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The bird -- the end O_o
OMG I finished a fic. I, Asuka The Procrastinator, have finished a fic. OMG OMG OMG. Thank you ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
joosetta for being there. Wouldn't have bothered without you. *loves on*
Previous parts are just the previous post, so bleh, i'm not posting a link.
I need a beta now. Ayone interested?
The classified file was on his desk. He hadn't read it. There was no need now. Putting his hands on his hips, he looked around the clean, stark room. His books were neatly put away on the shelf, where they belonged. He wouldn't trip over them any longer. The crate wasn't here to prevent him from putting his legs under the table anymore, and for the first time in months, it didn't smell like dead and rotting mice.
Nothing unnecessary, nothing out of place. He looked once again, even though he knew that it was now easy to notice whatever he could have forgotten.
He stepped on the side to allow passage a second before Hinata-sama knocked and walked in.
"I... Healing salve, Neji-niisan. I made it for you."
He regarded the jar blankly, wondering why she cared if he got hurt again. His new bag was almost full with two changes of clothes, a few scrolls and weapons. He frowned briefly, then smoothed his expression. He didn't care. "If you can find a place for it, Hinata-sama," he replied with cold politeness.
"You don't mind?" she asked as she pointed at the bag.
"I don't care."
She sighed quietly as she knelt beside his bag and opened the top flap. "... Forgive me, Neji-niisan, but recently you don't seem to care about much."
He turned away, not replying. He should have been annoyed at her nosiness, but the truth was -- yes, he didn't care what she thought.
She was right. He didn't even mind that.
She was watching him. He arched an eyebrow, not so much asking why as daring her to voice whatever platitude she was formulating. For a few seconds, she met his eyes, and he was mildly surprised. But then she looked down, lips pursed, frowning faintly, and he turned away again.
"That idiot Naruto is at the gate," Hanabi announced from the door as she glared around impartially. Her older sister avoided her eyes, and Hanabi snorted, then glared up at Neji.
They hadn't talked since. The last time she'd hunted for him. She'd glared a lot, and had challenged him to several fights -- all lost, but some just a little bit slower than others -- but even though he'd heard her talk -- as if it was an accident that he happened to be around and be concerned by whatever she said -- they hadn't had a real conversation since then. He didn't miss the name-calling, or the false politeness. Harsh glares and punches conveyed well enough whatever there was between them.
"I'm finished," Hinata offered quietly as she gave him his bag.
"Thank you, Hinata-sama," he muttered. He checked the straps by habit, shouldered it, and walked out, his arm brushing Hanabi's shoulder as she refused to sidestep.
She turned to look up at him, tossing her hair back -- after he'd used it as a handle, she'd taken to tying it back the way he did, but there were always bangs hanging in her face. "Try to come back alive. I still have to pummel you into the ground."
He paused, then gave the briefest nod, and walked out.
Naruto, Tenten and Lee were waiting at the Hyuuga compound gate. He gave them a brief nod as a salute.
He was team leader for this mission, but Naruto was their guide, so he let him lead the way. He didn't reply much to the various attempts to engage him into actual, non-mission-related conversation.
He was out of the compound; he should have felt better. He usually did, when he was away from Konoha. This time, he couldn't feel much, not even annoyance when Lee challenged him again. There was something missing.
There was something missing, but as they walked away from Konoha, leaving the Hyuuga compound behind, he gradually stopped dwelling on it. There were other matters to take care of. Like the wild boasting competition between Naruto and Lee -- one that should have stayed between them, but that he ended up dragged in because they were weirdly a lot more interested in beating him that in beating each other. Or like Tenten's musings over the love life of this or that person, though she wasn't as annoying as the other two.
Or like the fact that he was suddenly quite hungry.
He tried to forget it. It was quite baseless; he'd eaten before leaving, and even if that was now more than hours away, he shouldn't feel hunger so soon. He should be concentrating on their surroundings inside. He hit Lee and Naruto over the head sharply and tried to stop being so distracted.
For a whole half-hour, he had total silence. It was restful. Still, food would be nice too. And he was finally starting to feel that dark cloud of depression lift -- he didn't even get that angry when he found the classified file he'd left on the desk in his bag's right pocket. Okay; that might have been false. Hinata-sama and her well-meaning interference.. She would pay. But it felt ... nice, to feel such real, sharp anger once again. Even if he was in the habit of controlling and hiding his feelings, it didn't mean that he didn't find not having any unsettling.
He tried teasing Lee, and discovered with surprise that taunting him was mildly entertaining once again. And food would be very nice. Mmm, food.
When he stopped walking, Naruto touched his shoulder. "Oi, Neji, you ok?"
Neji hissed, and caught himself jumping back, glaring -- then paused.
"You smell of fox, Naruto," he commented dazedly. The blond teenager froze and gaped at him. "You smell wrong. Like a predator. With sharp teeth. I -- don't like predators."
Dazedly, he looked around, fending off Tenten's worried touch. There was something -- he had to find ...
There was a little point in the sky. A point that had curved wings and weird markings and a sharp beak and sharper yellow eyes. A point that was hungry. Huuuungry. A point that wanted food, nownownow.
And when Lee pointed, and shrieked, "MISTER DOWNYBUTT!!!!", he wasn't even offended. He watched as his bird swooped down, stealing the piece of raw meat from his fingers; he watched it devour, feeling its fierce delight as it tore at its food awaken something inside him; and when it took flight again, his heart took flight with it.
+
That night, he dreamed of touching the sky again.
The end.
joosetta for being there. Wouldn't have bothered without you. *loves on*Previous parts are just the previous post, so bleh, i'm not posting a link.
I need a beta now. Ayone interested?
The classified file was on his desk. He hadn't read it. There was no need now. Putting his hands on his hips, he looked around the clean, stark room. His books were neatly put away on the shelf, where they belonged. He wouldn't trip over them any longer. The crate wasn't here to prevent him from putting his legs under the table anymore, and for the first time in months, it didn't smell like dead and rotting mice.
Nothing unnecessary, nothing out of place. He looked once again, even though he knew that it was now easy to notice whatever he could have forgotten.
He stepped on the side to allow passage a second before Hinata-sama knocked and walked in.
"I... Healing salve, Neji-niisan. I made it for you."
He regarded the jar blankly, wondering why she cared if he got hurt again. His new bag was almost full with two changes of clothes, a few scrolls and weapons. He frowned briefly, then smoothed his expression. He didn't care. "If you can find a place for it, Hinata-sama," he replied with cold politeness.
"You don't mind?" she asked as she pointed at the bag.
"I don't care."
She sighed quietly as she knelt beside his bag and opened the top flap. "... Forgive me, Neji-niisan, but recently you don't seem to care about much."
He turned away, not replying. He should have been annoyed at her nosiness, but the truth was -- yes, he didn't care what she thought.
She was right. He didn't even mind that.
She was watching him. He arched an eyebrow, not so much asking why as daring her to voice whatever platitude she was formulating. For a few seconds, she met his eyes, and he was mildly surprised. But then she looked down, lips pursed, frowning faintly, and he turned away again.
"That idiot Naruto is at the gate," Hanabi announced from the door as she glared around impartially. Her older sister avoided her eyes, and Hanabi snorted, then glared up at Neji.
They hadn't talked since. The last time she'd hunted for him. She'd glared a lot, and had challenged him to several fights -- all lost, but some just a little bit slower than others -- but even though he'd heard her talk -- as if it was an accident that he happened to be around and be concerned by whatever she said -- they hadn't had a real conversation since then. He didn't miss the name-calling, or the false politeness. Harsh glares and punches conveyed well enough whatever there was between them.
"I'm finished," Hinata offered quietly as she gave him his bag.
"Thank you, Hinata-sama," he muttered. He checked the straps by habit, shouldered it, and walked out, his arm brushing Hanabi's shoulder as she refused to sidestep.
She turned to look up at him, tossing her hair back -- after he'd used it as a handle, she'd taken to tying it back the way he did, but there were always bangs hanging in her face. "Try to come back alive. I still have to pummel you into the ground."
He paused, then gave the briefest nod, and walked out.
Naruto, Tenten and Lee were waiting at the Hyuuga compound gate. He gave them a brief nod as a salute.
He was team leader for this mission, but Naruto was their guide, so he let him lead the way. He didn't reply much to the various attempts to engage him into actual, non-mission-related conversation.
He was out of the compound; he should have felt better. He usually did, when he was away from Konoha. This time, he couldn't feel much, not even annoyance when Lee challenged him again. There was something missing.
There was something missing, but as they walked away from Konoha, leaving the Hyuuga compound behind, he gradually stopped dwelling on it. There were other matters to take care of. Like the wild boasting competition between Naruto and Lee -- one that should have stayed between them, but that he ended up dragged in because they were weirdly a lot more interested in beating him that in beating each other. Or like Tenten's musings over the love life of this or that person, though she wasn't as annoying as the other two.
Or like the fact that he was suddenly quite hungry.
He tried to forget it. It was quite baseless; he'd eaten before leaving, and even if that was now more than hours away, he shouldn't feel hunger so soon. He should be concentrating on their surroundings inside. He hit Lee and Naruto over the head sharply and tried to stop being so distracted.
For a whole half-hour, he had total silence. It was restful. Still, food would be nice too. And he was finally starting to feel that dark cloud of depression lift -- he didn't even get that angry when he found the classified file he'd left on the desk in his bag's right pocket. Okay; that might have been false. Hinata-sama and her well-meaning interference.. She would pay. But it felt ... nice, to feel such real, sharp anger once again. Even if he was in the habit of controlling and hiding his feelings, it didn't mean that he didn't find not having any unsettling.
He tried teasing Lee, and discovered with surprise that taunting him was mildly entertaining once again. And food would be very nice. Mmm, food.
When he stopped walking, Naruto touched his shoulder. "Oi, Neji, you ok?"
Neji hissed, and caught himself jumping back, glaring -- then paused.
"You smell of fox, Naruto," he commented dazedly. The blond teenager froze and gaped at him. "You smell wrong. Like a predator. With sharp teeth. I -- don't like predators."
Dazedly, he looked around, fending off Tenten's worried touch. There was something -- he had to find ...
There was a little point in the sky. A point that had curved wings and weird markings and a sharp beak and sharper yellow eyes. A point that was hungry. Huuuungry. A point that wanted food, nownownow.
And when Lee pointed, and shrieked, "MISTER DOWNYBUTT!!!!", he wasn't even offended. He watched as his bird swooped down, stealing the piece of raw meat from his fingers; he watched it devour, feeling its fierce delight as it tore at its food awaken something inside him; and when it took flight again, his heart took flight with it.
+
That night, he dreamed of touching the sky again.
The end.
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