" Konohamaru, where's (Name)? " Hanabi asked when she and Neji returned to the table. The fact that (Name) was nowhere to be seen scared Neji immensely. 
     " She excused herself a while ago. I don't know where she went, " Konohamaru replied, and continued to chat with his friend Udon.
Hanabi sighed, and returned to her cousin. 
     " I think she's somewhere around here. Probably with Hinata-nee, " she murmured. 

Neji's eyes darted around, hoping to catch a glance of the (h/c) girl. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw her, and she seemed to be speaking with someone, who's back faced him.
    " Ah, there she is, " he said, pushing through the surrounding crowd to reach her.
Several steps away from (Name), Hanabi grabbed his hand and whispered into his ear hastily.
     " The woman she's talking to is Atsuko! " 

     " Atsuko?! "

Neji rushed over to (Name), and quickly pushed her behind him. " Are you alright? "
She frowned, staring at him oddly.
     " Of course I am. You look like you've been running a marathon."

     " (Name)-san, who is this gentleman right here? " 
Shivers ran down his spine when he heard that voice, and his blood turned cold when he finally looked into Atsuko Sakagami's red eyes.

      " This is Neji, my.. err.. " she couldn't finish her sentence, finding it extremely awkward.

       " I'm her husband, " Neji finished, his usually calm voice dripping with venom.
Atsuko narrowed her eyes at Neji, her full red lips pressed into a thin line.
   
   " Is that so? " she taunted, but (Name) was too innocent to notice the slight change in Atsuko's intonation. 
   " Apparently that's the way it is, " Neji spat, wrapping his arm around (Name)'s torso, and watched Atsuko's reaction. She was unfazed, but Neji was certain that she was cursing under her.

     " (Name)-san, I have to go. It was nice meeting you, " Atsuko gave (Name) a painfully sweet smile, and obliviously, she smiled back.

    " It was nice meeting you too," she replied.
Before Atsuko strutted away, she flashed a glare at Neji. 

Neji, being Neji, of course wasn't afraid of that at all, but the fact that Atsuko had managed to get close to (Name) without him even knowing, terrified him to the very core.
Neji rarely accuses people without evidence,  but he had the gut feeling that Atsuko was behind the car crash incident. He was almost certain, but he had no evidence to put her in jail.

     " (Name), it's best if you don't go near that woman. Nothing good will come out of it, " Neji said as he swept her away to a secluded corner of the grand hall.

    " But why? She's a nice person, " (Name) protested stubbornly. 

    " You knew her barely twenty minutes. That isn't enough to evaluate a person and determine whether they're good or not, " he sighed.

    " Exactly! Unless you've known her before, I find your words very hypocritical."

    " (Name), for once, please listen to me. I grew up in this world, and I know exactly what it's like. But you, you're different. You have no idea what people are like out there. Not everyone is kind and friendly. No one is kind and friendly without a hidden motive."

(Name) knew that he was right, but she could not resist the urge to roll her eyes.
      " Then, teach me all the basics if you're that knowledgeable. Wait, maybe you shouldn't. Someone like you shouldn't waste their time on a peasant like me."

As soon as the words left her words, her forehead dipped into a frown. It was as if she said it on impulse. They never even crossed her mind - they practically just left her lips.
All the displeasant feelings that lingered within her earlier faded, and she felt guilt when she saw how Neji's expression darkened.
        " Neji I -"

        " We should return to the table. The event will start soon. "

He didn't take her hand, nor did he lead her safely through the crowd. As she got squished between the people, she could only stare at his back, and he didn't even look back towards her.

He ignored her.

A sick feeling welled up inside her. She didn't mean to say it, but she could tell that it displeased Neji greatly. 
At the table, (Name) took the seat between Hinata and Hanabi, which was the only seat left. 

Neji was seated across her, but he purposely avoided her eyes. He chatted occasionally with Naruto and the two sisters, but not once did he make an effort to talk to her.

(Name) lowered her eyes, feeling utterly defeated. She ignored Hanabi, who was trying to strike up a conversation, and kept her ears deaf the entire time.

She didn't even listen to the speech by Hiashi Hyuga, but clapped along the audience when the speech was finished.

Then, dinner was served. (Name) basically just shoved in the appetiser into her mouth, for she wasn't in the mood to actually taste and appreciate the flavours.

      " Ow! " she squealed, her fingers now dripping with red. (Name) rarely used fork and knives, and it was proven right there that she wasn't good at using it.

She had been trying to cut into the tenderloin steak, but her hand slipped and the table knife took the opportunity to cut her other hand.

Hearing her cry of pain, Neji instantly stood up and stalked towards her. She frowned when he picked up her injured hand and inspected it, and he proceeded to wrap a cotton napkin around it.

     " Come with me, " he rasped, tugging her uninjured hand.
The other guests watched the two with interest, completely dismissing the fact that leaving in the middle of a meal is rude - but then again, no one dared to question Neji.

Well, except for (Name). 

♤

  " Neji, this is the opposite direction of where we're supposed to go, " (Name) said, watching the unfamiliar scenery around her.

   " I beg to differ. We don't always have to do what we're supposed to do, at times we should just go with the flow. "

(Name) frowned, confused at his sudden odd behaviour. 
       " Neji, are you drunk? "

He let out a chuckle as the car pulled over. Neji made sure that the little box was in his pocket when he exited the car. Still confused, (Name) reluctantly stepped out of the car when Neji opened the door for her.

     " What is this place? And why all of a sudden -" 

     " Walk with me, " he whispered into her ear, his lips curling into a wry smirk. He linked his arm with her own, and led her into the garden.

The land was owned by the Hyuga clan, and only Hyugas could gain access into the private garden. The little slice of heaven was filled with an abundance of trees and wild flowers, and there was a small pond in the heart of it.

     " It's such a beautiful place, " (Name) breathed, drinking in the beautiful surroundings. 
There were purple wisterias, pink cherry blossoms, and thorny blood red roses blooming in every nook of the garden. Even the grass was beautiful - perfectly trimmed and in a vibrant shade of green.

     " What's over there? " she asked Neji, pointing at the pond. A red bridge was built across it, and visitors could see the colourful koi fishes swimming inside the water.

Never in her life had she witnessed such beauty, even in Akahana village, where there were a bunch of trees and flowers.
She wrapped her fingers around the railing of the bridge, staring down at the depths under her.

      " (Name). "

Hearing Neji's voice, she immediately turned around, and she was met with a very shocking sight.

     " Neji, what are you doing? " she blurted, staring at the man who was kneeling on one knee in front of her.
Her eyes grew wider when she saw him retrieve a small leather box from his coat pocket.

     " Neji -" 

     " (Name), will you marry me? " he spoke, opening the box, revealing the platinum ring nestled inside. A large chunk of sapphire sat on the middle of the ring, and smaller diamonds decorated the sides.

(Name) didn't cry of joy or jump ecstatically, instead, she just stood there, her face blank.

Everything seemed so surreal, so unrealistic. She was certain that after she gave him her answer, she would wake up in her bed, and none of this ever happened. 

But everything felt far too real to be a dream. She could hear the birds chirping, and the water splashing. She felt the light breeze running through her hair, and the sun rays on her skin. 

      " Why? Why now? " she blurted.

Neji knew that she would ask that question, so he put on his perfectly practiced answer.

     " You know, (Name), I had my eyes on since the first time I saw you. Almost three years ago. I guess I can't hold myself back anymore. And you, you've become so beautiful. You are always beautiful to me, but I can see how other men have begun to court you, " he chuckled. " I can't let them have you. I.. I want you to become mine."

(Name) was genuinely stunned by the little speech he pulled, not knowing it was just a stunt. 

She might have grown more mature in terms of appearance, but she was just as naive as she was two years ago.

     " Yes, " she replied, a bright smile forming on her lips. 
Neji smirked as he stood up and grasped her hand. (Name)'s smile grew wider when he slid the ring on her finger.

     ' I finally got you, (Name). '

♤

     " Give me your hand, " Neji spoke, and (Name) obliged silently. He reached for the antiseptic and iodine that lay in the First Aid Kit, and gently wiped away the blood that had stained (Name)'s hand.

    " I.. I'm sorry for what I said.." (Name) began, her voice barely a whisper. 

   " It's alright, (Name), " he replied in a solemn tone, which made her feel even more guilty.

   " I was just spewing out nonsense. Don't take it to the heart. Besides, I didn't mean what I said."

Neji did not reply, and continued to treat her hand in silence. His touch was gentle, but (Name) could see that his hands were shaking. His face was obscured by his long silky hair, but she was certain that his expression was a far cry from smiling.

     " Neji, are you mad at me? " 

Neji shook his head, still not facing her. 
     " I'm not. "

     " Then why are you acting like this? " (Name) sighed.

Neji finally averted his gaze and met her eyes, and his lavender orbs looked so cold and stoic.
      " (Name), please promise me one thing. Never ever go against my words. Yes, I was wrong for thinking that you're clueless and vulnerable, but I can't let anybody hurt you. I already told you before, no one is kind to you without a hidden motive. The outside world is a brutal place. There are grudges, sabotages, envy, greed and all sorts of nasty things.
You're too kind, (Name). Too naive. You have no idea how easy it is to destroy someone's life. Absolutely none."

     " But why were you so displeased that I said.. That? "

Neji set the First Aid Kit aside, and swiftly wrapped his arms around her body. (Name) was shocked, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. The scent of his cologne was so inviting, and the feeling of his body against hers tasted so good.

      " I made that mistake once, (Name). It was horrible of me, especially since I always told you to think the opposite of that. But I made that mistake. It's the worst thing I've ever done."

(Name) frowned as she laid her head against his chest.
      " Everyone makes mistakes."

      " You don't understand. What I did was unforgivable -"

(Name) swiftly got out of his arms and placed her forefinger against his lips.
      " You're all I got, and the last thing I want to do is to view you in an antagonistic light."