Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its characters.
Powerful
It is not every question that deserves an answer.
-Publilius Syrus
Chapter 8
When I looked back up, there was no smirk. Not a single trace of one. Instead, I was frowning, an expression of confusion etched into my face. That, and my eyes were as wide dinner plates. Oh dear.
It's strange trying to examine myself. I'm trying my hardest to be objective, as an experienced medic nin should, and just as I handle my patients' cases. But every time I stack up the reasons as to why I just might be crazy, I always felt myself boiling underneath. Gee, I wonder why.
…
I am not crazy!
Let's see. Strange voices? Hallucinations?
SHUT UP! I AM NOT CRAZY!
Unless those voices were audible and was smirking, but I'm really doubting either of those possibilities. I'd always settle my thoughts and convince myself that I don't need to visit a psychologist. But then, this itty bitty, teensy weensy voice in the back of my head speaks out of turn.
What if?
I sighed exasperatedly and ran my fingers through my already disheveled hair. I gazed back at the mirror, and suddenly realized I'd been staring myself in they eye the whole time. How strange it was to be unaware of such a thing…
Well, crazy people do have a tendency to come off a bit strange and certainly must do strange things.
"Shut up!" I hissed, my eyes tearing themselves away from the mirror. It was only later that I realized I had spoken aloud to a voice who could hear my every thought.
How silly of me.
ARGH! I had just convinced myself that I was not crazy when this…this…
It was the same voice as before from Ichiruku's, except louder and clearer. The echoes seemed to ricochet off the inside of my skull as a massive headache stormed over me. The voice had been so much stronger than me.
So much more powerful…
I found myself running out of my room and out of the apartment, barely glancing at the startled puppy awoken from his nap. I slammed the door behind me and made a beeline to—where? Where exactly was I running?
Maybe I should have thought that part over; but my mind was running elsewhere and my legs were desperate to keep up. I needed to go to a quiet place, where I could slow my racing thoughts and think. I really needed to cool off.
Hey, maybe this was a dream…
Yes, yes. A horrid, frightening dream! A nightmare! And all I had to do was pinch myself, I would wake up in my own bed, safe and sane. I halted in the middle of the street, closed my eyes, and pinched my arm.
…
…
…
Ouch. Why did I do that again?
When I opened my eyes, I found myself gazing at the ominous, cloudy sky above. Maybe—No, the city sounds surrounded me, and, as I turned to look, so did a crowd of people gawking at me. Of course, a pink-haired woman running out of a building, stopping in the middle of the street, closing her eyes, and then pinching herself, would seem a bit weird.
Did they think I was crazy?
…
Am I crazy?
ABSOLUTELY NOT!
…
I could really use that quiet place right about now.
Quickly forming the necessary seals, I transported myself to jus the place, which would hopefully be empty this time. When the billowing smoke dissipated, I found myself in my old Academy classroom once again. Come to think of it, the room Ino and I had taught in this morning was just down the hall. The world had seemed so different then…
Silently, I walked from the door and headed for my old seat, my fingertips brushing the desktops as I passed. When I came to my own, I sat down gingerly and let nostalgia wash over me in tidal waves.
How many people had once been in my class? Most of them had just been faces to me back then, and that's all they ever turned out to be. I'd never paid attention to most of them, I guess. I was too busy fawning over Sasuke and bickering with Ino to get to know any of them. I had been so childish back then.
I mean, I knew their names and all, but that's as far as I ever got. Only nine kids actually went on to become genins, so what became of the rest? I'd never bother to wonder about it back then, my twelve year old self had been so self-absorbed. Sickening. I hope to God I've changed.
Imagine: I had wasted most of my preteen years drooling over a boy who despised me and the rest of the time fighting with my best friend for his attention (which neither of us ever got, as it turns out).
How…pathetic…
Okay, stay focused Sakura…
I laid my head down gently on the desk, silently remembering why I came here in the first place. This morning seemed so far away, as if it was a lifetime ago. Had all that really happened?
I am not crazy.
I am not crazy.
I am not crazy…
The esteemed Hyuuga prodigy waited in his room quietly. He paced back and forth impatiently, occasionally running his fingers through his long brown hair. Every once and a while, he would pause by the window and look out over the eastern section of the garden.
Flicking open the latch, he raised the window to let in the afternoon breeze. His own room was stifling hot; it had been that way every summer since as long as he could remember. Apparently, Hiashi and the other Elders were far too "traditional" to install a few air conditioning units, as well as any other electronics, into the Hyuuga Compound.
'This room is so much better than my old,' Neji silently admitted to himself. His old room had been plain, simple, now windows and stuck smack dab in the middle of the compo4und's residential area. When he turned fourteen, he had moved here--next door to the gardens and as far from the Hyuuga central activity as possible. It was quieter here, and certainly more peaceful.
His room's proximity to the garden's was so close, if he reached out Neji could brush his fingertips against the thorn-covered rose vines creeping up his own wall—and a few buds too. The roses weren't as abundant as the ones growing on the eastern and southern walls; they didn't get near that amount of sunlight.
Neji leaned out his window just then to grasp the stem of a nearby rose blossom and pulled. He yanked it up to examine it; it was the only full-blooming rose on his wall. The rest of his roses, sadly, were either buds or blossoms that had either had yet to bloom or had shriveled up before reaching their full potential. Still, there were roses everywhere, one would not be missed. One of the esteemed Hyuuga ancestors had apparently been obsessed with roses—they really were everywhere.
Strange, this rose had no thorns…
He set the rose on top of his desk, right next to the file on Kodama. At the Information files at ANBU Headquarters, Neji had tried to gather as much information as possible on the ambassador without being suspicious—which meant he hadn't been able to get his hands on much. Hiashi had far too many connections with ANBU. Even though he had retired years ago, he visited headquarters on a weekly basis to "make sure everything was running smoothly."
Neji suddenly sensed someone barreling towards his cabin-like abode. There was no knock as the door was abruptly—and quite rudely—forced to slide open. And this intruder just to happened to be Hanabi. It seemed no matter what the distance he put between him and his relatives, they still trampled all over his welcome mat as if it were their own. If only he could move out of the Hyuuga compound…now that was an idea.
Okay, back to Hanabi…yeah, not exactly on his "favorite persons" list…
She appeared out of breath, and hastily she gave him a slight bow after his own. "Neji-nii-san, Otou-san requests your presence, A.S.A.P."
Personally, Neji had always liked it when she was too young to even crawl, let alone talk. Those days were much less filled with annoying little Hanabi moments. Now, on the other hand, she constantly spewed out crap like the little Hiashi disciple that she was.
"Hai," he mumbled anyway, setting his thoughts aside for the moment. Hanabi stalked out immediately, followed by Neji, shortly after. Whatever Hiashi had to say, it had better be important…
Neji followed behind her, lagging slightly and putting as much distance between them as possible as inconspicuously as he could manage. Both of their walks were proper and perfected, yet his was more elegant and relaxed while hers hurried and sharp.
In no time at all, it seemed, they reached Hiashi's office. Lit by a few candles, the room was shrouded in shadows. Neji could sense his uncle seated in the darkness, and he and Hanabi bowed deeply, waiting for Hiashi's instructions.
Which he never failed to give. Explicitly.
"Hanabi, utilize this time to practice your ninjutsu. I would like to speak with Neji-san in private."
Again, Hanabi bowed and quickly exited the room. Now it was just Neji and Hiashi. Did Hiashi know that Neji knew?
"Neji, my sources tell me you went on an unsuccessful search just this yesterday. Apparently you charged into Information Headquarters before stalking out. I suspect you didn't find what you were looking for."
'Yeah, and it had absolutely nothing to do with all those eyes—those damn eyes watching my every move…'
Slowly, Hiashi advanced from the light.
'…and faithfully reporting everything they see to you.'
"And you walked out in quite a huff."
"Hai."
"You shouldn't have given up so easily, Neji-san. Maybe you should enlist some help. Perhaps young Gakuto, he's a fine fellow."
"I'll consider it, though the information in question was never that important."
"I know you better than that, Neji-san. You would never get worked up over something trivial; I trained you to do otherwise. Do not take me for a fool."
"Never, sir."
"You are free to go, just think about what I have said. Gakuto said he had never seen you so angry."
"Hai."
Neji ambled out of the room, his hands still in his pockets. The whole time, Neji had remained as unsuspicious as possible. He knew the signs Hiashi would be looking for (he himself had trained excessively to take notice of these signs to weasel out traitors and liars.
1. Escalating chakra
2. Sweating in the palms, neck, and temples
3. Pausing for answers
4. Unnecessarily defensive
5. Shifting from one foot to the other frequently
6. Clenching fists
7. Wandering eyes (more prominently to the right and down)
8. Stuttering (with the exception of nerves, ex: Hinata)
He had memorized all of them since he was nine and had always found himself looking for the signs in everyday life. According to these rules, people did a lot of lying. Guess the list was a bit strict.
Still, did Hiashi really think he would go to Gakuto for help? Hiashi had that man bent under his thumb, truly a puppet whose strings all belonged to the Head of the Hyuuga Clan. Pathetic.
Later that night, a visitor to the Hyuuga Compound kneeled before the clan's Head. The two were all alone; everyone else had gone to dinner.
"Hiashi-sama, have you spoken with Neji-san yet?"
"Why yes, Gakuto. Although I must say he never once alluded to the subject of his search and seemed rather bored by this whole ordeal. Are you positive he was searching in the Mist files?"
"Hai, Hiashi-sama. He only took about five minutes though; he seemed rather uncomfortable. Neji-san knew exactly what he was doing though; he went straight to the Mist's folder of important profiles and leafed through it a bit. Other than that though, I am not sure."
"How he could have found out about Kodama is beyond me, so I am still skeptical. Gakuto, it is now your mission to find out just how much he knows keep a close watch. Report everything to me. In time, I am sure; we will be able to tell once and for all if Neji-san knows."
"Hai, I will do your bidding."
I had only been able to ignore those annoying birds and their incessant chirping for a little while, but now…they were so damn persistent!
I heaved a sigh and rolled onto my side. Strange, my bed felt harder than I remembered…and there was something tickling my ear.
"It's not so comfortable at first, but I've found I've gotten used to it myself."
My eyes snapped open immediately at the sound of the voice to find…well, I definitely was not in my bed…
Really, what gave it away?
Ignoring the voice for now, I looked around hurried. I was laying down in the shade of a sakura tree in full bloom. That was strange; weren't sakura trees supposed to bloom in spring?
More importantly, hadn't I fallen asleep at a desk in the Academy?
"Say Sakura-chan, I know you're a bit foggy right now but I've been wondering: However did you get here?"
I jerked around, ready to interrogate the hell out of this man (whom I momentarily forgot about) on where the hell I was…but that leapt out of my mind the moment I saw him…
"Jii-chan!"
Ooh, a bit of a cliffie there. In case some don't know, Jii-chan means Grandpa. Yeah, I'm going on a bit of a tangent, but keep in mind this fic is probably going to be around 25-30 chapters.
Sorry for not updating in such a long time. Blame writer's block and finals. Hallelujah! My finals are over as of last Friday!!!!!! I'm free, free, free at last!!!!!!!!!
REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!