Requested by one of my younger sisters, Blazin_Nymph

Sorry for the long wait, imouto. Good writing takes plenty of time :)
Hope you enjoy this one.

Neji shouldn’t have died. Damn it, Masashi-san 😭

~~~

A pure white kimono.

A shower of rose petals.

Three cups of sake.

A thousand gold origami cranes.

And two souls bound together for a lifetime. Two souls, who vowed to remain by each other’s side, to love, respect and console one another until death…

Despite the contradicting adjurations of their hearts.

(Y/n) listened to the final vows uttered by the Pastor that she will be responding to afterwards, her eyes never meeting the other pair across her. Her hands slowly made their way to hold each other, as the pastor’s voice became inaudible to her senses.

Marriage should’ve been bound by love. And not just two people to be bound by marriage. And more importantly, it shouldn’t have been used for the sole purpose of uniting two clans together.

Her breathing hitched and her teeth secretly gritted at the thought. Who would’ve thought that this would happen? She was a kunoichi, adored and looked-up to for her unwavering battle skills, her loyalty to Konoha, and her unrivalled abilities in the use of ninjutsu. To say that she threw an outburst when her clan ordered her to marry a certain Hyuga would be a massive understatement.

“(Y/n)-sama…” the sound of her name made her blink. She turned to the pastor, his left brow slightly raised as if waiting for a response from her, to which she immediately understood.

She turned, still not looking into the face of the great Hyuga Neji.

“Hai. Chikaimasu…”  (I do.)

I should’ve left Konoha when I had the chance, she thought.

-----

Silence had not incurred at the reception until now although it’s already way past midnight. The elders had left and so the youthful ones started to liven up the party. They weren’t exactly there in full support of the newly-wed couple, rather they were just there to enjoy the food and drinks. It was such an exultant sight. Mostly were drunk and didn’t have the will to get some rest.

You can imagine a ranting Shikamaru, a Tsunade and Jiraiya having a drinking contest, a Tenten and Choji trying to stop Lee from getting drunk, a Yamato and Kakashi crying their hearts out, and a Naruto blabbering something about making sweet love to ramen.

It was a glorious sight.

The bridegroom rubbed his temples as he wondered how much longer this would take. (Y/n) had left the reception half an hour ago but he doubted that she went home and so, he got up from his seat and decided to look for (Y/n).

Outside the reception, it was cold. The full moon and the stars erupted their light against the pathway, making it easier for Neji to walk outside without any lamp with him. A shiny uchikake against a huge tree caught his attention and he didn’t need to activate his byakugan to know who it is. Almost hesitantly, he approached the person and lowly cleared his throat to let her know his presence.

(Y/n)’s head slightly turned. She took in a deep breath at realizing that Neji had found her. She had never been in a place alone with him, they were barely close friends, and although she is aware that Neji is also a strong Shinobi, she still couldn’t believe that they are now married. What could Neji be possibly feeling about this? Did he ever say no to this? Did he also consider what she might feel about their marriage? And ever if he could, what might he be thinking about her?

“It’s a little cold out here. Would you like to get some rest at home?” Neji’s gentle voice was surprisingly calming for her. They’ve talked before, yes, but not this kind of conversation and not in this kind of situation.

“I could use a little more time here,” (Y/n) responded.

“Would it be alright if I’d lend you some company?”

“Of course.”

Neji took a step closer to her and leaned next to her on the tree. “I apologize for everything you’ve been going through. I know that you are against this marriage, and you clearly don’t have any positive feelings for this, but…”

(Y/n) turned to face her husband for the first time. She had never seen a Hyuga’s eyes this close before, for she hadn’t bothered to. She had thought that the Hyugas’ expressions are hard to understand due to the composition of their eyes. But at this moment, she stands corrected. There was something about this Hyuga in the way he looked at her. She could feel something, like a strong connection, an attempt to communicate, an attempt to make her feel at ease, or at home.

“…I want you to know that you are a wonderful person, (Y/n). You deserve much better than this. Much better than me.”

“Neji…”

“I would’ve said no to this, not for myself but for you.”

(Y/n) kept looking right into his eyes. She had never expected Neji to actually care for her, and she was hoping that he really meant it and not just because he pitied her at some point.

“But I guess there is no turning back now…” Neji continued. “You are now my wife. And I am your husband. We are doing this out of duties,” one of his hands trembled to touch hers. He was afraid to do it, and he felt stupid. He clenched his fists and bit his lip.

As if she understood what he wanted, she took her hand in his and moved closer to him. There was something about this new relationship, this new connection. It was gradually drawing her to him, and him towards her.

She looked at his eyes and that same look is still there. What is this? Does this feel like… home? It can’t be. You were both against this.

“Setting all our duties aside,” Neji quietly uttered.  “I want to ask you for myself. Lady (Y/n), will you marry me?”

Her eyes widened at the question. If her current state of mind was the same during the wedding ceremony, she would’ve said a quick ‘no’. But that didn’t happen. Instead, she felt her heart yearn to say yes. There is a sweet longing into it, and the warmth of their hands wrapped together added to the intensity of any positive emotion they need to feel right now. And that’s exactly what she did.

“Hai… Chikaimasu…” she softly whispered before they shared a quick yet passionate kiss under the moonlight.

~~~