Put Up With It (Neji x OC)

Part Three (FINAL)

Hane yawned and rolled over, expecting to have plenty of room on the plush bed.  She was immediately faced with a solid wall of warmth.  Surprised, her onyx eyes flew open as she pushed herself upright, allowing the memories of the previous day flow into her mind.

Upon realizing that she was married, she fell back onto the bed sheets with a grunt.  She felt the other side of the bed rise and fall as it squeaked.

"Good morning..." Neji yawned as he pushed his wait on his elbow.  He leaned over Hane, who had now turned away from him and laid on her side.  His long brown hair fell over her shoulders and her dark eyes met his white ones.

With a small smile, Hane covered her face with the soft pillow her head was laying on.  Neji rolled off of the bed and ran a muscular hand through several strands of hair, not noticing when the girl pilled the pillow down slightly, just allowing her eyes to drift over to him.

Throwing the pillow, Hane sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed.  She stood, and without a word, ran off to the kitchen that had yet to be used.

"Hey, where are you going?" Neji called after her, but she didn't respond.  "Are you ignoring me?" He asked, slightly concerned.

"No."

"Then where are you going?"

"I want food." She began to search through cabinets as she quickly walked through the small room.  Neji chuckled as he reached behind her, stopping her in her tracks.  He opened a cabinet far above her head.  It contained a rice cooker which he pulled to the counter.  Her obvious expression had told him that she didn't know where the rice was, and he laughed again.

He walked to another high cabinet and pulled down a large jar full of white rice grains.

After the rice was fully cooked and steaming, Hane spooned an equivalent amount into each of their bowls and placed them on opposite sides of the dining table.  The white-haired girl raised her chopsticks in preparation to shovel the grains of rice into her empty stomach.  However, she was stopped by Neji's voice.

"This is our first meal together..." He mumbles.  A raised eyebrow from the girl asks 'so what?'

Neji laughs and changes the topic abnormally.  "You've changed since I first met you.  I mean, for the better." He smiles, but doesn't meet Hane's eager gaze.  She just wants to eat.  "I thought you would be polite and, you know, 'stiff.'"  He wiggles his shoulders awkwardly.  "But you're normal and casual, and it's nice."  Hane returns a small smile before finally consuming the rice that was waiting to be eaten.

Thus, the newly married couple ate in silence.  There seemed to be no extreme sort of uncomfortableness in their relationship, but they could not pass as a legitimate married couple besides the fact that they shared the same bed.  They had not showed any significant affection, whether kissing or even hugging, they barely touched each other.  However, both Hane and Neji smiled together and talked openly.  They accepted each other and did not dislike anything about one another.  They were friends, but nothing more besides the occasionally blush, usually from something that Neji said kindly.

About a week into their commitment, Neji and Hane sat together at the dining table in silence, per usual.  But the brown-haired man raised his voice.

"I have a mission tomorrow." He declared quietly.

"A mission?" Hane asked for clarification.

"My missions will bring in money." Neji defended and didn't meet Hane's onyx eyes.

"I understand, but what if you don't come back one day?" Hane skipped to the exact thing that was on her mind the moment he mentioned returning to his role as a ninja.  Finally, he gazed at her with translucent-toned eyes.

"I'll always come back." He smiled in assurance.

"Everyone says that." Hane slumped her shoulders in her seat and nibbled on her food.  Her attention became alert again when Neji clapped his hands together and lowered his head in a form of a bow.

"I promise that I will always return to your side." He opened one eye to see pink tones rise to Hane's cheeks.

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The following morning, Hane woke up to an empty bed.  She had grown quite used to feeling the mild warmth emitting from Neji's body on the other side, and she felt empty without it.  She rolled over and tugged his designated pillow closer to her body.  She wrapped it within her arms and nuzzled her face into the plush cushion.  It was still warm from when he had lied on it for a few hours before heading to his mission.

Hane stayed in the position, clutching Neji's pillow, for an hour or so before heading to investigate the Leaf Village that she knew hardly anything about.

Pulling on her leggings and significantly long blouse, she left the humble apartment owned by the new Hyuga couple.  Her first task was to buy ingredients and all sorts of food to supply the generally empty cabinets.

During her peaceful stroll to the village's market, she encountered particularly memerable characters.  One had striking blonde spikey hair while the girl with him had short peach-colored hair.

"Hey! You're that girl that Neji married!" The blonde boy called out.  Hane nodded.  "You're kinda cute! I bet you're making Neji happy!" He exclaimed with a slightly perverted tone in his voice.  Before she could respond, a fist collided with the back of his head and she looked at the girl beside him.

"I'm sorry! He really is a moron."  She bowed apologetically as the blonde rubbed his head with a silly expression on his face.  "I'm Sakura Haruno, and this is Naruto Uzumaki."

"My name is Hane Azay-" She stopped herself from continuing and corrected herself, "Hyuga." Hane also bowed.  "Nice to meet you, Haruno-san and Uzumaki-san." She said respectfully.

Both Sakura and Naruto chuckled.

"Please, we don't really use honorifics with others that are our age." Sakura waved away the way Hane had addressed them.

"Sakura?" She tested the sound on her tongue.

"Mhm!" Sakura acknowledged happily.

"Don't forget me, Naruto!" The boy chimed.  Noticing the basket within her hands, Hane remembered the task she had assigned herself.

"Oh, I have to go.  Nice to meet you two, though." Hane smiled and pulled a strand of hair behind her ear before walking down the path and continuing to the market.

"Nice to meet you too, Hane!" Sakura called after her as Naruto waved in a silly fashion.

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Two days later, Hane had slid the traditional paper door in the Hyuga compound open, allowing the fresh spring breeze to flow through her white hair.  A blooming cherry blossom tree grew in the center of the yard before her.  The trunk protruded from the green ground right beside a glass-like pond, lined with spherical grey stones.  When the wind blew, pale pink petals fluttered to where Hane stood at the edge of her apartment.

She stepped bare-footed into the grass and took a seat on a large stone by the pond, allowing cherry blossom petals to fall on her head, shoulders, and even in the palms of her hands.  The peaceful sight made her smile and gave her an internal sense of calmness.

A rustling behind her made the girl jump and back into the beautiful tree.  The rustling grew louder until a familiar brown-haired ninja emerged from the greenery.  He ran a hand through his thick hair and smiled humbly at her.

"No 'welcome back?'" Neji asked as Hane took a deep breath.  She let a half-smile grow on her lips.  He slowly stepped closer, and closer, and closer.  He kept walking towards her until he was inches from her.  She had to tilt her head backwards to look into his mysterious white eyes.

From the couple who had never really touched each other, Neji took Hane's pale face in his hand and pulled her chin to his face.  He cautiously placed his thin lips on hers, but let her go quickly.

"What was that for?" Hane asked with a blush present on her cheeks.

"I wanted a well-deserved 'welcome home' from my wife."