Title: Freedom

Author: Sintari

Fandom/Paring: Naruto, Neji/Hinata

Challenge: #5 Commitment

Neji chooses a wedding gift today.

Lingering over the peddler's stall, he refuses to consider the dried cuttlefish, a traditional charm to encourage procreation. He also runs a long linen thread – meant to symbolize the gray hair of old age – between his thumb and forefinger before tossing it back with its fellows.

His finally settles on a rice paper fan – a symbol of future wealth.

When the ceremony is over, she will no longer be head of Hyuga and he will no longer be sworn to her.

So maybe there was one cage he never wished to be free of.

END

Thank you so much for reading the Stages of Love Drabbles! I only hope you enjoyed reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them! I encourage everyone to try their hand at drabbles – they appear so simple, but really it can be quite nerve-wracking to convey an idea in just 100 words. It's a good challenge for all you writers!