Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

Building it Back up

I shouldered the next set of boxes easily, channeling my chakra to my arm. The move-in was going quite well. Neji and I together had enough money to be more than self-sufficient, netting ourselves a spacious but unassuming apartment with multiple bedrooms. I carefully placed my next load into the house, mentally preparing myself for the organization that was going to come after everything was inside.

"Do you want any help with those?"

I turned to see Neji staring at the stack of boxes on my shoulder, one eyebrow quirked.

"Oh no, I'm fine, but thank you!" I smiled back at him slightly adjusting the stack, "If you could grab the next few boxes we'll be done in no time!" He nodded and walked off to grab some of our belongings.

We honestly didn't have that much to move in, the bulk of our cargo being new furniture for the apartment. With Sakura's help and my skills with stealth I had managed to sneak back onto the compound and grab the important things: clothes, sketchbook, my weapons and battle supplies. This, luckily for us, made the move-in relatively quick and easy. I looked at the last item to move in, a sizable bookshelf. Neji stood next to me.

"Should we both move it in?" he asked as I walked up to it and gave it a onceover, mentally calculating the best position to grab it at. To his shock I simply braced my shoulder against it and lifted it.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he walked over nervously, hands ready to catch it if it fell. I shifted a little.

"Like I said, I'm fine." I gave him another smile as I slowly made my way inside. Chakra was quite the amazing thing, but I could tell my neck was going to hurt for a while after the move-in. I felt a little of the weight lift, and I glanced back in surprise to see Neji behind me, also shouldering the shelf.

"You don't have to do everything by yourself." He simply said, "You know that right?"

"What do you mean?" I huffed, a touch of a laugh in my voice, "It's just a shelf."

"Hina," he sounded serious all of the sudden. We both set the shelf down near a wall, and he turned to look at me. "You're taking too much of the responsibility for what happened."

"What does that have to do with anything?" I crossed my arms over my chest, genuinely confused and a little indignant. Neji sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hina, you've been doing everything for the move. Don't think I haven't noticed. You did all the shopping, the apartment buying, and you hardly let me help you with the move-in."

"What's wrong with that?" I was starting to get a little angry, "I wanted to make sure we would be safe and comfortable. You were there with me when we bought everything!" I gestured angrily at him.

"You didn't let me pay for anything!"

"I had the money, and most of it was stuff I wanted anyways! I still asked you to make sure you were happy with everything!" I was trying to keep myself from shouting, Neji seeming to also keep a desperate grasp on control.

"It wasn't your fault I got hurt!" He finally blurted.

"What!?" I gave a humorless laugh, "Oh, I get it! You think that because I blame myself for the whole caged bird seal thing I'm trying to make it up to you... well," I paused, scrambling to find a counter argument, "you'd be right!" I spat, angry at having to concede.

"Why!?" Neji cried exasperated, "Why do you blame yourself!? I decided to defend you."

"You wouldn't have needed to if I had kept my mouth shut!"

"And what if I hadn't defended you? Where would you be now?"

"That doesn't matter!" I felt tears of guilt beginning to form, "What matters is that you got hurt. I couldn't care less if I had died in that moment!"