Hope And Faith

Still

Neji woke up in a bad mood this morning. Hanabi invited Hinata few days before to join them for dinner but she didn't show up. He should be accustomed to her rearrangements by now but he grew angry every time. Ever since she left she went further and further away from them. He missed seeing her every morning at breakfast. The nights that the three of them stayed late outside the small garden. At first he thought she would come back. He hoped that his uncle would persuade her and everything will go back to normal. But Hinata wasn't the shy girl who wouldn't want to upset anyone. Not after the war. She was still kind and loving but confident. The perfect Hyuga heiress. The kind of leader he would follow. His uncle made a move every now and then but not so persistent as before. He had seen her drifting away and he chose to keep his daughter and lose his heiress. He put his faith in Hanabi but the girl was more concerned on trivial things. So the weight was at his shoulders. He didn't know how to approach the matter. He braced himself to do the talk the night before at the dinner. There will be only the three of them. It would be easier that way. Him and his cousins were together since little children. He grew distance at some point, even cruel but that was all in the past. The love they had for each other couldn't be broken. But she didn't show. Neji was worried. Hanabi suggested that Hinata had some last minute mission with no time to inform them. As the time passed he grew more agitated. He went to her house to check but no-one was there. He even went to the Hogake to ask if she was on a mission. By the time he returned home he was furious. She just didn't came. She forgot about them. And the bad feeling he had for a while grew stronger. She doesn't care about you. Not like before.
He barely slept, waking at every small sound the house was making, hoping she would come with tears in her eyes and an apology for what she's done. He would brush the tears from her eyes telling her it was okay, that all it matter was that she was there. Then everything would go back to normal.
But she didn't came. And Neji got up with a temper ready to burst. Ten ten and Lee came to invite him for training and Hanabi insisted they stay for breakfast. It was an attempt to make him feel better. He was silent all morning till they finished training. He was going all out at them to the point it got dangerous.
"Hey Neji it's just training. Are you trying to kill us?" Ten Ten said holding her breath.
"What got you so worked up? I like that kind of training it keeps me on edge." Lee added happily.
"Yeah yeah, let's stop for now. I don't plan on dying this young".
"Let's grab some lunch and go at Guy sensei."
Neji followed his teammates not making a comment.
They stopped to grab the food and started walking to their Sensei's house. Then he saw her. Walking the street with no worry in her face. Beside her was the raven haired boy listening to her happily chatting. He brain was numb. He was agonizing over her well being and there she was not sparing any thought for him.
They stopped when she spotted them and parted her lips to say something.
"I see you're having fun." He stopped her.
Hinata sensed the anger in his tone.
"Good morning Neji-nisan".
"So where were you last night?"
"Em, I don't understand".
"You don't? Or you don't want to answer me?" He said almost yelling.
"Hey Neji". Ten Ten grabbed his arm but he shook it.
"We had plans last night. Your sister was worried about you. I was worried about you but you seem just fine to me."
Her eyes widened as she remembered just now.
"Oh Neji-nisan I'm sorry. I forgot. It wasn't on purpose."
"Maybe the Uchiha kept you really busy. So much that you forgot about your family."
"That isn't Sasuke's fault".
"Oh no honorific. So is he entertaining you more than one night then?"
"Shut up. Don't say another damn word". Now Sasuke was holding the collar of his shirt ready to split his throat.
"Are you shy Uchiha?"
"I swear I will kill you right now."
"Sasuke let's go."
He saw a glimpse of her face before she turned to leave. She was broken and tears were ready to emerge from her eyes.
Idiot. Say you're sorry. If she goes you already lost her.
"Thank her you are still on your feet".
And turned to follow her. At his words the anger inside him boiled again and no apology came that day.