Ayumi spent a relatively short time there, and left after leaving behind a basketful of baked treats, that weren't quite treats.
" Hinata-nee, " (Name) whispered, and beckoned the lavender eyed woman to come near her. " Who is that woman from earlier? "
Before Hinata could even open her mouth, Hanabi butted into the conversation.
" Ah, her? " she said loudly. (Name) was secretly pleased that Neji was away at the moment - he had to go to an urgent meeting, and couldn't afford to miss it.
" That was Ayumi. She's a distant relative of ours, although I'd rather not call her a relative, " Hanabi huffed.
" But why? You both seem to.. Uh.. Dislike her, " (Name) murmured, carefully choosing her words.
" Dislike is an understatement. That girl is a disgrace to our clan! " Hanabi boomed, as if she was an actress in a historical drama.
" She's a real piece of work, that girl. Gosh, she makes me so angry! "
While Hanabi sunk into her own little cussing game, (Name) averted her gaze to Hinata and gave her a ' please tell me, she's hopeless, ' look. Heaving a sigh, Hinata nodded curtly.
" You see, (Name), the Hyuga clan is divided into two houses - the Main House and the Branch House, " Hinata began.
" Are you starting a history class here, sis? " Hanabi commented snarkily. Ignoring her sister, Hinata continued.
" I admit, there is an existing discrimination between the two houses - the Main always gets treated better. Hanabi and I, we're from the Main House. Neji-nii is from the Branch House, but he excelled in his studies and prove to be very capable, so his influence and prominence is probably the same as our father, who happens to be the clan head.
Well, that's Neji-nii's case. As for Ayumi, it's a whole different story. Her mother was an outsider, and married into the clan. She wasn't the best person there is - she has a lot of guys around her pinky, and tons of tricks under her sleeve. After Ayumi was born, her mother and father divorced, and her mother abandoned her. When she was five, her father passed away. I'm not saying that the Hyuga clan is a perfect clan or something, but having someone so ill-mannered in the clan is so rare. Ayumi constantly stirred up trouble, did horribly in school, and basically is useless to the clan.
Despite that, my father still let her live in the clan compound and gave her a monthly allowance, as she is an orphan. When Ayumi was sixteen, she eloped with a boy from her school, and I have to say he was nothing but bad influence. It was the final straw. My father kicked her out from the clan compound and disowned her. "
(Name) frowned after hearing Hinata's story.
" Well, let's say she's not the best person there is, but why do you hate her so much?"
Hanabi sighed, shaking her head. " It doesn't end there, (Name)-nee."
" After word got out, a lot of reporters literally swarmed around her. It was the perfect opportunity for her to get her revenge on the clan. Ayumi spread many false rumours, saying that she is innocent, and said that my father is a thickheaded imbecile, " Hinata said through gritted teeth.
Hanabi chuckled at the final sentence. " Although, I somewhat think the same way. Only that I'd rather use conservated. It's much more gentle on the palate."
" Neji-nii had to meet up with her, and negotiate. Ayumi finally agreed to shut her mouth, only if she was given one billion ryo. It's insane, but we had to comply to her demands. Although she literally spewed up lies, the society gulped down the hot news like stew on a cold winter day. Our clan is much more low-key than the other old clans, and any news is sizzling news.
Anyway, after she received the money, she left for Iwagakure. We didn't really bother to keep in touch, so we don't know what she's been up to. But now that she's back, I don't think it's anything good.
She probably wants us to give her more money. "
" She doesn't realise that money is earned, and you don't beg for it. I see plenty of disabled people who work, despite their disabilities. Amazing, those folks. But for that bitch, who has four functioning limbs, no disabilities and half of a brain, well maybe none - but hey, she can still work for a living, right? " Hanabi piped up.
(Name)'s eyes shifted between Hinata and Hanabi. Well, to her, Ayumi's tale was a common case of gold diggery. However, it occurred to her own family members, and there was a different feel to it.
" (Name)," Hinata called out suddenly. " If I were you, I'd watch out."
" Why? " (Name) replied in confusion.
" Ayumi and Neji-nii were close - very close. They literally grew up together, as they're both from the Branch House, and they're ages are only one year apart. Ayumi was fond of Neji, and would only listen to him.
Now that she's back, there are two possibilities.
She either wants money, or Neji-nii."
Two years, twenty fours months, one hundred and four weeks, seven hundred and thirty days - any that suits your palate. But yes, no matter how you measure it, be it year, month, week or day, the same amount of time had passed.
In that long period, it's impossible for a person to remain exactly the same as they were before, even the largest boulders break down after centuries of rain and sun. And as for a mere human, I suppose you know the answer.
(Name) was still working as Neji's secretary, and maintained a close professional relationship, but there are always things that happen behind closed doors. Not the usual(ish) CEO-secretary relationship, heck, Neji is not even the CEO, but a civilised, non contract and completely clean relationship.
Simply said, it was skinny love. Neither confessed out of fear of being rejected. Thankfully, there were no more issues that rose during that time, no more Makita, no more Megumi.
That particular evening, the Marketing Team were going out for a company dinner at one of the most famed bar and grill restaurant in Konoha.
Neji and (Name) sat in their seats, each typing furiously on their laptops, eager to get their work done.
' Just a little bit..' (Name) thought, biting her lip. ' A little bit more..'
" AHA! I finished it first~!" Neji stood up and began to do a wild victory dance. " You're not done yet, (Name)? " he questioned mockingly.
Scowling, (Name) folded her arms and threw him a sour look.
" You defeated an innocent young lady. You must be proud, " she huffed. Neji let out a loud chuckle, and approached (Name)'s desk.
" There's not much left. Just a little bit.. Ah, I'm done! " she grinned, shutting down her laptop.
Just as she reached for her bag, the door swung open and Harumi Ito poked her face inside.
" Neji-sama, aren't you coming to the company dinner? Most of them are on their way there, " she said.
" We'll be heading there soon, " Neji replied. Hearing his words, Harumi beamed.
" Aye, are you offering me a ride, Neji-sama? " she questioned cheekily.
" By 'we', I meant (Name) and I. If you don't have transportation, I suppose I could spare you a seat in my car."
Harumi scrunched up her face, and shook her head. " No thanks. I've got my own car, by the way," she said quickly and left.
" Are we not going? " (Name) whispered into his ear. His eyes darted towards her, and his lips quirked into a smile.
" That's a great idea. But the event wouldn't be the same without me, " he spoke. Neji linked his hand with (Name) and walked to the parking lot, hand in hand.
In those two years, a lot have changed, especially for (Name).
Appearance wise, she was still the cute and innocent faced village girl from two years ago, although she had matured considerably. She gained an air of elegance, and her strut was runway worthy. Her curves became more pronounced, and she knew very well how to flaunt them, and drive a man absolutely insane.
But she never did, for she was secretly hoping for one particular guy.
" Is this the place? " Neji asked, just to confirm. (Name) glanced at the business card in her hand and nodded.
" Yep, Dimitri's Bar and Grill. This is the place. "
" This is a pretty high end place," Neji sighed. Of course, as the leader(somewhat), he had to pay for everything that night.
"Ooh, they have tteokbokki(a Korean snack, consisting of ricecakes in chilli paste), " (Name) beamed, glancing at the menu written at the entrance.
Inside, all the members of the Marketing Team were seated at a large table, and there were only two empty seats there.
" There they are, " Neji said, pointing to the direction when the table was.
Just before (Name) could sit down, her seat was taken by another person.
" Excuse me? " (Name) frowned, staring at the woman in front of her.
" Ah, that's my friend Sakaki Yui from the modelling agency. She did the ad for our new smartphone, " Harumi butted in.
Seeing that unfold, Neji immediately opened his mouth.
" Oh really? I thought this was a company dinner, " he drawled venomously. 'And you have the nerve to invite an outsider here, ' he would like to add.
" C'mon Neji-sama. She technically works with us too, " the IT expert, Yoshikawa Hiro added.
Neji was getting annoyed with his workers - the way they singled (Name) out, and put an outsider's priorities on top. It made him angry, and Neji rarely got angry.
He stood up from his seat, and motioned (Name) to sit there.
" Neji-sama, if you're trying to get another chair, I suggest you don't even try. On weekdays, this place is so packed that you can't even get a seat. I reserved the seats just enough for our team, but I didn't know there was an extra luggage."
That was Daisuke Shimanaka, one of the workers who were actually fond of (Name). He wasn't afraid of speaking his mind, and showed support towards (Name) and Neji's budding relationship.
" But I might as well try, " he sighed, walking towards the counter. Seconds later, he came back holding a single plastic chair.
" I'm a regular here, so they're pretty kind to me. And I got you a seat, Neji-sama, " Daisuke smirked.
Once everyone was seated, they began ordering. The restaurant served all sorts of food, like barbecue, steamboat, pizza, burgers, and of course the tteokbokki that (Name) was so excited about.
(Name) was seated between Neji and Daisuke, and Yui was beside Neji, and next to her was Harumi. (Name) couldn't help but notice that Yui was trying to make a move on Neji, but decided to remain silent about it.
" My legs feel so sore from exercising so frequently. But I have to do so, for I have to maintain my body, " Yui smiled seductively, motioning to her long plastic-like legs. She purposefully scooted her chair nearer to the lavender eyed man, but not once did he pay heed to her actions.
" Neji-kun, can you get me some salad? " she cooed, motioning at the salad bowl on the other end of the table.
Hearing the sentence, (Name) felt a shiver run down her spine.
' Sheesh, even I never use the -kun honorific. Well, except when I'm teasing him. '
" Do you have hands? " Neji responded.
Frowning, Yui replied with a " Of course I do! By the way, I just manicured my nails this morning. And I had them painted too! "
" Why don't you used your hands with 'manicured and painted' nails and get the salad yourself, hm? "
Instantly, Yui's expression immediately changed.
Grumbling, she told Harumi to get the bowl, and spent her time chatting with Hiro Yoshikawa. Well, Hiro did most of the talking anyway.
" Is this the tteokbokki you were talking about earlier? " Neji blurted, staring at the bowl of ricecakes in front of (Name).
" Uh-huh, " she grinned, and popped another piece into her mouth. " Ah, it's so stress relieving, especially when you feel like smearing someone's face with wasabi paste. "
Neji observed the tteokbokki, and picked up his chopsticks.
" I suppose I need stress relieving too, " he sighed, silently motioning at Yui. Giggling, (Name) pushed the bowl closer towards him.
" Eat up. "
Neji chewed into the ricecake, and his face turned into a bright shade of vermillion.
" You didn't tell me that it's spicy! " he cried between gulps of water.
" It's red! Anyone would expect that! " (Name) protested.
" Red apples aren't spicy - umph -"
Neji was silenced when (Name) stuffed another piece of the chilli coated ricecake into his mouth.
" Shush. You said you wanted to relieve stress, " she spoke as-a-matter-of-factly with a raised brow right on cue.
Sighing, Neji actually agreed with the idea, and they ended up ordering another serving of tteokbokki.
There was a small griller in the middle of the table where meat was cooked, and when they ready to be consumed, Neji picked them up using a spatula, and filled (Name)'s plate with the grilled meat.
" Aye, you're even sharing plates! I'm surprised you're not an item yet! " Daisuke snickered.
Flustered, (Name) silenced him by stuffing a whole deepfried jalapeño into his mouth.
" Ah, it has cheese stuffed inside. So tasty, " he spoke, chewing on the jalapeño, and Neji eyed him in horror.
" Would you like one too? " (Name) asked. Neji gaped at her, as if the question was ' Would you like to jump off the building? ', or alternately as devastating, ' Would you date Sakaki Yui? '
" No, I'm fine with the beef, " he answered in a wavering voice.
There were several bottles of sake on the table, and most of the workers had chugged down a considerable amount of the alcohol.
When (Name) reached for the sake, Neji quickly took it out of her reach.
" You're alcohol-intolerant. Like, the worst drinker ever, " he whispered briskly.
(Name) pouted sadly. " Just one shot, please? "
Neji shook his head, and using his long hands, he placed it on the other end of the table.
Just when he turned his gaze back to (Name), his eyes widened when he saw Daisuke passing a shotglass of sake to her.
" Here ya go, (Name), " he spoke. Of course, he never seen the drunk side of (Name).
She took the glass from Daisuke with a brimming smile on her lips. " Thanks! "
" (Name) don't -"
She swallowed the alcohol in a single gulp - one moment it was there, and it the next, it was down her throat.
(Name) set the shotglass on the table, her face hidden by her hair. For almost thirty seconds, she remained frozen there, not moving an inch.
Daisuke frowned, and poked her lightly. Instantly, (Name) toppled over onto Neji.
" Gosh. This is why I told you not to drink it, " he sighed, taking the unconscious girl into his arms.
Daisuke grabbed the sake bottle and inspected it. " It's only 2% alcohol. She must be a really horrible drinker," he spoke.
Neji gathered (Name)'s things and placed them back in her bag.
" Only use this to pay for tonight's meal. If you use it for other things, the consequences are deadly, " he said, passing his credit card to Daisuke.
" Are you going already? " Harumi suddenly voiced. Neji simply nodded, and carried (Name) in a bridal style.
He placed (Name) inside his car, and drove off to the elite apartment complex where she lived at.
Luckily, there was a private elevator that was connected directly to her apartment, so the amount of odd stares were able to be minimised.
Neji laid her gently on the bed, the covers that were now a lovely shade of cerulean. As he tucked her in, he couldn't her but stare at her. He traced his fingers along her beautiful features, and they settled on her lips.
The lips that he hadn't kissed in two years.
After the event inside the Ferris Wheel carriage, they decided that it was too early to start a relationship, and that they would try again later.
However, in their hectic life, opportunities don't come so often. And they were foolish enough to let it pass so easily.
The instant attraction that Neji had for (Name) faded, but a deeper feeling began to develop.
As for (Name), she often had the urge to tell him how she felt about him, but decided against it.
How could she not? There are two things that destroy friendship - betrayal, and love. She wanted to escape the friendzone, but it was like entering a physical battle unarmed.
You either win, or alternately, die. Whichever that is more likely.
At the moment, she loved their friendship, but the idea of being something more appealed to her. And that was when she began her own little pity party.
' If only I am a good match for him'
' If only I am somebody important '
' If only I could deserve him '
The key phrase, is none other than 'if only'. People use that phrase very often, such as 'if only I was rich, ' or 'if only I was pretty'. In other words, for situations that would only happen in a dream, perhaps even hallucination, but never in reality. But maybe, (Name)'s wishes might actually come true.
In the dim lighting of the bedroom, (Name) appeared so angelic to Neji. He loved every single aspect of her, yet he had no idea how to tell her.
But tonight, no one was watching. No one was around them to give unwanted comments. He didn't care what people would think, for now, it was only him and her.
Neji stared at her lips, the lips he hadn't kissed in two years. With that thought in mind, he knelt down and kissed her lips gently, not wanting to wake her up.
' There. The lips that I kissed just now.'
♤
" Hana, what's that? " (Name) said glancing at the little bag that Hanabi held.
" Ah, this? Hm, I was wondering about it too, " she grinned sneakily. She took out what seemed like a pile of fabric, and unfurled it, revealing a lovely nightgown.
" I usually have many doubts about my designs, but for this particular one, I find even the mere idea of it perfect. I think it'd look lovely on you, " she cited.
The nightgown was in a stunning shade of periwinkle, and the fabric of it had a subtle glimmer to it. It was sleeveless, and the neckline had a V-shape, although it didn't expose too much cleavage. The bodice was loose, and the waist was tightened by a beautiful bejeweled belt, with rhinestones and sapphires encrusted on it.
The skirt was flowy, and the front fell right by her ankles, but the back trailed long behind her, like a wedding gown. The skirt had two layers - the bottom was a silky satin, and the top was a light and shimmery fabric.
" It's beautiful, it really it. But what is it for? " (Name) asked.
" Ah, it's for the annual company dinner of course. I designed my own dress too! " she squealed.
Hanabi's dress was an elegant burgundy nightgown. The sleeves were long and reached her wrists, and were made of fine lace. Instead of plain old fabric, her waist was covered by a mesh netting, and there was a slit from the bottom of her skirt up to her mid thigh.
" Wow. It's fiery, " (Name) said in awe.
" Ah, it's going to be cold in the night, so I made this as well, " Hanabi piped, handing (Name) a cardigan. It was pearly white, and instead of fabric or leather, it was made from fur. The cardigan made the entire ensemble look like what people would wear in a winter wonderland.
" It's absolutely stunning, Hana. Thank you so much, " (Name) said breathlessly.
" You're welcome. But I want you to do a favour for me, " Hanabi replied, wriggling her eyebrows.
" Hana, I don't have any money, they all belong to Neji, and I'm a horrible matchmaker -"
" It's not anything like that. I just want you to shine, more than anyone else. It's time that you show them who's the boss here, " she giggled.
" Yeah, maybe it is.. "