What Matters (Naruto x Neji, Theme Set Epsilon)
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Uzumaki Naruto/Hyuuga Neji (as well as the other way around)
Theme set: Epsilon
Rating: PG-15, mild R
Notes/Warnings: nothing very severe, really
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-san
#40 - History
If there’s something history had ever taught Hyuuga Neji, it was sadness.
#30 - Ghost
The time his father died, Neji began to count his own demon and survive the sadness.
#10 - Learn
For if he did not learn to only depend on himself, there was no one to hold out a hand to him.
#23 - Child
Thus, he grew up bitter and angry at the world and everything living in it.
#03 - Young
And if people were going to blame him for being so cold, he would say that someone was never too young to be angry.
#41 - Power
Yet Neji held on to the anger, because anger felt so much better than the hurt and it made him feel less weak.
#01 - Motion
Until there was Naruto, loud, happy-go-lucky, annoying Naruto, the Naruto he had never bothered to take a heed to care about at all even when the younger boy brushed against his arm in an academy’s corridor.
.-.-.-.
#11 - Blur
At that time, Naruto was nothing but a blur of strange sense of fashion, childish idealism and sandpaper-flavored optimism.
#02 - Cool
And when Naruto showed up-pretended to be-a cool ninja among his teammate, Neji wanted to knock him out cold if only to say that it was a wish too extreme to be true.
#35 - Sudden
But then again, Naruto did not become Konoha’s Number One Surprising Troublemaker for nothing.
#13 - Change
Neji cried-and, to be honest, wanted Naruto instead of his uncle to be the one who saw his tears.
#38 - Wash
He did not like being on the losing side, but for once, the defeat felt good, like raindrops in the middle of a dog’s day.
.-.-.-.
#14 - Command
He tried to find Naruto after that fateful match, but he never got the chance to until Lee heard of Tsunade-sama’s command and recommended his name to Shikamaru.
#16 - Need
Shikamaru was right; Uchiha was not a friend material and Neji did not like Uchiha to begin with, but there was something telling him to go, to not let Naruto be on his own in this pursuit.
#08 - Thousand
A thousand spiders came in his direction, and Neji forced himself that this fight was worthy of his best just like he was worthy of Naruto’s trust.
#32 - Eye
He wondered what Naruto would do if the younger boy was here as his knees gave out beneath him, and that proud form clothed in too-bright orange jumper was all he could see.
#17 - Vision
There was a bird, beautiful and free, in the blue sky, blue like Naruto’s eyes, brilliant and honest.
#04 - Last
Closing his eyes, all Neji felt was just free.
.-.-.-.
#20 - Picture
Naruto wanted to scream ‘Wake up’ over and over, shake Neji awake or do something, anything, damn it, because the image of Neji lying on a white bed, all too pale and weakened just did not suit Neji.
#18 - Attention
Neji’s palm on his whiskered cheek felt warm, and Naruto swallowed; hell, even the loudest ninja in the village was allowed his rare moment of nervousness, wasn’t he?
.-.-.-.
#06 - Gentle
Never trust Naruto to peel apples quietly or change the flowers in his hospital room-it’s not my fault I suck at domesticity, damn it!-even after a week, but Neji never even once complained because he understood that gentleness would never become Naruto.
.-.-.-.
#25 - Shadow
So he’s gone, Neji thought, trying to understand why he suddenly felt irritated as Lee mentioned of Naruto’s stubborn persistence to drag Uchiha home.
#27 - Hide
“You said you didn’t leave anything important, so stop it,” Jiraiya scowled as Naruto turned for the fifth times, checking as if someone was watching-stalking-them.
#26 - Goodbye
It turned out that Naruto did not even bother to say goodbye to anyone save Iruka-sensei.
#22 - Mad
And Neji ended up sprawling on the practice ground with Hiashi-sama looming over him, saying that he should concentrated more and stop being so aggravated out of reason.
#39 - Torn
Neither Hiashi-sama nor Jiraiya-sama would allow him to meet Naruto thus abandoned his practice, so Neji swallowed the ache and forced himself to think only about jutsu and more jutsu.
#21 - Fool
Naruto, Jiraiya reminded his apprentice, rather impatient, you’re the one who said you’d rather be an idiot in order to bring that friend of yours back.
#12 - Wait
Thus they waited; Neji for his bitterness to ebb, Naruto for the chance to kick Sasuke’s fat ass just fair.
.-.-.-.
#28 - Fortune
My treat, Neji said on Naruto’s first day returning to Konoha, as they accidentally met each other at Ichiraku Ramen.
#09 - King
Hey, you know, Naruto mumbled, fiddling his fingers and squirming uncomfortably-a gesture that Shikamaru did not remember to ever see from the Naruto he knew and this amused him to no end more than capturing Naruto’s precious pawns mercilessly, uh-is Neji-well-angry at me?
#31 - Book
Neji, stop reading that stuff and do something more fun like treating me to Ichiraku again, Naruto whined, but Neji noticed there were a lot of hesitation and a hint of hope in Naruto’s voice.
.-.-.-.
#34 - Sing
Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the now familiar twitch on Neji’s brows, saying that he should just give up because there was no one who could stop Naruto from singing loudly-and terribly-during bath time.
.-.-.-.
#42 - Bother
There was only Uchiha in Naruto’s eyes and Naruto in Uchiha’s, and Neji tried to understand why he bothered to understand.
#44 - Wall
Byakuugan could see through everything, but not even such eyes could see an Uchiha avenger past his ambition, hunger for power and merciless sadness.
#46 - Drive
For Naruto, it was always Uchiha’s acknowledgment; for Neji, it was simply Naruto.
.-.-.-.
#47 - Harm
Because there was supposedly no harm in trying to kiss a friend, Neji did-and halted to a violent stop even before his lips met Naruto’s.
#29 - Safe
Sighing, Neji moved away from Naruto’s sleeping form and thought that there was always a benefit in playing on a safe ground, after all.
#05 - Wrong
This proves that I was wrong for years, Neji thought as Naruto’s lips crashed down on his, clumsy and inexperienced yet eager and unafraid for all it matters.
#49 - Hunger
Naruto was here, with him, shirtless, panting, sweating and aroused and beautiful, calling his name in desire-stained tone, insisting to top no matter what, and Neji would be damned if he could swallow his hunger any longer.
#45 - Naked
Above all things, under the sheet or not, dressed or not, this was simply them, Hyuuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto.
.-.-.-.
#48 - Precious
“You’re-” my most precious, he had meant to say, but one certain smile on Naruto’s lips said that Neji did not have to say anything because Naruto already knew.
#15 - Hold
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said gently, tightening his hold around Naruto’s trembling form, wanting to erase the nightmarish fear from his blue eyes, to wipe the painful memory of Uchiha’s betrayal from Naruto’s mind.
#24 - Now
What matters is now, Neji, Naruto said, and you’re here now.
#36 - Stop
Neji closes his eyes and for the first time instead of dreaming of caged bird, miserable and forlorn and just waiting for death, he dreams of blazing red and orange flowers that bloom valiantly in a greenery under a blue sky.
#37 - Time
Swift is Time, its rivulet merciless, but even Time one day will slows, stops and dies, and at a moment like that, Neji tells himself to halt and look behind so that he is able to understand that there are so much to cherish.
.-.-.-.
#19 - Soul
Naruto is a whirlpool of passion, zealous will and zest, brightly burning like a perpetual dollop of the sun in a bleak universe; they all make Naruto Naruto, and Neji, of all people, understands.
#33 - Never
Not that Neji ever minds it-understanding Naruto that is-anyway.
#50 - Believe
Neji understands because he knows he will stop believing in anyone, anything the time Naruto stops believing in himself.
#43 - God
And not even the fiercest god of death could bend Neji’s trust in Naruto, in them.
#07 - One
So Neji, who believed in the inevitability of fate, who would rather think of consequences rather than reasons, committed himself to one love in this one life of his.
Done!
Pairing: Uzumaki Naruto/Hyuuga Neji (as well as the other way around)
Theme set: Epsilon
Rating: PG-15, mild R
Notes/Warnings: nothing very severe, really
Disclaimer: Kishimoto-san
#40 - History
If there’s something history had ever taught Hyuuga Neji, it was sadness.
#30 - Ghost
The time his father died, Neji began to count his own demon and survive the sadness.
#10 - Learn
For if he did not learn to only depend on himself, there was no one to hold out a hand to him.
#23 - Child
Thus, he grew up bitter and angry at the world and everything living in it.
#03 - Young
And if people were going to blame him for being so cold, he would say that someone was never too young to be angry.
#41 - Power
Yet Neji held on to the anger, because anger felt so much better than the hurt and it made him feel less weak.
#01 - Motion
Until there was Naruto, loud, happy-go-lucky, annoying Naruto, the Naruto he had never bothered to take a heed to care about at all even when the younger boy brushed against his arm in an academy’s corridor.
.-.-.-.
#11 - Blur
At that time, Naruto was nothing but a blur of strange sense of fashion, childish idealism and sandpaper-flavored optimism.
#02 - Cool
And when Naruto showed up-pretended to be-a cool ninja among his teammate, Neji wanted to knock him out cold if only to say that it was a wish too extreme to be true.
#35 - Sudden
But then again, Naruto did not become Konoha’s Number One Surprising Troublemaker for nothing.
#13 - Change
Neji cried-and, to be honest, wanted Naruto instead of his uncle to be the one who saw his tears.
#38 - Wash
He did not like being on the losing side, but for once, the defeat felt good, like raindrops in the middle of a dog’s day.
.-.-.-.
#14 - Command
He tried to find Naruto after that fateful match, but he never got the chance to until Lee heard of Tsunade-sama’s command and recommended his name to Shikamaru.
#16 - Need
Shikamaru was right; Uchiha was not a friend material and Neji did not like Uchiha to begin with, but there was something telling him to go, to not let Naruto be on his own in this pursuit.
#08 - Thousand
A thousand spiders came in his direction, and Neji forced himself that this fight was worthy of his best just like he was worthy of Naruto’s trust.
#32 - Eye
He wondered what Naruto would do if the younger boy was here as his knees gave out beneath him, and that proud form clothed in too-bright orange jumper was all he could see.
#17 - Vision
There was a bird, beautiful and free, in the blue sky, blue like Naruto’s eyes, brilliant and honest.
#04 - Last
Closing his eyes, all Neji felt was just free.
.-.-.-.
#20 - Picture
Naruto wanted to scream ‘Wake up’ over and over, shake Neji awake or do something, anything, damn it, because the image of Neji lying on a white bed, all too pale and weakened just did not suit Neji.
#18 - Attention
Neji’s palm on his whiskered cheek felt warm, and Naruto swallowed; hell, even the loudest ninja in the village was allowed his rare moment of nervousness, wasn’t he?
.-.-.-.
#06 - Gentle
Never trust Naruto to peel apples quietly or change the flowers in his hospital room-it’s not my fault I suck at domesticity, damn it!-even after a week, but Neji never even once complained because he understood that gentleness would never become Naruto.
.-.-.-.
#25 - Shadow
So he’s gone, Neji thought, trying to understand why he suddenly felt irritated as Lee mentioned of Naruto’s stubborn persistence to drag Uchiha home.
#27 - Hide
“You said you didn’t leave anything important, so stop it,” Jiraiya scowled as Naruto turned for the fifth times, checking as if someone was watching-stalking-them.
#26 - Goodbye
It turned out that Naruto did not even bother to say goodbye to anyone save Iruka-sensei.
#22 - Mad
And Neji ended up sprawling on the practice ground with Hiashi-sama looming over him, saying that he should concentrated more and stop being so aggravated out of reason.
#39 - Torn
Neither Hiashi-sama nor Jiraiya-sama would allow him to meet Naruto thus abandoned his practice, so Neji swallowed the ache and forced himself to think only about jutsu and more jutsu.
#21 - Fool
Naruto, Jiraiya reminded his apprentice, rather impatient, you’re the one who said you’d rather be an idiot in order to bring that friend of yours back.
#12 - Wait
Thus they waited; Neji for his bitterness to ebb, Naruto for the chance to kick Sasuke’s fat ass just fair.
.-.-.-.
#28 - Fortune
My treat, Neji said on Naruto’s first day returning to Konoha, as they accidentally met each other at Ichiraku Ramen.
#09 - King
Hey, you know, Naruto mumbled, fiddling his fingers and squirming uncomfortably-a gesture that Shikamaru did not remember to ever see from the Naruto he knew and this amused him to no end more than capturing Naruto’s precious pawns mercilessly, uh-is Neji-well-angry at me?
#31 - Book
Neji, stop reading that stuff and do something more fun like treating me to Ichiraku again, Naruto whined, but Neji noticed there were a lot of hesitation and a hint of hope in Naruto’s voice.
.-.-.-.
#34 - Sing
Shikamaru rolled his eyes at the now familiar twitch on Neji’s brows, saying that he should just give up because there was no one who could stop Naruto from singing loudly-and terribly-during bath time.
.-.-.-.
#42 - Bother
There was only Uchiha in Naruto’s eyes and Naruto in Uchiha’s, and Neji tried to understand why he bothered to understand.
#44 - Wall
Byakuugan could see through everything, but not even such eyes could see an Uchiha avenger past his ambition, hunger for power and merciless sadness.
#46 - Drive
For Naruto, it was always Uchiha’s acknowledgment; for Neji, it was simply Naruto.
.-.-.-.
#47 - Harm
Because there was supposedly no harm in trying to kiss a friend, Neji did-and halted to a violent stop even before his lips met Naruto’s.
#29 - Safe
Sighing, Neji moved away from Naruto’s sleeping form and thought that there was always a benefit in playing on a safe ground, after all.
#05 - Wrong
This proves that I was wrong for years, Neji thought as Naruto’s lips crashed down on his, clumsy and inexperienced yet eager and unafraid for all it matters.
#49 - Hunger
Naruto was here, with him, shirtless, panting, sweating and aroused and beautiful, calling his name in desire-stained tone, insisting to top no matter what, and Neji would be damned if he could swallow his hunger any longer.
#45 - Naked
Above all things, under the sheet or not, dressed or not, this was simply them, Hyuuga Neji and Uzumaki Naruto.
.-.-.-.
#48 - Precious
“You’re-” my most precious, he had meant to say, but one certain smile on Naruto’s lips said that Neji did not have to say anything because Naruto already knew.
#15 - Hold
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said gently, tightening his hold around Naruto’s trembling form, wanting to erase the nightmarish fear from his blue eyes, to wipe the painful memory of Uchiha’s betrayal from Naruto’s mind.
#24 - Now
What matters is now, Neji, Naruto said, and you’re here now.
#36 - Stop
Neji closes his eyes and for the first time instead of dreaming of caged bird, miserable and forlorn and just waiting for death, he dreams of blazing red and orange flowers that bloom valiantly in a greenery under a blue sky.
#37 - Time
Swift is Time, its rivulet merciless, but even Time one day will slows, stops and dies, and at a moment like that, Neji tells himself to halt and look behind so that he is able to understand that there are so much to cherish.
.-.-.-.
#19 - Soul
Naruto is a whirlpool of passion, zealous will and zest, brightly burning like a perpetual dollop of the sun in a bleak universe; they all make Naruto Naruto, and Neji, of all people, understands.
#33 - Never
Not that Neji ever minds it-understanding Naruto that is-anyway.
#50 - Believe
Neji understands because he knows he will stop believing in anyone, anything the time Naruto stops believing in himself.
#43 - God
And not even the fiercest god of death could bend Neji’s trust in Naruto, in them.
#07 - One
So Neji, who believed in the inevitability of fate, who would rather think of consequences rather than reasons, committed himself to one love in this one life of his.
Done!