Warning: Very explicit sexual abuse.

"Be quiet, boy. We wouldn't want anyone to hear what a slut you are, now, would we?"

The elder's old and gnarled hand clamped over his whimpering mouth as he pushed the young boy's wet body back onto the bed. Neji's eyes shifted wildly, panic and the urge to fight coursing through his being. Grandfather shouldn't be doing this - not now! He had training with Hiashi-sama, and later he was to meet up with Tenten to help her with her new jutsu. Someone would come looking for him; they'd find out and then he'd be exposed.

Neji's eyes stung with fresh tears as Hyuuga Haruto settled his clothed body between his naked thighs. Moving strands of wet hair from the boy's jaw and neck, he nuzzled the prodigy's shoulder with his nose, inhaling his scent deeply. "Oh, I've missed you," he mumbled, voice thick with passion as he kissed gently at his pulse. "It's been too long, hasn't it? I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."

Neji's body tensed up uncontrollably, his whimpers muffled by Haruto's palm. His arms, once laying tensely by his sides, shot up, pushing at the man's shoulders as lightly as he could in his panicked state. Calmly, Neji's grandfather removed his hand from the boy's mouth, grabbing his slender wrists and pinning them above his head.

"S-stop this, please, Grandfather. I - I have training with Hiashi-sama this mo-morning-"

"Shhh…"

Slowly, gently, the Hyuuga elder let go of Neji's wrists so he could gently caress the boy's forehead, tracing the Caged Bird seal with his thumb before trailing his fingers to the boys soft lips. The old man smirked when his grandson flinched. Replacing his fingers with his tongue, he outlined Neji's lips, tasting his uneven, hitched breaths.

Neji went numb with fear. He kept his arms above his head as the man trailed wet, sloppy kisses down his torso and stomach, stopping to nuzzle his face in the dip between Neji's thigh and abdomen. The patch of dark, curly hair between Neji's thighs tickled the elder's cheek, coarse but wet from his shower.

Just get it over with.

Neji clenched his eyes shut and tightened his jaw, allowing the rest of his body to go limp.

I'm helpless to stop it. Some things… will never change.

The man fondled him gently, urging his flaccid penis to harden. He took Neji into his mouth, looking up at the boy for a reaction. Neji gasped as two weathered fingers entered him impatiently. Opening his eyes, he let his head flop to his side, gazing out of the window blankly as the man did what he wanted with him. He relaxed enough to stop his hips from jerking up into the warm mouth, from strangled moans to leave his lips.

Behind the drapes which partially covered his window, he thought of the birds flying freely through the air with envy. Being tethered to this earth and his torturous fate were things he'd never understand. Why was he even born in the first place?

"Ah-ahhh," Neji moaned breathily as those fingers found and abused the weakest spots within him.

Haruto released Neji's dick with a pop, studying the boy's reactions and feeling his own erection swell against his robes. He moved lower, sucking Neji's balls into his mouth and pumping and curling his fingers with fervor.

"Huhh - ahhh...hh…"

Neji's wide eyes continued to stare blankly, his stomach rising and falling with each moan. He could feel his body responding; he could feel himself failing. All conscious thought fled him and all he could do was lie there helplessly while this man helped himself to his body. Why was fate so cruel to him? Why did everyone else believe that they could change besides him?

When Haruto deemed the boy sufficiently stretched, he removed his fingers from Neji's ass and slowly kneeled between the boys thighs.

"Turn around, Neji."

Neji continued to stare vacantly, his arms limp over his head and thighs spread wide.

"Gah!" the man bellowed, cracking the palm of his hand across Neji's face to snap him out of his ridiculous stupor. Neji blinked rapidly as his head whipped to the other side before glaring up at the man above him. "Turn around."

"No," Neji growled, meeting the man's eyes defiantly, his own eyes hard yet glistening with unshed tears. The boy's disobedience had Haruto's cock hot and throbbing for him. He wanted nothing more than to thrust into the prodigy's arrogant little mouth, shoving his protests back into his throat.

But first, he'd take him from behind.

"You arrogant little brat," the man chuckled bitterly, shaking his head in disappointment. "You just don't learn." Haruto raised his hand to form that all-too-familiar hand sign, smiling cruelly at the pure fear in his grandson's eyes.

"No, please don't!"

The old man hesitated. "It is your destiny as a branch member to serve the main house, is it not?"

No. NO. Father, Naruto - was it all a lie? We cannot choose our fates. People don't change!

Neji attempted to turn himself around in his awkward position, but his fear restrained him. His sweaty palms clung to the sheets as he hesitantly turned his hips, wanting to oblige his grandfather in fear of the seal, but…

Haruto grabbed the back of Neji's thigh aggressively, struggling to flip the boy over onto his stomach. He succeeded, panting heavily as he excitedly moved his robes to expose his aching cock. Haruto smoothed his hands over Neji's round bottom, spreading the cheeks apart to expose his puckered entrance. He entered the male swiftly, sighing gruffly as heat surrounded him.

"Uhnn…still so tight…"

He positioned himself over the boy, holding his head down against his sheets, thrusting wildly into the tight hole.

People can't change. That's just the way it is.

His grandfather leaned down to gnaw wetly at his earlobe, rocking into Neji fast and hard.

"G-gnnn," the boy cried, only egging the old man above him on. At long last, Haruto slumped over him, coming inside of him with a disgusting wheeze.

But it wasn't over. It never ended.

"Sakura-chan, wait up!" Naruto shrieked as he chased after his pink-haired teammate, oblivious to the tautness of her shoulders and the scowl of annoyance upon her pretty features. "Jeez, don't tell me you're going to see Sasuke again!" he roared with a playful elbow to her ribs, falling in stride beside her with his signature goofy grin.

Sakura's brow twitched, her clever mind and creative imagination conjuring up her terrifying alter-ego, veins throbbing from her forehead, smoke blowing from her nostrils. She stopped abruptly in her tracks to put her hands on her hips. "Naruto!" she scolded. "You don't have to say his name like that!"

"Like what?!"

"Like it's a curse word, or something."

"Well, I don't understand what the rush is," he said, dodging her criticism faster than a kunai launching toward his throat. "We saw him yesterday, and the day before, and the day before! He's still as unlikeable as ever. Besides, you don't need to worry about Sasuke! Oh, I know. How about we go get some ramen together - or maybe we could go to that barbeque joint Chouji was telling us about! I finally got paid yesterday, see? It's on me! And then after that, if you still want to visit Sasuke, we can - Sakura-chan, wait!" he cried out at Sakura's retreating back, racing after her once more.

Recalling all the times Naruto had been there for her and how he'd saved her from her seemingly inevitable death made her hold her tongue. The irritable kunoichi merely shook her head and crossed her arms as she strolled down the grassy path.

"Are you still on that stupid diet? I mean, you don't have to eat barbeque, I'm sure they have something healthier that you'd like."

But sometimes he could be so infuriating!

Fiercely, Sakura turned on her heel, towering over the small boy with a scowl. "Would you just shut up, for once?! First of all, every shinobi got paid yesterday! Second of all, we aren't doing anything, Naruto. For your information, I'm looking for Hinata, and after that I'm going to train - alone! And then maybe I'll visit Sasuke. You know Lee is in the hospital, too, don't you? Just - go find someone else to bother!"

Fortunately for Naruto, he was used to Sakura's outbursts and didn't take them to heart. If anything, seeing her back to her old self relieved the blonde boy. She'd been sad and distant since the Chuunin exams, but to be fair, no one had been themselves after that. The invasion of their village and the death of the third Hokage had left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. Konoha didn't feel the same anymore. The tree branches sagged with the weight of blooming leaves, and remnants of rubble and debris listlessly littered the village. But it wasn't hopeless. Not even Orochimaru could change what lay beneath the rubble. Konohagakare and its people were resilient. Day by day, they were healing.

Once again, he began following her. "I didn't know you and Hinata-chan were friends," he said, attempting to tune the enthusiasm down a notch.

"Ugh, you're hopeless."

Sighing heavily, Naruto folded his arms behind his head, walking in silence beside his crabby companion before she finally spoke up.

"We're not exactly friends - more like acquaintances," she said, reluctantly. "But there's a fireworks display coming up and…"

"A fireworks display?"

"I wanted to see if she could tag along because… well…" Because it'll give me a chance to spend some alone time with Sasuke, away from YOU!Maybe that was too harsh, though, even for her. "Well, you remember her match with Neji. Her confidence must be so low right now! I thought it'd be nice to get together and get to know her a little bit more."

"You're wrong, Sakura," Naruto said bluntly. " Even though she lost, I've never seen Hinata more confident than when she had her match with that snob, Neji. She was like a completely different person! Not to mention I totally clobbered him afterwards! Haha!" The knucklehead pumped his fist in the air and hopped once, imitating the uppercut he'd delivered to Neji during their match.

Sakura sighed. At least Naruto was dense enough not to catch her lie... "That's not… exactly what I meant."

"Do you know where her apartment is anyway?"

"The Hyuga don't exactly live in apartments, Naruto. They live in a compound. You know, the giant block of buildings in eastern Konoha?"

"Oh, I always wondered what those were!" Sakura rubbed her hand down her face, exasperatedly.

"You never noticed the flags with the Hyuuga crest on every single one of those buildings?"

"Uhh… no?"

Hope. Less.

Neji tied his bandage off at the thigh, pulling his shorts over his hips with a grimace. He turned to the side, studying his battered body in the mirror. There was a visible bruise in the shape of a handmark on the back of his hip, a stark contrast against his delicate white flesh. A similar bruise marred his shoulder blade. Moving his hair aside to inspect the damage, Neji gingerly traced bandaged fingers over the bruise, wincing slightly when he made contact. He cursed under his breath before tying his hair back into his usual low ponytail, glowering at his reflection as he did so.

As a child, the young Hyuuga used to sit in front of the mirror for hours, shamefully staring at his curse mark and tracing its lines with trembling fingers. Nowadays he found himself repeating this ritual, just for a few moments, glaring at the reprehensible seal with narrowed eyes.

He gritted his teeth against his disgust, the helplessness he had felt earlier ebbing away only to be replaced by boiling, hot rage that simmered in his lower tummy. If only people knew what life as a branch member was like.

"No one would care," the brunette mumbled under his breath in response to his own thoughts.

Neji glanced at the clock as he emerged from his bathroom, noticing he only had five minutes before he had to meet with Hiashi.

"Looks like I won't be late, afterall."

Four minutes later, Hyuuga Neji sat kneeling in his uncle's study, palms flat against his thighs with his head held high.

His uncle entered moments after him with a subordinate in pursuit, paying no mind to his nephew's presence as he searched through his nearby desk. Neji stared at the man silently. His uncle's palms were large, scarred from years of battle and gentle fist training. Long and deceptively slender fingers extended from his palms, nimble as they sifted through neatly piled papers. They were so much like his father's hands - the hands which would hold him when he was having a nightmare, or pat him on the head when he was proud. Neji averted his eyes quickly as those hands fished out a scroll from the desk, passing it to his patiently waiting subject. The subordinate swiftly left the room, leaving Neji and his uncle alone.

After a few moments of silence, Hyuuga Hiashi cleared his throat to get his nephew's attention, acknowledging him for the first time. Lavender eyes regarded one another awkwardly.

"Neji," his uncle began. "I have business regarding my daughter, Hanabi."

"...Okay, sir," Neji said softly, urging him to continue.

"As you know, Hinata is reaching her thirteenth year… and members of the Main Household in their 13th year must spar one thousand times in preparation for Senbon Sparring; after that, the head of the household becomes her sparring partner and passes down jutsu secrets. However, I will not be able to help with with her training, nor will I be able to train you."

Hiashi shifted, crossing his arms over his chest and hiding those hands in his robes as he waited for a response.

"And when will you be leaving?"

"This afternoon. We will return next month"

"I'm sorry, Sir. I don't quite understand."

The man sighed. "Despite your branch member status, you are part of the main household by blood. Besides, nowhere in the bylaws does it state that a member of the branch family cannot partake in these preparations."

Neji grit his teeth, curling his hands into fists on his lap. "Lord Hiashi, I don't think I'm fit to be Hinata's sparring partner - if that's what you're suggesting," the prodigy replied haughtily.

"There is no one else to help her."

It wasn't a suggestion. It was an order.

Neji inhaled shallowly through his nose to keep the rising anger at bay. Only two months ago, Neji had nearly killed Hiashi's daughter and now the man trusted him to train with her with no supervision? What was he thinking? Was his uncle really that careless? Even with supervision, the last time he'd trained with her had gone horribly - his rage, her weakness… the seal.

He closed his eyes tightly to will the memory away.

'Hinata is suffering just as much as you are! It's not her fault her dad was born before yours!'

Naruto… you may be right, but it's difficult… to change how I feel...

"What is it, Neji?"

"It's nothing, sir," the 14-year-old replied, opening his eyes slowly. "I promised Tenten I'd train with her this afternoon, so can't it wait until tomorrow morning?"

The boy just didn't know how to hold his tongue, especially when it came to authority, it seemed. The brazenness with which he spoke never failed to irritate Hiashi.

"...And who is this Tenten?"

"She's my teammate, sir."

How shocking. I wouldn't expect a member of the head of the family to know anything about an 'insignificant' branch member such as myself. Even if he 'is' my uncle.

'After I become hokage, I'll change the Hyuuga clan!'

No. I shouldn't think like this. He's trying. That's all that matters, right?

After a few moments of tense silence, he sighed. "It's fine. I will train with Hinata this evening."

"Do well."

Neji stood up and bowed respectfully before leaving his uncle's study.

Hyuuga Hiashi sighed grimly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Neji's animosity toward the main family oozed from his entire being. It seemed reconnecting with his nephew was much easier in theory.