Chapter Text
Although there are many things Neji doesn't remember from his earliest years, he can still recall with perfect clarity the loneliness. He remembers the resentment very well. And, most of all, the anger.
The details of his childhood become blurrier the older he gets; however, it is very unlikely Neji will ever completely lose sight of what it was like being so angry all the time, and so alone. He doubts he could forget the feeling of having nothing left in the world to trust in beyond his own senses.
Neji wonders if that confused, unhappy child in the depths of mourning would believe him, if he told him he would find people to trust in. That he would be blessed with friends he can depend on in every way. That he would somehow— miraculously, even— grow into a relatively well adjusted adult. Content in the life he's carved out.
Regardless of what his younger self might make of it, Neji likes to think there's someone who would be pleased at the news, if he was here today.
Dark clouds hang over the cemetery. The uniformly grey sky compliments the carved stone memorials spaced out in precise rows quite bleakly. As if it wasn't clear enough that this is a place of death. A place the light doesn't reach—cold, and sorrowful.
Neji feels strangely aware of the fact that there is no body beneath the memorial marked with his father's name. Still, he kneels, and murmurs a few words. He recounts that it's been peaceful in the village as of late, making a note to the gravestone that he has had few missions. He mentions that he moved into a small secluded place on the edge of town earlier this year. That he's doing well.
He takes a deep breath. In, and out.
"I wouldn't have dragged the two of you along if I had known the weather would turn," Neji says as he rises back up to his full height, turning away from the marked stone and towards the two people accompanying him.
Tenten stands with her arms crossed, as if she doesn't know what to do with them surounded by graves. "You didn't drag us anywhere."
"Hm." Lee gives a pointed nod as he steps forward. "I know your father was very important to you, Neji, and though he may have passed a long time before Tenten and I got the chance to meet him, in a way, he is important to us as well."
Tenten says nothing, but her gaze is clear and steady in a way that says she agrees with Lee's sentiment.
Neji meets each of them eye to eye, before glancing down. A small smile of grattitude graces his features. "I see." After allowing a moment of comfortable silence to pass between the three of them, Neji suggests, "Shall we be off then?"
Lee steps in closer, "Neji…"
"Hm?"
"Is it okay if…" He hesitates, gesturing between Neji and the stone at his feet. "May I…? Say a few words?"
Neji raises an eyebrow, surprised for a moment. But only a moment.
"I don't see why not."
Lee throws himself down before the grave, practically bowing in reverence. Neji almost goes to remind him of the lack of remains there, but holds his tongue at the last moment.
"Mister Hyuuga…" Lee speaks to the stone in a low voice, "I mean, Mister Hizashi. Um. May I call you Hizashi, sir?"
Neji smirks. Though his heart feels strangely light as he listens in.
"Er… I know you can't answer me… Not in the normal way, at least, but…"
Just then the sky roars with thunder as the storm lurking overhead finally breaks. Heavy drops pour down turning every stone in the cemetery a darker shade of grey in seconds. And even though he had remained close enough to hear whatever Lee was saying at the would be resting place of Hizashi Hyuuga, suddenly Neji can't hear a thing besides the constant impact of water against earth, dulling his senses.
He frowns.
Minutes pass and Lee is still bent over the gravesite, still whispering indistinctly. Tenten comes over and stands beside Neji. The two of them watch him through the pouring rain.
Leaning slightly closer, Tenten asks, "Are you reading his lips?"
"It isn't a very polite thing to do."
"As if you've never done it before?"
Neji turns his gaze pointedly away from Lee kneeling there. "I don't think he would approve."
"Huh…"
Shortly thereafter, Lee hops to his feet, giving one more quick bow to the grave before facing his companions, his expression full of sentiment. Neji suspects if it weren't for the weather, Lee's eyes would be distinctly wet.
"You good?" Tenten asks.
"Yes!" Lee nods. Just then there's another crack of thunder. He turns his eyes towards the sky as if just now noticing it, calling out, "Wow it's really coming down huh??"
Neji gestures the way they came. "Let's go home."
As Neji Lee and Tenten rush through the wooded outskirts of town, they do their best to repel the rain away with chakra, but it's coming down hard enough that by the time they make it to the little house a mile or so outside the leaf village proper, each of them is more or less soaked. Neji stands in the shower and wrings his hair out while the other two change into dry clothes.
Of the three of them, Lee is the most comfortable in the kitchen. On that night the fridge is a little bare, and it's not like they have many prospects with the weather. So egg sandwiches it is.
They settle in around the kitchen table warm and dry, say thanks, and eat together. For a while it's quiet besides chewing and the deluge outside.
As she swallows down a bite, Tenten asks, "So, Neji… How many years has it been?"
A long moment stretches between them while Neji considers the question. He chews his food and takes a sip of water before answering. "Nineteen years."
"Wow." Her eyes go wider at that. "So next year will be a whole two decades huh?"
"That's right."
The slight cold edge to his voice gives Tenten pause. "… I'm sorry about your dad. It's so messed up. And your family didn't even do anything to acknowledge the day of his passing?"
"Perhaps next year." Neji stands to put his plate in the sink. He speaks in a carefully measured way. "I suppose I can understand that it must be… uncomfortable, for Lord Hiashi to reminisce on the affair." Neji rinses his plate, his back to the other two. He adds quietly, "I honor my father's death in my own way. It isn't my place to question how other members of my family conduct themselves."
Lee and Tenten exchange a look that does not go unnoticed.
They worry about him. Neji knows that. But they can't really understand his position, or the greater intricacies of the Hyuuga clan. And even if they could, he wouldn't want to bore them with the details.
"Your father, Hizashi Hyuuga, was a skilled and noble shinobi who protected the village hidden in the leaves…" Lee balls up his fists on either side of him. "How I wish I could have known him myself."
Neji grabs a towel and dries his hands, facing Lee and Tenten. He almost comments that he too would have liked the chance to actually know Hizashi Hyuuga. But he keeps that thought to himself for the moment.
"I suppose speaking to his headstone is the closest thing we have left. Isn't that right?"
"Oh— Um… Yes, I suppose so."
When Lee doesn't elaborate, Neji presses him, "You were quite intent on speaking to him, weren't you? I can't imagine what for…"
"Er, yes. I mean— No. Not really. Um, well." Lee waves away the line of questioning. "It's nothing Neji, really. I'll tell you guys about it later."
After staring him down for a beat longer, Neji relents, glancing away. "Hrm…"
"By the way, Tenten," Lee turns to her. "Next time, do you think we could visit your parents' graves at the cemetery? I'd like to say a few words for them as well."
"Lee…" Tenten's eyes narrow into slits. Mystified and incredulous. "My parents… ARE NOT DEAD."
"Wuh— Are you sure?"
"Um. I'm PRETTY SURE."
Lee frowns, deeply confused. "Well then… They must have left the village many years ago right?"
Tenten quietly stands, taking a deep breath as she carries her dinner plate away. "No Lee…" Dropping it in the sink. "My mother and father have lived in the leaf village my whole life. And still do. To this. Very. Day."
Lee jumps to his feet. "Tenten, I have known you for at least half of your life if not more, and I have never met either of your parents! Not your father or your mother! Not once!"
"Just because I'm not close to them doesn't mean they're DEAD Lee."
"Neji did you know about this?" Lee turns on him.
With a shrug, Neji admits, "Did I know that Tenten has living parents? I suppose so. She must have mentioned it at some point. Perhaps when we were genin."
Lee presses his lips into a tight line as he considers this. "If that is so…" He closes his eyes, ashamed. "Then I have not paid as much attention to my dear companions over these years as I should have…"
"Look, Lee," Tenten goes to him, slapping his shoulder in a good natured way. "One of these days when my parents do die— you'll be the first one I take to visit the graves. Deal?"
"Uh…" As confused as ever, Lee allows it with a shrug. "Sure, Tenten. That sounds very nice. Although I wonder if it would be easier to just go and visit them at their house, while they're still alive…"
When they've all cleaned up after dinner, the three of them sit in the living room and chat for a while longer. They start on the state of the village. How strangely quiet things have been.
"It's been months since our last mission…" Tenten groans. "I've been thinking about taking a job at a shop in town just so that I'm not so bored."
"It's true. Nothing very exciting has happened since Naruto's wedding. And training everyday does start to get tiresome…" Lee admits. "It'll be good to finally start my next mission."
"Next mission?" Neji raises an eyebrow at that.
"Err…." A little color rises in Lee's cheeks. "Well, I meant to tell you guys. I'll be leaving on a mission the day after tomorrow."
"Huh?? What kind of mission?" Before Lee can answer Tenten holds up a hand to stop him. "You know what— it doesn't matter. I'll take what I can get."
"Actually…" Lee ducks his head in an apology, "It is a solo mission. I must go on my own."
"HUH?"
"It is a… SECRET solo mission," Lee clarifies, "So I really can't say anymore about it. It is… err. Highly classified ninja work. You guys understand."
Neji squints at him. But he decides not to press the issue for now.
Just then there's another boom of thunder— so close that the lights flicker.
"Man… It's bad out there." Tenten twists to look out the window behind her.
A moment passes while the three of them watch and listen to the rain.
Lee speaks up, something timid in his voice. "Neji…"
"What is it?"
"It's just, I was wondering…" Lee scratches the back of his neck as he asks in a quietly hopeful manner, "Do you think it would be okay if Tenten and I…" he blushes as he meets Neji's gaze, "If we. You know… stayed the night?"
The rain sounds especially loud as the three of them sit there without speaking for a few drawn out seconds.
Blushing harder, Lee glances down.
Neji's eyes remain fixed on him a moment longer. He then turns to Tenten, who looks back at him with a shrug. Neji sighs, closing his eyes.
"Lee…"
"Yes?"
"You and Tenten have been spending the night here for nearly three months. You don't have to ask permission every time."
Lee's eyes go wide with surprise. "Oh. I didn't want to be rude and assume anything. It is your place after all…"
"Perhaps it started out that way, but it hardly feels like this house belongs to me alone." Neji gestures towards the kitchen,"The both of you have your meals here." Towards the bedrooms, "You keep your clothes here. As far as I'm concerned it's our home that we share."
Neji really only meant to lay out the facts as he sees them. It's not until the words are out of his mouth that he realizes the weight of what he said.
"Our home…" Lee repeats, glancing between Neji and Tenten. Tenten and Neji. "That we…" Neji. Tenten. "Share…?" And the next moment he's staring directly ahead, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Well, certainly," Neji makes his best effort at a practical, placating tone, hoping with little conviction that he might deflate the situation a degree or two. "I don't see what the big deal is… It seems quite clear to me." He points out, "When the two of you think of the word 'home' isn't this the place that comes to mind—?"
Before Neji can finish forming the final word, Lee bursts into tears, and Tenten throws her arms around the both of them, yanking them in for a tight hug.
Although the suddenness of it leaves Neji's shoulders tense for a moment, it's only a moment. With a sense of perfect acceptance, he relaxes, breathing out a long steady breath, and wrapping an arm around each of them.
Home. Without a doubt.