A/N: I hope you like it…
"Hello again."
It was whispered, but in the silent room, it had the effect of a gunshot. Her shoulders stiffened involuntarily, her eyes wide with terror. Her mouth was open in a silent scream. Fear ran through her veins, paralyzing her. The fear she had was completely unnatural.
"Scream for me, Hinata-sama."
Her heart skipped a beat.
This was ridiculous, she told herself. The young man in front of her was not Neji nii-san. It was a dream, merely a dream. Yet she could never forget her fear. No, Neji would never hurt her. Not anymore. Hadn't she seen it in his eyes? He would no longer tried to hurt her. Quite the contrary, in fact. He truly became her protector, her guardian, but strove to avoid her as much as he could.
This apparition was very life-like, though.
In any case, she reasoned, this person had never tried to hurt her. No, she would not call him Neji nii-san. She knew, just knew that he couldn't be Neji nii-san. Although this person had only ever threatened her, he was not Neji nii-san.
Perhaps he was someone else.
He had only threatened her; had never hurt her. She wouldn't be afraid, she promised herself.
"Hello," she replied. "Have you come to see m-me again?"
"Oh yes. Why should I bother to see anyone else, Hinata-sama? You are the only one I am meant to protect. No one else will bother to see you, either."
"P-Please drop the honourific. I k-know that you aren't N-Neji nii-san."
"Perhaps, but who would I be then?"
"Y-You are just a dream," she replied, nodding her head vigorously, as if doing so would ascertain the fact.
"Oh dear. I see I've left the wrong impression on you. No, I'm not just a dream. I'm your dream, or should I say, your worst nightmare. I will correct that, then. You are right in one aspect, though. I am not your cousin."
" The Chuunin exams… Y-You've been exploiting m-my fear"
"Yes, quite right. I see that you are an intelligent girl."
Thud.
Thump!
Hearing such strange noises coming out of Hinata's room, Neji reluctantly went to investigate. He wouldn't enter her room if he had the choice, but what if something had happened to her? He noticed that Hinata had fallen off her bed. Good gracious, it was two in the morning!
Carefully, he carried his younger cousin back onto her bed.
"I k-know that you aren't N-Neji nii-san," he heard her mutter in her sleep.
What was she dreaming about? Him? In any case, it wouldn't do to eavesdrop. If anyone found out, he would be in trouble. Still, Hinata looked like she was feeling very uncomfortable.
Then, she screamed.
So it was not a pleasant dream. Still, he should not interrupt it. Blood, warm and sticky, poured out of a wound just below her shoulder.. Strange, it wasn't there before. She could not have reopened a wound, she had no injuries before… he would have noticed.
Then, her thigh begin bleeding, shortly followed by another loud scream.
Was there something about her that he had not noticed earlier?
" Hinata-sama! Wake up!!"
"Alright, how about this, Hinata-chan, I'll give you something… a memento to remember me by."
"Memento?" She asked, curious in spite of herself.
He raised a curved sword, a sword she presumed to be his. It glimmered in the dark room. Then he cut her back. She screamed. "Convincing enough, Hinata-chan?" Nightmares, she knew, only went away when one faced their fear. The wound hurt, but she gritted her teeth and shook her head.
" What a pity. Allow me to show you the error of your way."
Then, he slashed mercilessly at her thigh. She cried out again, and knew with a sudden certainty that he was no mere dream.
" What do you think of that, Hinata-chan?"
She was about to reply, when she heard his voice, her real Neji nii-san call out.
" Hinata-sama! Wake up!!"
" I seem to be fading," she murmured, shocked, as she forced her eyelids open.
She eyelids fluttered like a trapped butterfly before she opened the lavender jewels that were known as her eyes. The pain on the back of her arm as well as the one of her thigh hadn't faded.
" I'm glad you're awake, Hinata-sama. What happened?"
For a second, she thought she was still in that dark room. When did he get so close? No, this was Neji nii-san. Her Neji nii-san. In this Neji's eyes, she saw protection.
" Is something the matter?" she asked.
" You bled for no reason! I…" and he looked away. "I did not hurt you."
She saw the crimson liquid on her bedsheets. The wounds on her arm and her thighs felt more real than ever. This time, she did not attempt to stop herself. She screamed as loudly as she could.
All he could do was to try and calm her.
Both awkward and reluctant, he put his arms around her. "It'll be fine."
" I-It won't, b-because he'll be b-back." She was stuttering more than ever. She must have frightened out of her wits, he realized.
"I k-know he w-will."
A/N: Here ends my first installment of this story. Hoped you liked it. And yes, it can also be viewed as a oneshot. Please give me your opinion!