Originally posted on aff 2007-06-27 - 2008-07-16

I.

The day had started innocent enough. Neji had woken to the sound of koto music and rolled over onto his stomach to pound on his alarm clock, effectively shutting off the mechanism. A stretch that popped joints followed before he got out of bed, rolling up his futon and folding his blankets as neatly as he could before he gathered his clothes and headed for the shower. He was greeted by warm water that morning, which told him Hanabi wasn't up yet. So Neji took his time, enjoying the warmth of the spray. He dried and dressed in the bathroom and emerged to nearly run over his youngest cousin, Hanabi glaring defiantly at him until he stepped out of her way. Shaking his head, the young man wandered down the hall in search of Hinata-made breakfast. Neji would never openly admit it, but he enjoyed Hinata's cooking as much as he enjoyed her company. He also wouldn't admit that Hinata would make someone very happy one day because he had the sneaking suspicion his uncle was already starting to make plans to marry Hinata off to one of the other branches and he knew for a fact Hinata was more focused on a particular kunoichi rather than her daughterly duties. After all, when he got stuck with babysitting duty for Shikamaru, he could always resort to bribery with four-year-old Momogi for information why her aunt Ino was always sneaking off.

He found breakfast – eggs, bacon, miso soup, and green tea – waiting for him as Hinata worked to make the rest of the plates for herself, her sister, and her father. He settled in his chair to sip his tea, graciously waiting for the rest of his family to enter the kitchen. Ironically, his uncle deigned to eat his meal in the dining room as was proper while his children ate in the kitchen. Neji assumed Hiashi was planning something and wanted solitude. After breakfast, Neji stepped into the courtyard to practice his katas until Hinata was ready to leave for the Academy. His practice was cut short when Hiashi summoned him to the dining room, the younger jounin staring at his uncle until the man finally spoke.

Neji walked Hinata to the Academy, mulling over what Hiashi had told him. An old friend of his and Neji's father had sent him a curious and unnerving letter, consisting of fears of being killed. Hiashi had then asked Neji to formally register the mission with the proctors before heading out to the city of Taikyutsu to meet with Lord Shimatsu. It seemed easy enough, but then that's how all missions seemed in the beginning. Neji arrived at the office after dropping Hinata off at the Academy and Hanabi with her sensei, and received the first clue that his day was going to take a turn for the worse. It was no secret he and Lee were rivals, brought about and upheld by Lee himself. This not so secret was what led Lee to the missions office in search of his said rival and insinuate himself into Neji's mission. Much to Neji's chagrin, the pair left Konoha together, heading toward Taikyutsu. Neji ignored Lee's firecracker mouth, finally shutting him up when he told Lee to just propose to Sakura and get it over with. The Taijutsu master lapsed into silence until they arrived at the city, more sounds bubbling forth from his mouth too quickly for Neji to keep up. The Hyuuga finally shoved Lee into the streets with the express order to find a suitable engagement ring for Sakura and meet him at the mansion that took up most of a block of the city.

In retrospect, Neji would come to regret that decision in the hours to come, but for now it gave him a respite from that endlessly chattering moron that was his friend. Besides, he didn't need Lee to embarrass the Hyuuga family name. Neji walked carefully up the flagstones to the large twin doors and knocked three times before stepping back. He didn't like the way the doors creaked open at the pull of a slight maid who silently ushered him into the great hall. Neji waited nearly a half hour for the lord to appear, blinking when the man did so, staring at Lord Shimatsu as the man verily danced down the stairs. So startled was he that Neji barely reacted when the man hugged him tight for what seemed to be an hour before letting him go.

"You must be Neji-kun," Shimatsu said cheerily. "You were just a child the last time I saw you."

"Shimatsu-sama, I'm honoured you remember, but I'm not here to reminisce." Neji replied, head tilting to the side as he mentioned the letter. Shimatsu waved a hand as if to dismiss the words.

"I was merely drunk when I wrote that and before I could retrieve it, it was already on its merry way." Shimatsu replied, taking hold of Neji's shoulder. "You must be tired. Are you alone? Good. It wouldn't do to have a private party with extra guests."

Neji twisted away from the man, fighting back the Byakugan. Shimatsu came a bit closer though, ignoring Neji's want for personal space. The more Neji retreated, the closer Shimatsu got until Neji found himself pressed against the wall with the lord pressed against him. Shimatsu's face twisted cruelly then, a wicked smile splitting his lips, leaning closer to Neji, too close.

"Your father didn't like me around you, either." Shimatsu giggled. Neji jerked, his fist lashing out to the little effect it had on the man, a pinprick sending pain through the young jounin's body a moment after his fist went harmlessly past Shimatsu's right ear. Neji swayed, vision darkening, but Shimatsu didn't let him fall, holding the young man close to him, humming softly.

"But your father knew who I was," Shimatsu whispered to Neji's unconscious form. "And your little friend will be received with all due courtesy, should he actually come for you."

Shimatsu hefted Neji up into his arms, cackling as he carried the young man down a dark corridor into pitch black. It wasn't long before Neji woke, pain behind his eyes, in his shoulders, and he blinked in green-lit darkness. He was hanging, he realized, arms behind his back and twisted in such away that if he really tried, his fingers could touch the shoulder blades of the opposite shoulder. He could, if he tried extra hard with much pain to his shoulders, stretch his legs to make his toes scrape cold concrete, what he had to assume was the floor. He was bent in such a way that with his torso forward and his legs down like an upside down "L", it was painful to breathe let alone room. He felt lethargic, his lungs and neck burned and his eyes burned until he closed them against the green glow. He heard a door open and forced his eyes open against the pain to peer into that green glow, shivering when he saw Shimatsu before him, wrapped in a white lab coat. The man was chuckling and he reached out, taking Neji's chin between his fingers and tilted his head up.

"I thought you were a genius, Neji-kun." Shimatsu whispered so lovingly; "I thought you would figure it out by now, even if you have yet to still understand your situation."

Neji couldn't reply, his throat wouldn't work, and he was helpless as Shimatsu's wandering fingers slid up his cheeks to his hitai-ate, pulling it and then the cloth band beneath it off, revealing his curse seal in all its glory. Shimatsu shivered with what Neji could only assume was perverse pleasure and stroked the tattoo until Neji jerked his head away. Shimatsu only cackled and drew away, turning his back on the Hyuuga.

Neji realized, the moment Shimatsu turned back to him with a needle, what was really going on. Neji had met Shimatsu when he had been small, before his father had died. Shimatsu had been friends with Neji's father and uncle. There had been another, though, someone else who was always in the background, first watching, then approaching. Whenever he was around, Neji and Hinata were kept together in a room surrounded by adults from the main branch. His brain jumpstarted a bit then, the pieces falling into place. The letter of fear, asking to send a Hyuuga to investigate, killing all curiosity about a set-up.

"You killed him," Neji rasped out, "You killed him, didn't you?"

The man before him grinned, the mask dropping to reveal a twisted face that was identical to the face he'd worn earlier, barking out laughter that made Neji shiver. Clear liquid spurted from the needle and Neji pulled up on his bruising shoulders, kicking out with enough force to hit the man's hand and force the needle away, fighting and failing to get out of the chains. The man didn't hesitate, punching Neji's nose hard enough to snap his head back. Coughing and spluttering blood, Neji's head fell forward, unable to resist the pull of gravity. A heavy hand tangled in his hair, pulling his head back.

"I was going to give you a painless trial, but now you've gone and ruined it all," the man snarled. "Even my brother knew not to cross me, his older brother Hitatsu, but he did. Be grateful I know how not to kill you, my little canary."

Neji felt his ribs crack under the force of the punch and gasped out a soft breath. The pain was too much now, he couldn't will it away. The young Hyuuga gave in to darkness before Hitatsu released his head from that horrible vice-like hold.