Author's Note: This will deal with delicate issue. The pairing is NejiHina. If you don't like it, is not mature enough to deal with it, or is offended by it.

Please stop reading now.

Otherwise, please continue on.

Times Changed

Times change. Things change. You start seeing things from different perceptives. You change the way you think of things, and you change inside as well as out. Your white on white eyes looks at things in a different way than before.

And you're looking, and she's looking at someone else. Her wise pupil-less pure white eyes - like innocence, like pearl - are not looking towards you at all. She's staring at the fool, the idiot, the one whom you had once told that people couldn't change destiny; but in the end he hadn't believed you, told you that you were wrong, and showed you just how much.

Now you're different. Now you look at the world with transformed eyes. You begin to see everything and everyone with a different view. Things that you had been sure of before, now you work to see from different angles. The things that had been had done, the words that had been spoken, and the actions you had never thought about, everything came back to you - changed and altered and not the same.

Your hatred for the Main House, gone. The dislike between you and your teammates, dissolved. The superiority you had felt towards Naruto, changed. And most of all, your feelings towards her.

Her, your cousin.

The Heir, the failure, the hated - and the pitied. The bird in the cage who could never escape. Fragile, weak, delicate and - beautiful.

Your hate and your pity and your disdain and your anger and your rage and your resentment, all tumbled together and all changed.

You hadn't noticed it at first. At first you had only thought you had been looking at her with different eyes, different views, different angles of the truth. You had thought everything had been forgiven and you were only trying to build a new relationship between the two of you.

But time passed and you started to notice things. Things like how she was always, still, looking at the fumbling, clumsy idiot who was brave but not wise. Things like how she herself had changed, how she wasn't as weak and as self-conscious as before.

Things like how Shikamaru was actually quite qualified for the Chounin title.

Things like how she got along with her teammates.

Things like how the dog boy was always following her with his eyes.

Things like how Ten Ten was always seeking your attention.

Things like how she smiled and laughed more.

Things like how you were always seeking her out.

Things like how she was shy and distant to you.

Things like how time had passed but not everything had been changed.

Time had passed but the rage (about what?) was still there. Time had passed, but the jealousy (to whom?) was still there.

Things like how, you woke up in the morning every day, and when you looked in the mirror, the seal was still there.

So you were confused again. So you were lost again.

Naruto had said he would change the Hyuga when he was Hokage. But Naruto was young, and there would still be time needed for him to grow. Naruto was strong, but he still needed support. Naruto had friends but he still needed to learn love. Naruto was gaining respect but still you had more.

But Naruto is loved by all whom he was surrounded - and one more.

You began to notice that.

Sasuke and Sakura were his teammates. Kakashi and Iruka were his teachers. Jiraiya and Tsuande were his superiors. You and Gaara were his comrades.

She was his supporter.

She was constantly looking after him, trailing him, desperately hoarding all information that she could find on him. Wishing, hoping, one day for that opportunity for her to show that she was there, always supporting him.

You began to notice how she, your pale, young cousin was slowly growing up. You began to notice how she was starting to become more mature, and wise. You began to notice how she was delicate, and beautiful and worth protecting. You began to notice how she never seeked you out as she seeked him.

You began to be angry with him.

You began to get jealous of him.

You wanted her to notice you. You wanted her to want you. You wanted her to see you. You wanted her to make you the centre of her world. You wanted her....

You needed her.

So times changed.

So you changed.

So your feelings towards each other had changed.

But her feelings towards him had never changed.

She admired him.

She respected him.

She wished to be with him.

She wanted to be with him, in ways she never wanted to be with you.

But you are going to change that. You are going to make things different. You are going to be strong and powerful and respected.

And you are going to have her.

She is going to be yours.

Owari

Author's Note: Please let me know what you think. R&R.