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─── ∙ ~εïз~ ∙ ───
"𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐀𝐑𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐃𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄."
A familiar voice spoke, which Inari quickly opened her tired eyes and turned her head, "Neji?" She blinked with a bit of surprise.
Neji squinted his clear eyes, "I said, what are you doing here?" He asked again, this time more colder, colder than the harsh winter in Konoha.
Inari eyeballed him, "What are you doing here?" She raised an eyebrow, wiping a tear she realized that was rolling down her cheek. Neji scoffed and rolled his eyes, "I asked you first. By the way, you're trespassing on Hyuga property, leave now."
Three years has past, Inari was nine years old-about to turn ten. And turning ten means that she'll have to preform the Pure Daughter ceremony. Winter came a has already come in October, the snow had been falling for a day now. Inari always liked snow, she liked how soft it was, despite it being cold.
She snorted softly and her eyes drifted away, "I'm sorry." Her eyelids fell heavy on her eyes and they closed again.
"What are you apologizing for?" He moved closer to the girl sleeping against a tree, she smiled a bit and her head bobbed to the left, "I'm trespassing. Aren't I?" She replied lightly and raised her eyebrows.
"But you're crying." He pointed out.
She opened her eyes.
"I cry whenever someone else is sad. I cry their tears so they don't have to." She responded, wiping away another tear.
He raised his eyebrows, "Really?" With a bit of curiosity in his tone, Inari laughed softly, "Nope, I lied."
Neji smiled a bit at her pathetic joke and looked away, "Then why are you crying?" He asked, Inari raised her eyebrows, "Because I'm sad." She stood up and walked over to him, standing face to face Inari tilted her head and smiled, "But not anymore though, you cheered me up."
He could feel his cheeks heat up at her comment, so he looked away in embarrassment, trying to hide his red cheeks, "It's cold outside, you'll catch a cold, you know." Inari gave him a closed eye smile, "So will you if you keep on bothering me." She poked his red nose and giggled. In response he swatted her hand away and clicked his tongue, "I'm being nice, like what you always say I should try doing more. Besides, they said that you ran away." He looked away and buried his face in his dull blue scarf.
"Come sit with me." Inari offered as she tugged on his kimono sleeve before holding his mitten covered hand and pulling him close to her and led him over to the tree she was crying under under.
He shivered at the snow he sat on and looked at Inari. Once a quiet and conserved girl now more happy and open, she wore no scarf or any protective gear against the cold winter. Only a dark bland kimono that reached below her knees with no shoes or socks on, her hair was more messier and unruly. Neji personally doesn't like people that look like a mess such as her but he liked it on Inari. The messiness suited her in his mind.
"Are you not cold?" He asked, Inari closed her eyes and shook her head, "Not at all. When me and Lord Orochimaru traveled to a village. There was so much much snow! He told for me to stay outside for three days straight only wearing a tank top and summer shorts during a crazy blizzard," his eyes widened at her story, "you don't understand how amazing he is... thanks to that, I learned to control my body temperature even under the toughest conditions."
Neji furrowed his eyebrows, "You could've died."
"But I didn't."
"I've been chosen to become the Pure Mother for my clan." Inari admitted, "that's why I was crying." Her red eyes drifted towards the white snow and she sighed softly, "That's just your destiny." He responded, looking up into the dark cloudy sky.
"Maybe you're right. I'm basically the inheritor to the title after my mother. We become the Pure Daughter and it is announced when the girl turns ten. And I become the Pure Mother when my own mom dies. I believe when I'm around eighteen years old I will have to bare at least two children for the clan and the father has to be from a powerful clan." A hot tear rolled down her cold rosy cheek but she still forced in a smile, so Neji wouldn't feel bad, "And being the Pure Mother, they said I am fitted to stay home, but I can't. I really want to become a ninja to protect the people around me. I can't be alone with my thoughts every day. I just cant!"
Neji didn't respond, he just looked at her with sad eyes, Inari locked eyes with him before looking away, "But of course, when that's all over I know what I'll need to do. I'm one of the best of the best, I'll become a shinobi in no time, but..."
Then her eyes softened, "I hope the person I'll have to marry is you." She poked his chest and smiled, "You're from a powerful and well known clan, you'd be an amazing bachelor!" She lit up.
Neji smirked a bit and shook his head, "You know that's impossible. Im from the side branch- the lower half of the Hyuga family while you're from the Founding Family, having the Pure Sekigan. It's just foolish to even think about."
Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, "But—"
"My destiny just like yours was decided the day I was born, your words don't change the fact of what I am. a side branched Hyuga who's only purpose is to protect Lady Hinata. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean you can change it, Inari." He interrupted her.
Inari grabbed his hand, "But Akane told me the only one that can choose is myself." She put his hand close to her chest, "What if we just ran away? Just us together, we don't even have to get married! We can just be happy!" She said with an optimistic face.
In response, Neji looked away and sighed, "That would be nice...wouldn't it?" His eyes gazed into her red ones and smiled a bit, "But it'll never happen."
An awkward silence fell between the two, Inari twiddled with her fingers as Neji stared at the blanket of snow beneath him.
"Here," Neji took off his mittens and put them on Inari, she raised her eyebrows while looking down to see them and looked back up at him with a smile, "What's this?" She bowed her head and he smiled back at her, "They're mittens, for your hands. See?" He held her hands and put the mittens on her.
Inari's entire face turned red, she was basically speechless.
"Go home, Inari." He told the girl who couldn't even move her legs, her was basically thumping out of her chest when he looked at her, "O-Okay." She stuttered and blinked rapidly, "Thank you, Neji." Her lips curved into a smile as she walked towards him, she got on the tip of her toes and kissed his cheek.
His pupils shrunk and he turned to look at her but she already ran off, but before she left, she turned back to him,
