QOTC:

Wakana: Did you love her?

Sasuke: With all my heart.

*****************************************************************************

Chapter 50: The Rivals are Back

"Neji!!! Neji open the damn door!!"

The entire Hyuga Mansion (not to mention the Leaf villagers from outside that were bumped while carrying groceries) was in chaos early in the morning. Hyuga guards rose like hell hounds as they've raced to hold up the intruder. 

Kiba came all the way from his house to Neji and TenTen's, which was approximately 12 kilometers away. Their number of security was alarming, Kiba had to admit, since he was required to surrender his weapon. Though in the mood for some whimsical running, he chose to kept his kunais in his sleeve since the accuracy of intentionally murdering someone later in the night was plausible. 

Kiba came to Neji's home to warn him of the vicious bluff that was about to fire a threat not just to the village but all of them. If Sakura dies, or even become an impure, the whole Leaf would be a market place of blood and other unintentional parts if there were to be three impures walking around. Given free will until forever. 

"Halt! Stop in the name of the Hyuga!" 

The guards went after him, one and then another. They've spilled into the townhouse like sprinkling of ink. Inspired by Naruto the mutt made use out of his clones to outrun them. It's not like everyday he gets to be charged for tresspassing. 

Why were they even so--stern and morbidly strict? Kiba thought, as he ran into the homes like an egomaniac. He turned around the streets until he made it back to Neji's backdoor. He used to fetch Hinata when they were thirteen, now the thought of even trying to drop to her door to say hi seemed like an unrelenting violation. 

Oh, and he was yelling out of my way  to particularly whatever or whoever that tried to slow him down. 

"Neji!!!" Kiba whispered to the window loudly. "Neji!!!"  

Someone opened the door. A hand with an engagement ring--it reached for his face as the hand smacked in it loudly. The newly awakened TenTen summoned a massive of her vanishing scrolls intended for stealing weapons as she used it to get Kiba inside the door. She held the collar of his neck, given the less satisfaction of what she needed after the boy had intendedly caused a loud clatter outside.

She grabbed a kunai by her pockets and pinned him against the wall, the knife against his sweating neck. Her eyes burned intensely. "You have ten seconds to tell me what's gotten with you or I swear--"

"TenTen, I really like it when your hair is down, but I really need to speak with--"

"NINE." 

"TenTen--"

"EIGHT." 

"Ino's trying to kill Sakura!" 

TenTen dropped him. "What?" She asked in her most horrific tone, in a tone Kiba gladly preferred. "That was good acting for you to stop trying to kill me." He said fastly. He wondered sometimes if other people could just understand whatever word he usually said; there were times his mood was completely for fooling everyone out. "Kiba, that sounds impossible. Are you sure?" 

"Can I speak to Neji?" 

                                ✦✦✦✦THΣ THIRD UCHIHΔ✦✦✦✦

                                      THE END OF THE AFFAIR

"Niisan! Niisan!" The little girl said, as she ran into the Uchiha's arms. Sasuke lifted her, carried her. She was heavy but she was still small. "How was school?"

Rin smiled. He had just arrived after he secretly got into a fight with one of Kiri's nightclubs. His identity was discovered, though he managed to escape the place without getting caught. Life as a rogue-nin didn't really differ from the life he had after Itachi died. 

Days like this had been a bummer. Everyday was worse than hell for him. He'd usually cross the borders searching for something--life, money, a woman, a dead corpse of his brother. He grew a beard the other day which he'd used a kunai to cut his hair. He was a pirate now--he wasn't classified as an impure though he felt like a zombie. He carried the same lazy habits everyday, and he would go back to sleep only to label himself as one the following day. Seemed that the only thing, and only valuable personage he loved in this world (apart from his love), was Wakana. 

Ever saw a person and imagined a life without them? If the trees, the wind, the verdures in this world would continue to sway and dance if the good souls were swept by some spasmodic death? Wakana--or should Sasuke say--Hatake Rin, was too damn good for anyone. It was one of the things he reasoned for leaving Sakura. Choosing between a mademoiselle and an amour was truly one of the most laborious choices he'd made as human. 

"Fine. I used my eyes to copy on test. Don't tell Obito I said that." Wakana said. 

Sasuke was carrying her bag. When Wakana asked where Suigetsu was, since he had usually been his escort in and out of the campus, Sasuke said it was going to be the two of them for today.

"What's wrong? Can't perfect a simple test?" Sasuke teased, his voice soft as a marshmallow. He stood next to Kakashi's daughter unclad--he wasn't wearing his Akatsuki mantle nor his robe of disguise. All he had for today was his grey shirt, his Kusanagi which was bounded on his back. 

"Well, I was late for the first subject. I had to do something." 

Sasuke chortled. Wakana sounded like a teenager; she sounded like Kakashi without even trying to be Kakashi. 

"What? It was one subject." They had stopped on a near park avenue where food vendors were easily spotted. Children played hide-and-seek inside the mists, a good number of villagers strolled into the narrow streets as if the condensation never bothered them. "Big brother, buy me some cotton candy, will you? I'm craving for sugar." Then he had given her what she wanted and they were good to go. 

Wakana attended Kirigakure School of Arts, a belittling academy in which no Nation would bother to look through. At first Obito dillydallied; he, as well as Kakashi would have, wanted the best education for the best child. But Taka had no choice, and according to their research it was the only academy that would accept even children who'd gone manic-depressive. 

The school principal, Aiko, was a friend of Guren who was part of Orochimaru's colleage, a former associate-and-rival of Kabuto. He loved children and accepted even the distracted ones. He believed that children with cursed abilities and lackings were gifts by God. Obito decided that he had lost the battle--the important lecture was how they would insert Wakana into a community where caitiffs would not exist. 

When they were back at the hideout, Hotaru made hot chocolate for Wakana while the raven boy took the last bottle of Sake into the fridge, then went into the little girl's room.  

"I don't want to go to school anymore." She said, laying on her bed. Sasuke laid beside her. "Grades don't define intelligence, anyway." 

Sasuke didn't say anything. Instantly he was reminded of the dobe. 

"I'm going to sleep, niisan. I guess I still have a long way to go." She said, facing her white hair towards Sasuke's raven ones. He smelled vodka, something Rin had gotten used to. "Obito bought me books today. Read them for me." 

"Alright. What do we have here?" Sasuke said, grabbing a copy. Wakana's arms were already wrapped around her big bro. My pillow. My safety. "What do you want, lil baby? Bed time story? History? Fairytales?" 

"Tell me something real. Tell me something magical." 

"Like what?"

"Like you and Sakura."

"That's not fair." 

Wakana was still tangled onto him, her skin soft as a baby's. "Did you love her?" 

"With all my heart."  

"That's sad." 

"Why is that?"

"Because a few months from now it's going to be my birthday. I want it to be the best; I always cry since I usually spend it with my other street children friends. They think I'm weird."

Well, weird is always good, Sasuke quietly thought. "You can sass the shit out of those kids when we visit Oto some time. When's your birthday?" 

"I don't want to go back to the Sound Village. I wanna go home to Kakashi." Wakana looked strikingly at Sasuke. "Sasuke-nii, don't you ever think of coming home? Don't you ever wonder if they miss you? Maybe they don't look for you. Maybe they get exhausted of searching; but home is where the heart is: you'll never stop looking for it, you can travel to mountain tops and see the oceans but you can never feel contented again. Your heart is lost out at sea. Go back and check. They may learn to hate you, but, they can never stop thinking of you. Even when all you did was no good, they'll never stop loving. They never will." 

⚜  

"There are far too many secrets in this house. Secrets behind these walls; deception. Trickery. Eyes everywhere." Said Neji. "I'm beginning to sense a revolt among the Side family. They want something from me--they want justice." 

"Well, I can see that. Your security is turning into a jail cell." Kiba admitted, rubbing his hands to supress his fretfulness.  

Neji cocked his head. There were rumors of werewolves spreading from North to East. The other day he just learned that somehow these "breeds" just came out of nowhere; fairies, vampires, werewolves, even shape-shifting animals, perhaps. Neji stuck to Hiashi's rule: to gain intelligence, one must self-study.

The chakra these enormous species carried were no less different from Ninjas, but Neji had seen pictures. The way chakra flowed within their system was elipctic. If galaxies obtained unique shapes, theirs was oval as an egg. Neji could not be mistaken. 

As he activated his Byakugan demurely, he could see the cerulean nest of his chakra.

His and Ino's were very much alike. 

"So... This house. Did Hiashi give it to you two?" Kiba asked. 

"I highly doubt it. He doesn't give anything without a cost." 

"Do you and TenTen live here together?"

"No." Neji answered, a bit of overbearing.

"Honestyl, it's really a nice place you have here. Man, aren't you loyal with your own traditions. It's classy, vintage, and it reminds me of the old times. Like you were back in the early period and witnessed Madara and Hashirama kicking each other's asses." 

The newly constructed Hyuga Mansion shimmered brightly, its wallpapers polished white with a mix of lavender, the color of unanamity. A soft flag-like rug laid underneathe their table that said, Akusai wa hyaku-nen no fusaku.

And then there was Neji--standing next to his father's side. He was frightened. In fact the impact of puberty to him now had flabberghasted the Inuzuka boy. No female woman held or stroke him, just two tender hands placed upon his shoulders: Hyuga Hizashi. 

"Kiba, what would you do?"

"Do what?"

"When your family gets divided in half. There's an outbreak." Neji said, leaning over. "I don't know how to deal with this anymore. I do not know how to control a family that has hatred on both sides. I've no idea how to dismiss this envy that grew between both sides day by day, and now I fear that they might question me as their next Supreme Ruler. I have the blood of a Side Branch, the blood of a slave. What right must I have? What voice can I use to shush their indecision? If Hiashi himself loathes me, repudiates me behind my back, and he deliberately finds joy watching his other children be mistreated?" 

Kiba laid his back in exhaustion, stared at Neji with open and bowled over eyes. His words and senses were just so--chivalric. 

Neji continued. He grabbed a doll display from the living room, stared at it. It was a Hyuga doll. A human barbie with a pair of gifted white eyes. He looked like a character from history--a relative of Senju Tobirama, his genius and passionate apprentice. "Last night there was a Royal Member that came to me. He said that there were whispers of a conspiracy against the Main House. I couldn't find a way to sleep still, since then. I needed a bright idea." He said, and placed the Hyuga doll back from where it stood. "I don't want the same thing that happened to the Uchiha happen to the Hyuga Clan. It's an oath I swear on my name forever."  

"Would you consider it selfish if you killed Hiashi? You're next in line. He's probably freaking out now that you're getting married with TenTen and she's not from any royalty. He's mad at you for being you." 

Neji stared at Kiba like a dumb idiot. "If that were easy, I would have killed him a long time ago. Save the village from this mess."

"Does Hinata know? That her dad could be targeted?"

"No, but I guarantee she'll sense it. Eventually." 

"You little idiot." Kiba bragged, squinting his eyes. "Are you saying she has the nose of a dog so she could smell what's happening between you and your clan? Or maybe, she has the ear of a vampire so that she could hear us all the way from Naruto's appartment apparently, to be conscious of her surroundings that at any moment, at any point of time, history will repeat itself and she'll be in a pitfall.  

"I'm well aware of that." 

"That's the same answer everyone says." Said Kiba. "People think they know people. Brothers pretend they know their siblings. Friends think they still know who their friends are, what they're not capable of." 

⚜

3.9.15

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TENTEN

Who's excited bout NejiTen wedding??? ME!!!

 A bad wife spells a hundred years of bad harvest. - Akusai wa hyaku-nen no fusaku.