Title: A Husband's Duty

Summary: He would protect her in her state of vulnerability because it was his duty and he loved her.

Pairing: Neji/Kagome

Anime: Naruto/IY

"N-Neji…" she called groggily.

"Sh." He ran his hand over her forehead, brushing her bangs aside. "Go back to sleep."

Her tired blue eyes stared up at him, and she smiled slightly. The feel of his hand was wonderful to her exhausted mind, but the nagging need to ask her question remained. "Is there s—" she yawned, "—something wrong?"

"No," he assured her. "I just thought I heard a noise."

"Mm-kay," she quietly mumbled. She trusted him and his Byakugan. If he said there was nothing there, then there most likely was nothing there. There was no reason to say otherwise, so she cuddled back down into the covers of their bed, and allowed his soothing hand to slowly help her drift back into the land of dreams.

His lips tilted just slightly, while she fell back into her peaceful state of unconsciousness. And he tucked a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, brushing his knuckles across her cheek, before he stood from the bed. His hand instinctively reached for his yukata in that moment, lying innocently in a nearby chair, and he slipped it onto his body as he turned toward the door.

He was glad Kagome had not sensed them, though his eyes bulged with the Byakugan and caught sight of the three unknown chakra signatures with ease. She would have made such a fuss, begging him to let her help him rid the Hyuuga compound of them. And he would have had to tell her 'no' a thousand times, most likely ending the fight as the enemy attacked and forced her to participate.

This way was definitely better.

Opening the door, he took a brief glance back at the small woman behind him, and then stepped out into the hallway. The door clicked back into place with a jerk of his hand, alerting the hidden enemy as the chakra signatures shifted. It was far too dark for them to catch sight of his Byakugan, but his current mission did not require them knowing that his kekkei genkai was activated. It only required that his opponent was eliminated.

Moving away from the room, the three signatures focused themselves upon the door, as he had expected them to do. They were after her. Her and the child she might carry. It was the only explanation, as he stealthily slid out of sight and swiftly materialized behind the first of his opponents.

Pressing his fingers into the back of the man's neck, he watched as he slid to the floor without a sound. Only the loud thump alerted his partners that he had been eliminated, and the moment the first turned, his hand had already pressed into his sternum, sending a wave of chakra straight to his heart. The second man, unlike the first, died.

"What the fuck?" the third cursed.

Sweeping his hand out again, Neji went for the man's throat. However, the third seemed more intelligent than his unconscious and dead partners, as he retreated a safe distant from his gentle fist style. His eyes followed him without needing to turn his head, though he did turn his pale eyes upon him, noticing that the stare seemed to unnerve him just a bit.

"Heh," the other shinobi chuckled. "We were expecting you to be on a mission. Apparently someone around here's been handing out false information."

"Who sent you?" Neji demanded.

"You should know I'm not gonna give up that information," the man growled. "Even if I knew who told us to retrieve your precious little wife. All I know is that we received a very tempting offer via scrolls—much safer that way for our employer—and now I'm going to be taking that sweet little woman you're protecting."

Kunai flashed through the hallway, and Neji easily slid from their path. The other man was clearly trying to gage his reaction time, considering any intelligent shinobi would have at least tried to attach paper bombs to the end of the kunai in order to distract him. He would be easy enough to kill. And it was rather surprising, considering the last attempt at kidnapping his wife had contained at least capable shinobi that might have slipped by him if it were not for his Byakugan and suspicious nature.

Slipping down into a stance, Neji smirked just slightly.

"Shit," the other man cursed, recognizing the stance.

"Hakke Rokujuu Yonshou," Neji stated, easily flying across the distance that separated them and beginning to strike the other shinobi rapidly. His Byakugan saw all of the chakra holes, and his fingertips dug into them, blocking the flow of chakra and effectively putting an end to the other shinobi's mission.

A few doors opened nearby, as other Hyuuga members stuck their heads out to see what all the commotion was about. One even stepped out, frowning at the three bodies lying in the hall—one dead and the other two unconscious. "Neji-sama?"

"Two of these men need to be taken to Tsunade-sama for questioning," Neji quickly commanded. "The other needs to be taken to the hospital. The medic's may be able to determine where they came from if Tsunade-sama or Ibiki cannot get any information out of the other two."

Dipping his head, the other Hyuuga agreed to do the task.

Knowing that the work would be done—considering the other branch members took it upon themselves to make sure he and Kagome got everything they needed—Neji returned to his room. He ignored the man lying outside, knowing he would be gone by morning, and pushed the door open and closed with ease. Once inside, he slipped the yukata away from his body and returned to his side of the bed, looking down upon the tired, sleeping woman snuggling into the blankets for warmth.

Once again, he reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair away from her face. She grumbled a little, calling his name, and the faint appearance of a smile touched his face as he slid underneath the covers. She sensed his warmth almost immediately, rolling into him and allowing her arms to tuck into his side, while he continued to gently smooth her hair away from her eyes.

Another wave of protectiveness washing over him, Neji allowed his Byakugan to deactivate as his hand rested on her flat stomach. Tonight, perhaps even tomorrow, he would remain awake for her. To make sure that she got the rest that she needed and they did not have any untimely visitors, no matter how many times foolish countries thought they might get by his Byakugan.

It was his duty, after all, he planned to fulfill it.

--Fin