Reborn as Sakura and Hinata: Lost in the Wind

Hyuga Time: The Traditional Menace

I rocked from my heels to my toes anxiously as I waited for the door to be answered. I hadn't spoken with Neji all that much since Hina left, and, while he never said that he blamed me, I could tell that he was angry. Angry at me? Who knew. But when it came down to it I just knew he was mad at something. The world perhaps? I was definitely mad at the world. The world sucked!

The door opened to reveal a mildly surprised Neji. He seemed to be doing okay.

"Oh, good afternoon, Sakura." he greeted way too formally, "Can I help you?"

"Drop the act buddy, you don't need to act like I'm the Hokage." I scoffed as I strolled inside. Neji blinked at me in surprise before letting out a small laugh.

"I... apologize, it's been a while since I've socialized I suppose." he smiled shyly at the ground, a hint of self-deprecation in his eyes, "But... well, do you need something?"

"I'm working on your seal, dumbass!" I cried exasperatedly, causing him to flinch.

"Oh, right, um, that." he fumbled with his words, "I suppose I forgot about... that."

My expression softened, "Well, lots has happened, but that doesn't change the fact that I made a promise to get that damn thing off your face."

Neji chuckled at my crassness, "Yes, I would really like this 'damn thing' off of my face."

"Alright then!" I clapped my hands together, "Let's get to work!"

We both sat down at the kitchen table, and I got out a few of the sealing books I brought with me, turning to marked pages and pulling out notes. Neji removed his headband, setting it to the side and picking up one of the note pages, brow furrowing as he read it.

"What does this mean?" he turned the page to me, glaring in confusion, "It looks like a child's story."

I plucked the page out of his hand, "Well, I've read in a sealing history book that most sealers will use stories when they create a seal to help remember them. The symbols that are then used to create the seal are a representation of that story."

"Oh, I see, a mnemonic device." he nodded.

"Pneumonia what?" I quirked an eyebrow at him.

"It's a tool to help remember things." Neji sighed in a very Hinata-like manner, "Like an acronym or a song?"

"I know what one of those things are!" I chirped. Neji raised a hand to his face, trying to hide a chuckle.

"You are..." he shook his head good-naturedly, "so strange."

"I'll take that as a compliment." I grinned.

"So, what's the story of this seal?" Neji refocused the conversation.

"Well... it's a caged bird seal, so it's about a caged bird." I huffed.

"Not very creative are they." Neji noted, seeming just as unimpressed as I was, "What's the moral?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." I sighed, "It's about destiny and stuff. Something about breaking free from a cycle." I studied the recreated drawing I did of the seal, "That's as far as I've gotten. I don't know what happens to the bird in the end."

"Well, you've done a fantastic job sorting this out so far." Neji gave me a small, comforting smile, "I'm sure you can figure it out."

"Th-thanks..." I was momentarily flustered by the unexpected praise from Neji of all people.

I worked for a few more minutes in silence, glaring at the marks and the symbol guide in one of the textbooks.

I let out a groan of frustration, "I can see all the little details in the story but I can't see the big picture!" I shoved myself away from the table, causing Neji to jump at my sudden outburst, "I don't understand! The 'X', the two lines! I understand all the in between scripts but I just don't know what it all means!"