"It was me," squeaks Neji, his voice hoarse from crying so much.

You were flabbergasted, "What? What do you mean?" You take your hand away from Neji, placing both hands close to your chest with concern.

"It was an accident. Hinata told me to not go easy on her- to go as hard as I can as she wanted to win fair and square. I should have known better," Neji explains, softly sniffling as more tears began to fall.

"No, it's not your fault, Neji. Hinata would have felt bad if you had let her win. Saying you should have known better than to not go easy on her is not right-"

"No (y/n), I should have known better than to hit her pressure points to stop her chakra flow. I-I thought she could handle it and I hit too many and I sent her into cardiac arrest (y/n)!" sobs Neji, completely breaking down. "Everyone must think I'm a monster now. I almost killed my cousin, (y/n)! I thought it would be okay, but-"

You pull Neji into a hug, allowing him to sob incoherently into your chest. You hushed him while rubbing his back.

"You made a mistake. Everyone makes mistakes. If making mistakes makes you a monster, then everyone would be a monster too. What's important is that Hinata is okay now and when she finally wakes up, you two can talk. I know she won't be mad because she's the sweetest and most gentle person in the world. I know this will run heavy on your heart despite you being so stoic and blunt. Maybe a lot of people will see you differently now, but you have Rock Lee, Tenten, and me. I cannot speak on behalf of anyone, but I don't see you differently, Neji." you explain.

Neji pulls away slowly. You hold his hands and only smile as you make eye contact. 

"(y/n), thank you. I'm still very upset as I was the one who did this to Hinata and I feel like I should be the one in this bed unconscious, not her. However, your sincere words helped," states Neji, his gaze slowly going off to the side as he softly smiles. "Reason who knows what number I'm on at this point, she knows exactly what to say."

Confused, you ask, "What do you mean, Neji?"

Neji looks into your eyes once more, his eyes full of life despite being a pale lavender. He firmly holds your hands and sits upright. You look up at the young boy, taking in his beautiful features. It had been a while since you have been this close to Neji to admire him. The only times you ever got this kind of opportunity was when you sparred with him, but those moments were short-lived as you needed to take training seriously. 

"(y/n), about a year ago when I lashed out at you and in a panic yelled that I had feelings for you while you were walking away, Tenten told me I was being ridiculous- and I definitely was. Again, I apologize for my actions then, but that's not why I'm bringing that up," Neji starts. "You see, (y/n), Tenten also told me that if I was going to have feelings for someone, then I needed to have reasons and be capable of recalling such reasons. Ever since, I've been racking up reason after reason in my head. I'll be honest and admit that I can't remember every reason now, but at the very least I know you're breath-taking in every way (y/n). You warm my cold interior every time we spend time together. In fact, laying my undeserving eyes upon your beautiful soul is enough to light up my world."

You were flabbergasted, trying to process everything Neji just said. Was Neji Hyūga actually confessing his feelings for you? As excited as you were, you could not help but feel that this was terrible timing as this was all happening in front of your unconscious best friend.

"Neji I-"

"I know, terrible timing as Hinata is definitely hurting, but I couldn't help but share my true feelings for you, (y/n). I know I hurt you, and I understand that you don't feel the same way, but I just had to say something," explains Neji as he earnestly looks into your eyes. 

You sigh, giving Neji a soft smile. You let go of his hands and get up, making your way to the door. 

"It is terrible timing as I believe Hinata deserves your attention, Neji," you say, turning the knob of the door. 

"You're right, (y/n). I was foolish and being immature, I should have held my tongue. I sincerely apolo-"

"But Neji," you interrupt the long-haired boy as you stand in the doorway facing him. "If I didn't feel the same way, then I wouldn't have kissed you back last night."

And with that, you close the door on the shocked Hyūga and walk towards the room where the preliminaries are taking place.

. . . 

Neji's P.O.V.

"If I didn't feel the same way, then I wouldn't have kissed you back last night."

CLICK

Neji finds himself in a shocked state of mind. He attempts to process everything that has happened thus far despite being so emotionally drained. He looks to Hinata, feeling guilt as he stares at her face. With remorse, he places his head down on Hinata's bed as looking at her only made him upset.  Despite this, he could not help but feel somewhat happy that the kisses you two shared was not a dream, nor a nightmare. 

Although he found you annoying when you first met, Neji actually appreciated the times you spent walking home together. Despite pushing his buttons and disrespecting his space constantly, Neji was thankful to have someone to talk to. Even though you got on his nerves every time, he was never alone again. Neji never hated you, but he could not love you yet.

Back then, his actions were uncalled for. The brute force and rude remarks were unnecessary. Him snapping at every chance he got, whether it was you or his peers was not right. However, in this moment of time, all he knew was the pain he felt from his deceased parents. He could not remember the love his parents once showed him and so he could not love anyone. He could only remember the pain he felt once his parents died unfair deaths. 

"Hinata, I am sorry. I am sorry that you are here because of me. I knew exactly what I was doing when I cut off your chakra source, but I thought it would be okay. I made a mistake despite supposedly being a genius," he starts, pausing for a minute before starting once more. "I am sorry for mistreating you as we grew up. I was terrible to you despite you only showing me love and kindness. Do you remember that day on the porch when I came back upset because I hurt (y/n)? I proceeded to hurt you too, but you still helped me. You still showed me love and because of your acts of kindness I could start to properly heal. Thank you, Hinata."

Silence pervaded the room once more until he heard a weak cough.

"Don't worry, Neji, I forgive you," Hinata weakly coughs out.

Neji whipped his head up, excited, concerned, and shocked all at the same time. 

"Please don't say another word, Hinata. You're still recovering. I put you in a bad spot and I am so sorry. Please don't move either. I want you to rest easy, you deserve it," states Neji holding his cousin's hand gently. 

Hinata only nods and softly smiles. 

"But thank you for your forgiveness, Hinata. I don't deserve it, but thank you."