Set me free (Neji Hyuga love story)

Chapter 17

Akane looked up at the moon, surrounded by the many beautiful flowers of the mansions gardens. Dinner had finished a while ago and Tenten and the others were inside. Itsuki said he had things he had to do and left as well but Akane needed to get some fresh air. She'd had a very strange day and needed to clear her mind. The cool night air was slowly doing the trick. She sighed and closed her eyes, feeling the soft night wind blow on her face and through her long loose hair. She heard a sound from behind her and whipped around to see Neji stood a few feet away from her. She sighed in relief that it wasn't an attack.

"Hi Neji." Akane said turning away from him again and looking up at the moon. She heard Neji approach silently until he was stood next to her, looking up at the same silvery moon.

"Why did you lie to him?" Neji asked her suddenly. Akane frowned at him.

"What are you talking about?"

"At dinner the Mayor's son asked you about your family. You told him that it was just like any other family. I know for a fact that that was a lie."

"I didn't realize you were eavesdropping on that conversation." Neji glared at her.

"You were sitting directly across from me it was hard not to listen."

"Right." Akane said not feeling all that convinced. "Why did I lie?" She said quietly. "I guess it's because I didn't feel like sharing such personal information with someone I had only just met."

"Well the two of you have seemed to have taken a fast liking to one another." Neji said but Akane could detect the venom in his voice.

"So what if we have? What does it matter to you?"

"Nothing at all but I remind you that we are here on a mission. It would be unwise to have relations with the client's son."

"I am well aware of that and had no intentions of doing such things." Akane said getting angry now. "I don't need you to always tell me what I should and shouldn't be doing. Why do you feel the need to do that any way? Why do you always look down on everyone?"

"I do no such thing I only know that I am stronger than those around me."

"So that's a good enough reason to treat everyone around you like idiotic children is it? Do you have any idea how awful it is to be on the receiving end? How worthless it makes someone feel to constantly being looked down upon by you?"

"The way you feel has nothing to do with me. That is of your own choosing."

"Really? That's your answer? Why are you like this?"

"Like what? The way in which I act and what I say are both things that have already been determined from the moment I was born. No one can escape their destiny just as my Fathers was."

"Do you really believe all that? You really think that your Father's death was planned from his birth?"

"Yes, the main branch made it that way. It's same for all of us that aren't in the main branch. We are expected to lay down our lives for them."

"Maybe that's true, maybe you are expected to do that. I get that you hate the main house for what happened to your Father and that must have been hard for you but do you really think you're the only one to have gone through hardship? We all have in one way or another."

"And exactly what can you understand of my hardship?" He questioned angrily. "Was your Father sent to his death by those that lead your clan?"

"Not exactly because it was the leader of the Sato family that killed him. My Father was shamed because he tried to keep my powers hidden from the clan because he knew that they would take me away from him if they found. But when they did find out they called my Father a traitor and the leader of the Sato house used his Kekkei Genkei to make my Father stab himself in the heart. What was even more messed up was that he made me watch it, to teach me what happens to those that are disloyal to the clan. I watched my Father die right before my eyes by the leader of my house all because he wanted to protect me from being locked up in a dark room all by myself." Akane shouted at him. It was only when she stopped shouting that she was the remorse in Neji's eyes and the hot tears that were pouring down her face like a waterfall.

"Akane I..."

"No forget it and do me a favour and just leave me alone." She shouted at him and then she ran inside. She heard Neji call after her but didn't stop. She ran through the mansion all the way to the room she and Tenten were sharing for the night. She slammed the door and slide down it when she had entered, burying her face in her raised knees.

"Akane what's wrong?" Tenten asked jumping off her bed and taking a seat next to her friend.

"Why did I have to fall for him of all people?" She asked still crying. "He's rude, he thinks he's better than everyone...he's just...he's just awful." She sobbed.

"What did he do to make you cry like this?" Tenten asked. Her blood was beginning to boil, she hated to see her friend like this and whatever Neji had done he would pay for it.

"Nothing really he...he was just telling me that I shouldn't have relations with the client's son and reminding me that we were here on a job when I lost it. I just hate that he always looks down on me it's annoying. I just got angry and said things that I probably shouldn't have. I know I'll regret them later but right now I really don't care. I'm just so angry at him and myself, mainly for allowing myself to fall for him."

"We can't choose who we fall in love with Akane." Tenten told her while she placed an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"I'd rather not be in love with anyone. It's painful, hard and it gets in the way. Is there anyway to fall out of love with someone?" She asked Tenten.

"Well falling in love with someone else usually does the trick but you can't force that and you can't make yourself fall out of love either. Falling out of love takes time and sometimes it never happens."

"That sucks..." Akane said wiping away her tears.

"Yep, it really does." Tenten said with a sigh. "That's just the way it is. Listen this thing you have with Neji might never fade, it might only grow and you can't run from it. There's no escape, no matter how much you want to avoid falling in love you can't evade it for ever. It was bound to happen to you at some point now that you're not trapped in that room."

"Then maybe I should have just stayed in there."

"Don't say that because if you had then you and I never would have met. I honestly don't know what I would do without you now. You're my best friend Akane, I've never been the kind of girl to have a lot of friends...especially not girls, plus if you weren't here I would still be stuck in a squad with a load of guys."

"Right...sorry. So....what exactly does a best friend do?" She asked her. Tenten laughed a little.

"I forget that you're so clueless sometimes."

"Hey." Akane said pointing a finger at her. "Watch yourself." Tenten smiled at her.

"Alright, alright. How do I explain?.... Okay well best friends are people that are there for each other. Their closer than just normal friends, they cheer you up when you sad and help you whenever they can but they are also people that you can sit around a gossip with or do fun things together, like going to the cinema and things. Being someone's best friend isn't a chore or a job though but it's nice to have one because then you know that they've always got your back no matter what and you're never lonely because they're always by your side."

"Oh...I see. Then Tenten it would be an honour if you and I could become best friends."

"We already are best friends Akane."

"Right." Said Akane with a nod and the two sat by the door and talked late into the night....