Neji always said that his destiny was never to lose again. After the day Naruto won against him, he swore it would be the last time he ever lost.
However, looking at you, jogging over to him with a smile on your face, he always lost himself. Every time he saw you, he told himself it would be the last time it ever happened, but it never seemed to work out in his favour because it would continuously occur.
You were just so... beautiful. You always had been, even when you were a kid when he was supposed to think girls were gross. The way you would put effort into the things you loved, when you would be kind to people that didn't deserve it, he couldn't help but lose himself in you.
⠀
He also swore that he would never admit it. He had a reputation as a shinobi and as a Hyūga to uphold, and he couldn't worry himself with trivial matters such as girls. No matter how much he wanted to.
He was proud of himself for pulling the facade this well. The act of not caring when you would wave to his team when you passed by. Looking back, he now knew that you were waving to Tenten, but you entranced him so much that he automatically assumed that you were actively pursuing him.
You hadn't paid that much attention to Neji until you were 14. You had never really thought boys were all that interesting; the only man in your life that you weren't related to was your sensei, Kenji. Your teammates were both girls, and you never interacted with your classmates back in the academy enough to see any of them as friends.
⠀
You had just returned from a mission the day you properly met Neji. You were exhausted, along with Mayu and Mika, your teammates. However, Kenji didn't let you go home and rest, not just yet, anyway. He insisted that you all have lunch with his friend, Might Guy. He and Guy were the kind of people who were always full of energy, no matter the time of day. You later discovered Guy's student, Rock Lee, was the same way.
You supposed that that was the reason why you decided to focus more on Neji rather than his overenthusiastic sensei and teammate; they reminded you too much of your sensei. But Neji was different; he wasn't always going on about how maintaining youth was so beneficial.
You found yourself speaking to Neji more often, simply because it was a way for you to catch a break and get some silence from a male.
Eventually, you found yourself falling for him.
⠀
And that was why you were making your way over to him, a smile on your face. You weren't kids anymore, and the Fourth Shinobi World War had just ended, with Neji nearly losing his life. Luckily, the medics managed to save him in time, and that was why he was here today, watching you head in his direction.
"Hello," you spoke, panting slightly. "I've been running nonstop for the last half-hour. Lee made me join him," you rolled your eyes as your smile turned playful. "I didn't have it in me to say no."
"You, not saying no to Lee?" He raised an eyebrow. "You're being extra sweet today. Normally you'd reject his offer to exercise without even hesitating."
"Yeah, well... I do owe Lee a lot. He helped get you to the medics that saved your life. Without him, I have no idea where you'd be."
Neji sighed. "Everyone goes on about that. As grateful as I am, maybe it was my destiny to die."
You shook your head. "I disagree. I think it was your destiny to be saved. Here, follow me."
You led him over to the graveyard, where the bodies of those who had lost their lives in the war laid to rest. You stopped in front of a particular gravestone, one outlined in gold.
"This is my uncle. He lost his life in the war. Not this one; it was the one that killed Lord Fourth. He gave his life so that the tailed beast could be sealed-"
"In Naruto," Neji finished. "Yes, I understand."
"They couldn't save him in time," you continued. "They didn't get to him quick enough. In your eyes, his destiny was to die. But it wasn't yours, nor was it his. Never say dying in the war was your destiny again." You glared at him, your eyes burning something fierce, something he never wanted to see again. But it was you. And he loved you.
So he took you by the shoulders and looked you directly in the eyes. Your glare faltered and eventually stopped, for you had no words. "Neji, what-"
"Your eyes are so pretty. I never want to see that look in them again."
⠀
From that moment on, Neji's favourite way to look at you was when something gold reflected onto you. It didn't matter what it was, but he loved how the colour reflected on your eyes.
Which was why, when he once again got lost in the way you looked, it wasn't just because of how you appeared to him. It was because nearly everything around you was laced with something gold.
And you didn't mind. After all, it was his wedding, too. If it made him happy, it made you happy. The colour gold suited Neji well; it wasn't like the bland white he always wore or the green that seemed to take up every corner when Guy and Lee were around.
And sure, Neji's kimono might be white. And just behind him, Guy and Lee were wearing the green jumpsuits they loved underneath their kimonos, the green on their chests being a dead giveaway. And if you turned your head, you could see Neji's uncle appearing to be disgusted at the fact that he wasn't marrying someone from his clan. Still, deep down, you knew that he held some form of happiness for his nephew.
You may not have a lot. But right now, walking down the aisle, kimono laced with gold, you couldn't find it in yourself to be upset.
Not when things felt like this.
