─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───
I glued my eyes to the ground. I didn't want to bother looking at anything, or anyone. I just wanted to get out of there and go to the one place that I feel safe in the entire world.
If my father was still here, he would tell me to never let them win. But he's gone now, and I'm alone.
I only can tolerate Lord Hiashi sometimes, and sometimes I get angry.
I always feel angry. I'm angry that I'll always be seen as lesser than. As long as the mark on my forehead is there, I'll never be an equal. Sometimes I think that covering my forehead with a headband will make people forget that I'm apart of the lesser side—but I think it makes it more obvious that I am.
But that's always been my fate, to protect the main family. And that's all I'll ever be.
I was walking through the village, gazing at all the homes and shops stacked against each other.
I slipped past the large crowd huddled together in front of a shop and made my way to the small field of flowers, after all these years they never withered away, that I always go to. It's not far from home, but it's far enough.
I have very faint memories of a woman taking me there all the time when I was little, she looked a lot like me, I think she might've been my mom but I don't see her anymore. Every time I think of those memories, they're always good, it's nice to think about.
I stopped walking.
There was a shadow, it was there for only a quick second and it vanished. I tried to shake it off but it was there again.
It led me to a dead end alleyway, it hopped from the big garbage cans and over the fence.
I decided to follow it, I couldn't tell if it was a small person or some big animal but I wanted to find out.
I kept my distance, of course, and activated my Byakugan so I could follow it without them noticing. It was a person and it was a girl by the looks of it.
She was sitting on a large rock and looking down at a small stream, I deactivated my Byakugan and put my back against a large tree, I turned my head to look at her again.
I got a better look at her, she had big red piercing eyes that reminded me of a snakes sort of. She had a lot of hair, but it was unkept and messy. It was tied into a high ponytail and she had a long red ribbon tied around it. She was wearing a black and red kimono with a thin red outline of a symbol on the sleeve.
I assumed she belonged to a more richer clan because of what she was wearing.
But I've never seen anyone like her, if she belonged to an important clan then why would she go out looking like a mess? I didn't understand it at all.
To make things even weirder, a snake slithered out of her sleeve and it sat in the palm of her hands, she was smiling slightly and leaned forward and her nose touched the snakes snout.
I squinted my eyes and accidentally took a step forward, a branch cracked underneath my foot and in a flash she looked up.
We were looking directly at each other, her eyes were piercing into my skull and her snake locked its eyes onto me.
I got weirded out and ran away as fast as I could.
I looked behind me and luckily she wasn't chasing after me, I thought that she was gonna kill me for a second.
After a moment of thought, I decided not to go to my safe space and just head home.
From that encounter, I felt more safer at home than anywhere else.
____
I was laying in my bed, my arms and legs sprawled out.
I hated to admitted it but I was kind of scared of her.
Mostly because I've never seen her anywhere and her eyes, I was pulled to them but at the same time I wanted to get away.
Whenever I look at my window I think that I can see her big red eyes looking back at me, "Who is she?" I whispered out loud.
But eventually, I was able to go to sleep.
It was the next day. I couldn't get her out of my mind. There was something about her, and I still couldn't put my thumb on it. It wasn't just her eyes I couldn't forget about, it was everything.
I wanted to know who she is.
I was walking through the village, I was gonna go to that place where I saw her for the first time and check to see if she was there again. I wanna ask where she's from.
"Hello- no, no that's not good. Hi my name is—not that either. Should I sound more intimidating? My name is Neji Hyuga, who are you?" I was thinking of all the ways to confront her but none of them felt right.
I was lost in thought but I saw red.
I turned around it was her again. I couldn't believe it was her, I never stopped thinking about her from the last time I saw her but I didn't expect to see her again anytime soon.
The girl didn't notice me as I was walking up to her, she was way prettier up close, it made me nervous so I stopped walking and just waited to see what she was gonna do next.
I really wanted to talk to her but it was like my body didn't want me to move.
She was holding three apples in her hand, the girl started to walk away until she dropped one. I watched it roll to my feet slowly.
For a second it felt like the world stopped and it was only me and her left. She looked at me and tilted her head slightly.
Snapping back into reality, I immediately picked it up and walked up to her, "H-Here you go." I stuttered, and handed the apple to her. I realized how dumb I sounded and groaned out of embarrassment.
The girl smiled at me, and it felt like my heart was beating out of my chest. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack.
"You can keep." She held her arm out and offered me the apple, I reached out to take it and in the process of
taking it I touched her hand on accident, making me drop the apple.
I picked it up shamefully and I looked up, she was looking down at me smiling, "You are welcome." And she walked off.
I just stood there, completely in shock. I could feel my entire body heat up.
That girl is making me crazy.
A few hours passed, the sun was beginning to set, the sky was a bright orange, red, and yellow. I was sweating from the annoying heat and the fact that I had to train with Hinata.
She was sitting on the porch, completely worn out, I kept my distance and was leant against the wall.
"You haven't been really focused lately..." She said in a quiet tone, I glanced at her, "What?"
Hinata avoided eye contact, "You've been distracted lately."
I was slightly annoyed with her, although everything she does is intolerable this annoyed me, "Why don't you shut up and mind your own business for once?"
"Sorry..." She mumbled and reached behind her, she held an object in her hand, "What's that?" I asked, Hinata smiled and handed it to me, it was a golden hair comb, the small combs that women put in there hair as a decoration of some sort.
It had jewels as red as blood dangling from the hair piece, I thought it looked cool, "What's it for?" I handed it back to her, she then put it inside a small box and set it aside.
"Haven't you heard? The Akashi's are throwing a celebratory party for the kidnapped girl who returned a few days ago."
I raised an eyebrow, "Who?" I asked while biting into my apple.
"Inari Akashi." She responded.
I looked down, "Inari... huh."
___
"Come on! Don't you wanna see the village?" I turned around and looked at a set of twins, both with big piercing red eyes and black hair. They looked almost identical but I could tell that one was a girl and the other was a boy.
The boy was more energetic and outgoing while the girl hid behind him and looked anxious. I was more distracted by the girl, because she stood out. She looked more unkept and messy as opposed to her brother who was more neat.
I squinted my eyes at them and I started to remember her brother, his name is Kiyoko and he's apart of the Akashi clan. He's also in the Pure Family. One time he and his mom visited the Hyuga complex, he tried to talk to me before but I ignored him.
They both stood outside a shop, I saw her hold her brothers hand tightly before they went in. He looked at her and without exchanging a word to each other, he went inside and she stayed outside.
I began walking towards her and accidentally bumped into a lady, I apologized and continued walking up to her. But I stopped in my tracks and hid behind a food stand.
I think she saw me staring because she looked in my direction but I quickly looked away.
My cheeks started to get hot and I touched my cheeks, slightly embarrassed. I peeked from behind the stand and she was gone.
I looked a bit longer and her brother wasn't there either.
"Lost her, again."
___
It was at the celebration for Inari's return, it was me, Hinata, Inari, Kiyoko, and Amaya that were hanging out together.
My back was against the tree as I tried to separate myself from the group.
I heard footsteps getting closer to me, I looked up and it was Inari.
I looked at her and froze. She looked at me and smiled.
"It's nice to finally meet you, Neji Hyuga."
─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───