Talking to strangers

Chapter 40: Heal

Neji leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, giving me his attention.

" You see Hinata is someone I hold so close to my heart. I'll never forget the day she first entered my life she was so fragile and broken, ranting about something that's seems so trivial now to her."

As I spoke the image of her sitting on that bar stool flashed in my head.

" I was drawn to her, because I saw myself in her. Only until I got to know her a bit the more did I realize just how similar we were. We were prisoners, bound to our past, trying to make it each day but struggling, because we couldn't let go. We were hurting."

Neji's gaze intensified.

" She and I went through a lot. And only until I confronted my past head on and freed myself from it did I realize just how important it is that she did the same. I want to break those chains."

I leaned forward a bit and maintained eye contact with neji.

" What happened to her Neji? I've heard bits and pieces but I want to understand completely. I get I'm prying a bit here, but I'm desperate. The reaction she had just seeing your picture, tells me just how fresh these wounds still are."

I looked to my hands and crunched them into a fist.

" You know she keeps a box under her bed filled with pictures of you and her sister along with letters she's never sent."

I saw something flicker in Neji's eyes as he drank his tea.

" It just doesn't make any sense for her to be so attached to you guys and you all don't reciprocate it."

I tilted my head, " Tell me is it true whats she says do you guys really hate her?"

A somewhat sad smile melded into Neji's face and he brushed his hair back with his hands.

" Hate her?"  he laughed out loud before looking down at his cup, "What a foolish girl."

I was ready to be defensive, but when he faced me again I had a change of heart.

He look pitiful, sorrow etched into his expression as if given a another moment he would break down into tears.

" Naruto even after all these years I think about her everyday. Before I close my eyes each night I pray for her forgiveness. I was so useless so young and naive and as her older cousin I should have done all I could to protect her but I failed."

Neji grit his teeth and tore his gaze away from me.

" Her father called her weak. He was wrong. I was the one who was weak. I stood on the side lines while he destroyed her and I did nothing."

" Even now I can't even find the courage to pick up the phone and call her. What use would it be to apologize to her now?"

" Why did her father treat her so poorly?" I asked.

Neji swallowed and looked out the window as he responded, "He didn't always. He actually use to be quite caring towards her and her sister. But things changed after their mother passed away."

As he looked out the window I could tell he was reliving the moment as he spoke.

" It was a car accident he was able to get out but her mother was pinned in the car and unable to be freed. By the time the ambulance showed up it was too late."

" He never was the same. He buried himself in work, her mother loved the dojo, so he made it his new passion."

" He began to neglect his daughter's, he put extreme responsibilities on Hinata, she had to be stronger. Tougher. So that they could recruit more people for the dojo. But Hinata was never a fighter, she was just a kid that wanted to go outside and play with her friends and spend time with her father."