chirping angrily, the bird flopped toward him and proceeded to climb his pant leg. Not the injured one, thank god, or he would have killed it himself the second he felt the strong claws drive into his skin. Surprised, he kept still, waiting for it to reach his waist so he could grab it easily. It didn't struggle much, for once. He held it against his chest, its back to him, its claws closed around his bandaged forearm, as it hissed threats at Hanabi.
"... Well. I see it recognizes its mommy," Hanabi commented snidely. Her hands were still shaking. Neji decided not to comment.
"I apologize, Hanabi-sama. I didn't think it was going to do that."
For a second, he was seized by the irrational fear that she was going to demand the beast to be executed, and caught himself tightening his hold. A mildly offended chirp made him relax, and he blinked. He really didn't give much of a damn, except that Naruto had entrusted the bird to him and he didn't like admitting that he couldn't manage to complete such an easy task.
"... Hold it better next time," Hanabi snapped, without her usual venom, and stomped out, fingering the scratch on her face.
Well, at least she didn't seem enraged enough to complain to her father.
Neji looked down at the chick wearily, and once again trained his speed and precision by untangling the hair around its beak before it could bite a chunk out of his fingers.
"You're really more trouble than you're worth," he muttered, and limped to the crate to put it away for the next few hours. Maybe it would be quiet and he could manage to catch a nap.
+
Still unfinished, but
THUD.
Neji groaned, flopped face down on his bed and tried to bury himself in his pillow.
THUD.
The pillow was hard, because Neji didn't like soft things. It wasn't helpful right now.
THUD. Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratch. Thud.
Silence.
... ahh! Maybe...
THUD. THUD. SCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCH.
"... Stupid bird," he growled sleepily, rolling out of his bed and stumbling to the table. The massive oak plank he'd put over the crate to keep the hellbeast inside was a whole hand's length away from where it had been. He pushed it off -- the underside was scored with deep claw marks -- and stepped back cautiously.
The bird hopped out of the crate, perching on the edge and glaring around balefully. It screeched, flapping its wings vigorously, then settled down, staring at him. He knew what that look meant. Foooooooood.
Grumbling under his breath, he limped to the kitchen corner. He'd managed a whole six hours of sleep this time; not so bad, really, but the wake up call could be better.
The bird hopped from its perch and fluttered after him, chirping. Food. Food food food.
Neji found a small rat -- the last one in the rat box -- and started skinning it. Lately, he'd stopped taking the major bones out and even left some skin; it didn't seem to have any adverse effect. If any, the bird's claws and beak seemed to be getting even sharper.
He felt a prick at his ankle and looked down. Big yellow eyes looked up at him. Food! the chick demanded as it climbed -- or fluttered, sort of -- up his leg. Neji had taken to wearing thick combat-cloth pants, all the time. No one who had met the bird asked why.
He lowered his hand, let it grab onto his wrist -- protected by a thick glove -- as he gave it a boost to the countertop. It was getting surprisingly heavy. Soon, he would need to find a lock for the rat box, because in a few weeks at the very last, the bird would be flying.
And then he could set it free -- get rid of it.
He stepped back, putting the rat down in the sink -- it was easier to wash off the blood and the tiny bits the bird didn't swallow like that -- and watched it perch on the faucet. It stared down at the dead rodent for a few seconds, then with a screech, let itself fall on it. Neji smirked. It was hunting its prey so seriously; it was a pity so much intensity was put into hunting something that was already dead.
Leaving the bird to its meal, Neji hobbled to the crate to clean it. His leg was healing, and his back now only sported a faint scar. Soon, he would go back to the field. Maybe in a few weeks. He didn't know what he would do if he received orders before the stupid animal was old enough to ready to take its independence. Hanabi-sama would use it for target practice, and the bird didn't like Hinata-sama at all. Tenten's cat would object, and Lee should only be allowed to own turtles and other such slow, patient animals.
The crate cleaned and lined with litter and another of his old shirts again, he turned back to the sink, in time to see the bird jump from the counter, little wings fluttering madly to slow its descent. Neji revised his assessment. In ten days the bird would fly. He didn't know how long it would take before it flew well, though. But in any case, it would need exercise.
There was a thin rope lying on the table; he'd used it to tie scrolls closed, but he didn't need it anymore. Sitting to spare his leg, he dangled it negligently. Immediately, the bird's head swiveled and it zeroed in. There!! Moving!! With a screech, the bird bounced toward its target. Neji was surprised at the swiftness of the attack, but also faintly amused. The bird had misjudged the strength to apply and had rolled head over heels, getting tangled in the rope. Neji tugged gently on the other end to free the animal, but it refused to let go, beak firmly closed on it. It was still hungry.
"You can't eat that, stupid, it's not food," Neji grumbled as he tried to make it let go.
Finally, he managed to pull the slashed rope free, and put it in his pocket. If he threw it in the trash bin he had a feeling the chick would go dig it out, and the bin wasn't heavy enough to stay upright. Seeing the hellbeast trapped underneath would be amusing, no doubt, but he didn't feel like cleaning up.
The bird looked up at him, chirping disconsolately. It was still hungry. The rat had been small.
Neji frowned as he glared down at it. Five am, stupid animal, Hanabi-sama wasn't going to hunt for it if they went and asked now; she would cut it into pieces and feed it to the rats. And Neji's leg was still bothering him too much; he didn't feel like carrying the rats around like last time.
But then, maybe -- he eyed the animal thoughtfully -- maybe he could start training it to hunt for itself. At least, it couldn't hurt to try. He tied his hair back quickly, then emptied a bag of its scrolls and fitted a few kunai in the slots on the strap. It was wide enough to carry the animal through the corridors -- he didn't trust it out of his rooms, free to escape through the compound. Hyuugas didn't keep pets, but they did keep guard dogs, and he didn't want anyone to kill his bird thinking it was a spy animal.
Of course, actually getting it inside the bag was not an easy task, and at the end his leg ached and he had to shake feathers off his shredded shirt. Neji reminded himself to actually thank Hinata for the reinforced gloves next time he saw her, then frowned, disgruntled at actually having a good thought about his weak, irritating cousin. The bird was squirming and complaining loudly, which didn't get better when Neji picked up the bag and put the strap around his neck.
"Calm down, stupid thing," he muttered with annoyance as he wrapped an arm as support under the bag. It would be hard enough to use the crutch down the stairs, he didn't want to do it with a struggling bird too. It was heavy enough to put him out of balance.
He had to travel through half the compound to get to a place where Hanabi's hunting had left enough vermin to hunt. The walk calmed the animal, even though it was breathing a bit fast -- Neji could understand. If he was a flying animal, he would hate being confined in the dark, wings trapped like that.
Finally finding a basement room that seemed likely to contain some rodents, he closed the door behind him and carefully went down the stairs, erasing his presence skillfully. Inside the bag, the bird had gone still.
Slowly, silently, he opened the flap, offering his wrist to its claws, and pulled it out. With his byakugan he could see a few rats and mice trotting here and there, but Neji and his bird hadn't been noticed yet. He doubted it could successfully hunt one of the big ones yet; they looked vicious, and some were almost as big as the chick. Maybe he could build up its skills, start off small...
The bird and him saw the lone mouse wandering in a corner of the room at the same time. Instinctively, he gave a push, just as the bird launched itself off his arm. A kunai found itself thrown out of his hand and cut the mouse's hind legs just as it was going to disappear in a hole; two seconds later the bird was on it. There was lots of screeching, and at one time the mouse almost squirmed free, but the resistance didn't last long. Neji sat down on the last step to wait, watching his bird messily devour its first live prey.
Soon the bird would hunt rats. And then, maybe, bigger animals ; wild animals. Rabbits, foxes even -- it would be big enough for that someday.
For now, it ate its mouse. The mouse was tiny. But it was a good start.
It's a Neji-centric fic, because OMGNEJIPRETTYOMG. It's a present for Kineko, who will no doubt be happy that I'm starting to see the appeal, (tu devais pas m'appeler d'ailleurs?) and Saro, for encouraging my neji-wibbling vibes and inspiring me. :D
One could see very faint amounts of shonen ai (nejinaru) in it, but one could also consider it gen. I don't have an opinion either way.
Neji had seen him coming, of course -- not that seeing Naruto coming was anything special, even for people who didn't possess the byakugan. The noise he always made was enough of a warning in itself.
"Hey, Neji! I've got something for you."
... what he hadn't seen coming, was what Naruto had just deposited in his lap.
"I've got a mission, so I can't take care of it, but -- well, with your leg and all -- it will keep you busy for the next month or so, right? I know you're probably bored as hell."
The bundle squirmed, made an odd chirping noise. Neji lifted a corner of the blanket, in case the fabric had fooled his eyes or something like that.
"So -- I have to go, 'nother mission -- ANBU's running me into the ground, I swear!" He didn't sound like he actually minded. "Get better quick, okay? gottagoseeya!"
Neji looked up, but Naruto was already gone, bouncing down the corridors with the same enthusiasm he'd forced on the world when he was twelve.
The bundle chirped again, and squirmed, and tried to bite down on his finger. Neji looked down at the thing trying to claw its way free of the blanket it was wrapped in, and stared.
Naruto had given him a bird. A brownish, fluffy, pissed-off baby bird.
The idiot had forgotten to tell him where he'd gotten it, how old it was, what it needed to eat, and more important, if he even wanted it.
Neji glared at the bird. The bird glared back. From the way it pecked viciously at his fingers, Neji concluded that at least he had the reply to one of his questions; it just had to be carnivorous. Sighing, he got up, awkwardly holding the bundle under his arm, grabbed his crutch, and hobbled to the phone. Maybe one of his teammates would know how to find answers to his other questions.
+
"It sure is ugly," Tenten commented as she poked at the bundle of downy feathers.
"It sure is fast," Lee replied with a grin as she yelped and sucked on her bleeding finger. "I find it cute, too! Don't worry, Mister Downybutt. You're adorable. Tenten cannot recognize your true beauty."
"Stop grinning at the bird, Lee, you're making it nervous," Neji commented, and resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the nickname. "Leave it alone," he ordered, reaching out with his crutch to push the crate he'd placed the chick in under the table. Hopefully it would prevent anyone from bumping against it by accident, and the darkness would help settle down the thing.
"Aww, you're right, nap time for Mister Downybutt," Lee sighed as he gave the crate a regretful look.
Tenten was sucking on her finger thoughtfully. Neji looked up at her. She had a cat; it was more experience with animals than Neji had ever had in his life. Pets were not encouraged on the Hyuuga compound.
"Conclusions?"
"Carnivorous. Probably a bird of prey like hawks and eagles, not a vulture or an owl, seeing the shape of the beak and the claws. Can't say what species it is, though; I'd have to find a book. Did Naruto say where he found it?"
"No," Neji grunted, still annoyed at the way the blond had dashed in and out without even stopping to exchange a few words.
"It seems big, so it's probably an eagle of some sort, but I really can't tell."
"If you can drop at the library and find me the books most likely to be helpful, I'll find the info myself," Neji proposed. Tenten was busy these days, and he didn't want to make her actually research the stupid bird.
"Okay, I'll go this afternoon. It should survive on minced rat meat in the meantime, or maybe crushed insects or something..." she added, a teasing smile appearing on her face as Neji's upper lip curled faintly in distaste.
"But Neji can't hunt for his protégé while he's hurt!" Lee objected, looking heartbroken. "What a tragedy--"
"Make Hanabi do it," Tenten commented, chuckling. "I'm sure if you present it like an occasion to show off her skills in tracking and hitting small, quick prey, she'll be delighted to help."
Neji privately doubted that Hanabi-sama would ever be delighted of anything, especially not hunting rodents for him. That and he could still throw a kunai himself. It was his leg that was hurt, not his arms.
"I'll find a way," he replied sharply, and got up to walk them back out of his apartment.
+
Stupid bird better appreciate it, Neji growled to himself as he tried to negotiate the narrow, slippery stairs leaving the basement while leaning on his crutch, holding his kunai and three dead rats by the tail. There was no railing. Usually his balance was good enough that it was not a problem, but he had to avoid reopening the few stitches on his back as well as sparing his leg as much as possible. He really should have thought to find a bag to carry his bounty as well. These rats were surprisingly heavy.
At least there was no one close by to witness how incompetent he was being.
"Neji-niisan?"
Neji repressed the urge to growl.
For such a shy girl, especially one who used to be terrified of him, Hinata could be surprisingly pushy when she thought that he was overworking himself. Before he knew it, Neji had been helped up the stairs, down the corridors, plopped down in a chair and was staring at his rebandaged leg, wondering how Hinata-sama had managed to do all that without giving him even one occasion to voice a complain. She was now standing by his sink, skinning one of the rats with a surprising lack of squeamishness. He didn't ask how she'd known about the bird. It was squawking and screeching so loudly, it was a wonder none of his neighbors had come to check what was up.
"If I may ask -- how...?" she asked softly, nodding toward the crate.
"Naruto," he snapped back, still annoyed.
She didn't flinch like she would have a few years ago; she smiled, as if that explained everything. "Ah, Naruto, of course. I saw him jump over the wall, but he looked in too much of a hurry to stop."
He's stopped for Neji, though... but that was probably that he needed to drop off the thing. And even then, he hadn't stopped long.
"Do you know where he was on his last mission?" Neji asked; he didn't particularly want to make conversation, but he needed more information on the possible origin of the beast, and as Hinata was free to walk around, she probably knew more than him.
"The Grass country, I think. I can check on the native species if you want..."
"Tenten is doing that," he replied.
Hinata turned away, head lowered like a kicked puppy.
"... if you wish to search on your own anyway, though, don't let me stop you," he added for some reason he didn't quite understand.
Beaming, she started mincing up the rat.
+
The stupid bird was not in any of the books Tenten had brought him back. Neji had narrowed it down, sure, but there was always a detail or two that didn't match. Tail feathers of the wrong size, wrong markings, wrong eye color, wrong -- argh. Stupid bird. The closer he'd found was Grass Plains Hawk, but the bird was bigger than it should be at this age. Of course Naruto would find him a freak as a pet.
He closed the latest book and leaned back in his chair, briefly closing his eyes. Of course the shrieking started again at precisely that second. Stupid bird was telepathic like that. Neji got up, spent a minute picking up his crutch, and hobbled to the kitchen counter. A rat was awaiting mincing. It was scary how much such a little thing could devour.
Listening to its demanding chirps, Neji tried to convince himself that it was good, that it meant the little pest was healthy and strong and wouldn't need too much coddling. It had been a whole two weeks, and Neji's handling hadn't killed it yet. But then, Neji's handling was the only sort that could be used on the beast in the first place; he was the only one fast enough not to get bitten and scratched every time he put his hand in the crate. Hinata-sama and Tenten had abandoned after a few days, and he didn't let Lee try in the first place; the idiot was always too scared of hurting Mr Downybutt to hold him tight enough, and as a result the bird regularly escaped. How one chick that couldn't even fly yet could manage to evade a skilled taijutsu user in a closed room was beyond Neji's abilities to comprehend.
Well, Naruto had been right on one count. He was definitely not bored. Tired was more like it. The bird required food every four to five hours.
Sighing, he deftly pulled the box out from under the table with his crutch and grabbed the bird when it attempted to pounce on his hand, folding the wings along its body.
"Calm down, stupid thing," he muttered, filling its beak with meat. In two voracious gulps, the bird's throat was empty again and it chirped for more. Neji fed it, eyeing it warily. One thing it was actually good for was his dexterity. Finding the right moment to put food in its beak and pull his fingers out of range was a challenge, considering how erratically the chick shook its head on all sides and randomly snapped at him. Also, if he didn't feed it fast enough, it attacked the hand he was using to hold its wings closed. He had so far not managed to feed it too quickly.
"Here," said Hanabi as she threw his door open, flung a few dead rats at his sink, and crossed her arms, glaring down her nose challengingly.
Neji ignored her, because diverting his attention at this point would have meant losing a finger.
Neji had never known if Tenten had suggested to Hinata to suggest it to Hanabi-sama, or if she'd gotten the idea on her own, but Hanabi-sama had been hunting for him. She brought more and more rats, but somehow the little hellbeast seemed to be eating more and more, and in the end there was always just barely enough. Neji thought that Hanabi-sama saw it as a challenge : flood Neji's kitchen corner with dead rodent carcasses before his evil pet could devour them all. Hanabi had not liked not being fast enough to avoid getting clawed, and she had not liked that her father had refused to order Neji to get rid of the animal. Hyuuga-sama was too busy to take care of such an unimportant problem.
So now she helped feed it. Neji had never understood any of his cousins. He was not going to complain, though, as long as it was to his advantage.
"Thank you, Hanabi-sama," he said absently as he fed the beast a crunchy bit of cartilage. He didn't want to be impolite, but if he'd looked sincere, Hanabi would have died on the spot. Or tried to kill him as an imposter. Or -- well, she would kill him anyway if he started to laugh for nothing, so it was better not to imagine her face, really.
"It was no challenge at all," she replied flippantly. Since he'd kicked her ass during a training session, she lived to beat him. It was kind of -- amusing. In a not-so-amusing way. He'd dedicated his life to beating the members of the Head Family, and even now it was hard not to challenge every one of them to prove how much better he truly was, despite belonging to the Branch Family. And she'd dedicated her life to beating everyone who was stronger than her in an effort to prove that she was not as weak as her sister, that she was indeed worth being the Hyuuga heir.
"It's getting bigger," she commented with a disdainful sniff as she stepped a little closer. "It's going to end up too fat to fly."
Neji repressed a flash of annoyance. "All babies are chubby and disproportionate, Hanabi-sama. I'm sure you've seen pictures of yourself."
Direct hit! an irreverent little voice commented as a thunderous expression passed over the girl's face. For one second, he was ready to turn around, but he'd only been imagining Naruto's comment.
"I'll have you know that Mother says I was a perfect baby!" she replied, offended. "This -- this animal is certainly not perfect. It's moth-eaten and chubby and -- and loud!"
Neji hid --badly-- a smirk. "All babies are noisy, Hanabi-sama, perfect or not. And it's not moth-eaten; it's losing its baby down."
He privately agreed that it made the creature even uglier than usual. But he'd gotten used to it.
"It, it -- do you even know if it's a male or a female?" Hanabi asked, still disdainfully looking down at him. She sounded contemptuous, but he knew her enough to realize that she was actually interested. Hinata and Tenten had asked too. What importance was it? He would never understand girls.
"No, I don't," he said in a tone that also meant he didn't care. "You're free to look," he added challengingly.
She smirked, and activated her byakugan. She was sure that she could find its genitals easily enough.
Neji smirked back. He knew where to find its genitals, but he could bet that she wouldn't know how to identify them anymore than he did.
"... What sort of mutant is this?" she finally growled, defeated.
Neji hid his smirk. He'd been just as confused. "Male birds don't have a penis, apparently. If the patterns are close enough to other birds of prey, we'll know when it gets its adult feathers. For now it's an it."
She grunted an acknowledgement -- he was surprised to recognize the gruff sound as an imitation of her father's sounds. Somehow, on an eleven-year-old girl, it failed to look as badass as it was intended.
"It's calmer now," she commented, frowning quizzically at the chick.
Neji looked down at the bird in his lap, and realized with surprise that the little beast was indeed calmer. It was still on its back, wings and claws blocked by one of Neji's hands. Apart from its head swiveling around to look at him, then at her, it wasn't moving.
"Maybe the rat was bad and now it's going to die," Hanabi commented with relish as she leaned forward just a little bit more.
A lock of her hair fell over her shoulder.
Shrieking, the bird exploded in a flurry of movements.
Two minutes later, the ruckus finally died down. There were brownish feathers floating in the room, Hanabi's hands and her chin were sporting bleeding claw marks, and Neji was heavily leaning on the table ; when he'd tried to get on his feet, he'd forgotten his bad leg. The chick was on the floor, hissing and beating its fluffy wings threateningly at Hanabi, a lock of black hair still tangled in its beak. It was as ridiculous as getting attacked by a chicken, Neji thought absently, except that chickens didn't have beak and claws that sharp, and didn't target eyes as a matter of course.
It had almost managed to reach them, too. Hanabi was livid.
"Don't move, Hanabi-sama," he ordered tiredly as he looked around for something -- a shirt or a blanket-- to throw on top of the bird and bring it under control. If it didn't return to its box fast, he feared what the Hyuuga heiress would do to something that had the audacity to threaten her byakugan.
Chirping angrily, the bird flopped toward him and proceeded to climb his pant leg. Not the injured one, thank god, or he would have killed it himself the second he felt the strong claws drive into his skin. Surprised, he kept still, waiting for it to reach his waist so he could grab it easily. It didn't struggle much, for once. He held it against his chest, its back to him, its claws closed around his bandaged forearm, as it hissed threats at Hanabi.
"... Well. I see it recognizes its mommy," Hanabi commented snidely. Her hands were still shaking. Neji decided not to comment.
"I apologize, Hanabi-sama. I didn't think it was going to do that."
For a second, he was seized by the irrational fear that she was going to demand the beast to be executed, and caught himself tightening his hold. A mildly offended chirp made him relax, and he blinked. He really didn't give much of a damn, except that Naruto had entrusted the bird to him and he didn't like admitting that he couldn't manage to complete such an easy task.
"... Hold it better next time," Hanabi snapped, without her usual venom, and stomped out, fingering the scratch on her face.
Well, at least she didn't seem enraged enough to complain to her father.
Neji looked down at the chick wearily, and once again trained his speed and precision by untangling the hair around its beak before it could bite a chunk out of his fingers.
"You're really more trouble than you're worth," he muttered, and limped to the crate to put it away for the next few hours. Maybe it would be quiet and he could manage to catch a nap.
+
Still unfinished, but
THUD.
Neji groaned, flopped face down on his bed and tried to bury himself in his pillow.
THUD.
The pillow was hard, because Neji didn't like soft things. It wasn't helpful right now.
THUD. Scratchscratchscratchscratchscratch. Thud.
Silence.
... ahh! Maybe...
THUD. THUD. SCRATCHSCRATCHSCRATCH.
"... Stupid bird," he growled sleepily, rolling out of his bed and stumbling to the table. The massive oak plank he'd put over the crate to keep the hellbeast inside was a whole hand's length away from where it had been. He pushed it off -- the underside was scored with deep claw marks -- and stepped back cautiously.
The bird hopped out of the crate, perching on the edge and glaring around balefully. It screeched, flapping its wings vigorously, then settled down, staring at him. He knew what that look meant. Foooooooood.
Grumbling under his breath, he limped to the kitchen corner. He'd managed a whole six hours of sleep this time; not so bad, really, but the wake up call could be better.
The bird hopped from its perch and fluttered after him, chirping. Food. Food food food.
Neji found a small rat -- the last one in the rat box -- and started skinning it. Lately, he'd stopped taking the major bones out and even left some skin; it didn't seem to have any adverse effect. If any, the bird's claws and beak seemed to be getting even sharper.
He felt a prick at his ankle and looked down. Big yellow eyes looked up at him. Food! the chick demanded as it climbed -- or fluttered, sort of -- up his leg. Neji had taken to wearing thick combat-cloth pants, all the time. No one who had met the bird asked why.
He lowered his hand, let it grab onto his wrist -- protected by a thick glove -- as he gave it a boost to the countertop. It was getting surprisingly heavy. Soon, he would need to find a lock for the rat box, because in a few weeks at the very last, the bird would be flying.
And then he could set it free -- get rid of it.
He stepped back, putting the rat down in the sink -- it was easier to wash off the blood and the tiny bits the bird didn't swallow like that -- and watched it perch on the faucet. It stared down at the dead rodent for a few seconds, then with a screech, let itself fall on it. Neji smirked. It was hunting its prey so seriously; it was a pity so much intensity was put into hunting something that was already dead.
Leaving the bird to its meal, Neji hobbled to the crate to clean it. His leg was healing, and his back now only sported a faint scar. Soon, he would go back to the field. Maybe in a few weeks. He didn't know what he would do if he received orders before the stupid animal was old enough to ready to take its independence. Hanabi-sama would use it for target practice, and the bird didn't like Hinata-sama at all. Tenten's cat would object, and Lee should only be allowed to own turtles and other such slow, patient animals.
The crate cleaned and lined with litter and another of his old shirts again, he turned back to the sink, in time to see the bird jump from the counter, little wings fluttering madly to slow its descent. Neji revised his assessment. In ten days the bird would fly. He didn't know how long it would take before it flew well, though. But in any case, it would need exercise.
There was a thin rope lying on the table; he'd used it to tie scrolls closed, but he didn't need it anymore. Sitting to spare his leg, he dangled it negligently. Immediately, the bird's head swiveled and it zeroed in. There!! Moving!! With a screech, the bird bounced toward its target. Neji was surprised at the swiftness of the attack, but also faintly amused. The bird had misjudged the strength to apply and had rolled head over heels, getting tangled in the rope. Neji tugged gently on the other end to free the animal, but it refused to let go, beak firmly closed on it. It was still hungry.
"You can't eat that, stupid, it's not food," Neji grumbled as he tried to make it let go.
Finally, he managed to pull the slashed rope free, and put it in his pocket. If he threw it in the trash bin he had a feeling the chick would go dig it out, and the bin wasn't heavy enough to stay upright. Seeing the hellbeast trapped underneath would be amusing, no doubt, but he didn't feel like cleaning up.
The bird looked up at him, chirping disconsolately. It was still hungry. The rat had been small.
Neji frowned as he glared down at it. Five am, stupid animal, Hanabi-sama wasn't going to hunt for it if they went and asked now; she would cut it into pieces and feed it to the rats. And Neji's leg was still bothering him too much; he didn't feel like carrying the rats around like last time.
But then, maybe -- he eyed the animal thoughtfully -- maybe he could start training it to hunt for itself. At least, it couldn't hurt to try. He tied his hair back quickly, then emptied a bag of its scrolls and fitted a few kunai in the slots on the strap. It was wide enough to carry the animal through the corridors -- he didn't trust it out of his rooms, free to escape through the compound. Hyuugas didn't keep pets, but they did keep guard dogs, and he didn't want anyone to kill his bird thinking it was a spy animal.
Of course, actually getting it inside the bag was not an easy task, and at the end his leg ached and he had to shake feathers off his shredded shirt. Neji reminded himself to actually thank Hinata for the reinforced gloves next time he saw her, then frowned, disgruntled at actually having a good thought about his weak, irritating cousin. The bird was squirming and complaining loudly, which didn't get better when Neji picked up the bag and put the strap around his neck.
"Calm down, stupid thing," he muttered with annoyance as he wrapped an arm as support under the bag. It would be hard enough to use the crutch down the stairs, he didn't want to do it with a struggling bird too. It was heavy enough to put him out of balance.
He had to travel through half the compound to get to a place where Hanabi's hunting had left enough vermin to hunt. The walk calmed the animal, even though it was breathing a bit fast -- Neji could understand. If he was a flying animal, he would hate being confined in the dark, wings trapped like that.
Finally finding a basement room that seemed likely to contain some rodents, he closed the door behind him and carefully went down the stairs, erasing his presence skillfully. Inside the bag, the bird had gone still.
Slowly, silently, he opened the flap, offering his wrist to its claws, and pulled it out. With his byakugan he could see a few rats and mice trotting here and there, but Neji and his bird hadn't been noticed yet. He doubted it could successfully hunt one of the big ones yet; they looked vicious, and some were almost as big as the chick. Maybe he could build up its skills, start off small...
The bird and him saw the lone mouse wandering in a corner of the room at the same time. Instinctively, he gave a push, just as the bird launched itself off his arm. A kunai found itself thrown out of his hand and cut the mouse's hind legs just as it was going to disappear in a hole; two seconds later the bird was on it. There was lots of screeching, and at one time the mouse almost squirmed free, but the resistance didn't last long. Neji sat down on the last step to wait, watching his bird messily devour its first live prey.
Soon the bird would hunt rats. And then, maybe, bigger animals ; wild animals. Rabbits, foxes even -- it would be big enough for that someday.
For now, it ate its mouse. The mouse was tiny. But it was a good start.
no subject
I really like the Hyuuga family dynamics, and the way you've developed Hinata and Hanabi. Those two really would baffle Neji.
...he's cute when he's baffled. :-)
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
I can't wait to see how Neji will react if Naruto tries to take the bird back from him. Because if he becomes upset, then he's showing he actually cares for the thing (and somehow he strikes me as the type that doesn't like to show affection)...but I think he'd be hurt if he lost his new friend.
Hope you write more soon!
no subject
^_^ more <3