" (Name), wake up. I got you some breakfast, " Neji whispered into her ear while he shook her shoulder gently. " (Name) love.."

She shut her eyes tightly, and pretended to be asleep. (Name) had hoped that Neji would give up and leave her alone, for she was definitely not in the mood to face him.
Unfortunately for her, Neji had no intentions of giving up.

Sure, the food that Neji had cooked smelled amazing, but (Name) wasn't easily tempted by food.
Eventually, after Neji had attempted to wake her up for three whopping minutes, she finally decided to wake up. 

    " Neji? " she pretended to be sleepy and let out a fake yawn. Neji smiled warmly at her before kissing her forehead tenderly. 

" Good morning. You were in a such deep sleep that you didn't respond when I called, " he rasped. 

" Really? I didn't even notice, " (Name) fake laughed. " Wow, what's that delicious smell? "

Neji turned around and picked up a small tray and laid it in front of (Name). 

The tray was filled with all sorts of scrumptious breakfast delicacies - perfectly cooked bacon, juicy sausages, warm English muffins, and an assortment of jams and marmalades.
On the side of the tray lay a single red rose, bright and untouched. 

     " It's breakfast in bed, " Neji said. " You should eat up, we're going to a very special place today, " he smiled, stroking her hair lightly. 

(Name) nodded as she picked up a piece of bacon and nibbled on it. She knew that cooking everything on the tray is an easy task, but the fact that he had woke up earlier than her and cooked up the food for her was somewhat touching.

Growl ~

     " You haven't eaten yet, have you? " (Name) asked, a goofy grin plastered on her lips. 

     " Ah, " Neji blurted, visibly flustered while he placed his hand over his growling stomach.

Still grinning, (Name) picked up one of the English muffins and slathered apricot marmalade all over it. 
    
   " Here," she said, holding the pastry right in front of his mouth.
Neji smirked as he took a hearty bite, and when the pastry had all gone down to his stomach, he licked the leftover marmalade that was stuck on her hand.

(Name) blushed when her mind recalled about what his tongue can do, and actually did last night, but she didn't retract her hand.
      " It's delicious, " Neji rasped, meeting her eyes.
      " Is this some cheap form of self praise? " she replied with a raised eyebrow. 
Neji laughed heartily as he shook his head.

     " No. It was delicious because you were the one who fed me. (Name), I'm hungry, " Neji whined in an adorable manner, laying his head on her lap.

(Name) blushed again. " You're lucky there's nothing spicy on this tray. Otherwise, you know the fate that will befall you."

♤

Two very long weeks had passed since their marriage. Neji thought that it would be easy to fall in love with her, but he couldn't force it.

He had come to realise that the butterflies that he had felt before were just initial attraction, and they faded as easily as they came.

But (Name) didn't know that. She had moved into Neji's mansion, and would cook for him and cater to his every need, all with a smile. Her innocence and naivety made her so easy to manipulate - so vulnerable. 

They had a short honeymoon in Sunagakure for one week, and that was it. Everything went on like normal, but (Name) noticed that Neji was somewhat ignoring her. It saddened her greatly, but one of the things she had learned in the industry was to never show emotions, and it was the perfect time to apply her knowledge. 

On that particular day, Neji had a meeting with the CEO of Aqua Beauty, who wanted to cooperate together for the launch of the new beauty filter camera. 

(Name) had heard that the CEO was a female, and a gorgeous one at that. She was recently divorced from her husband, Deidara, a famed actor from Iwagakure. (Name) personally enjoyed watching movies starring Deidara, and she didn't have the slightest idea why she would divorce such a desirable person. 

      " Sakagami-san, " Neji greeted as he took a seat inside the meeting room. " I hope you haven't been kept waiting for long. "

      " Oh, it's fine. Besides, the wait is worth it, " she giggled.
(Name) sat beside Neji, her notebook placed on her lap. She silently listened into their conversation, which was filled with flirting and such, but (Name) didn't have clue what was going on.

She's pretty, (Name) noted. 

Glossy brown hair that fell down her shoulders in a cascading chocolate waterfall, eyes the colour of the finest red wine, and flawless light brown skin. 

Well, what did she expect? It's Atsuko Sakagami, afterall.

After the meeting, Neji told (Name) to go home without him, as he had several more things to 'discuss' with Atsuko. As expected, she nodded and held absolutely no suspicions.

She went home as told, and kept herself preoccupied by the dinner that she had cooked. (Name) had hoped that Neji would return by the time she had finished cooking, but not even his shadow could be seen.

That evening, she ate her dinner alone in the huge, luxurious mansion. She was surrounded by wealth, and with the wealth came loneliness. The lasagne she made earlier sat on the plate, almost mocking her.
She furiously stabbed her fork through into dish and popped it into her mouth. 

Even by the time she had finished eating, Neji hadn't came back. She left the remaining lasagne in the fridge, and went upstairs to their room.

Never in her life had she felt so cold, and it wasn't even winter. Flowers were blooming outside, and the fragrance was carried by the spring air. 
(Name) was huddled in bed, the thick duvet covering her head. 

Why is everything turning out this way? she asked.

Just weeks ago, he was smiling when he proposed to her. And his speech, it truly touched her heart. 

She remembered the exact words, freshly imprinted in her mind. 

    " 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) stifled the sob that was threatening to escape her lips, and her grip on the duvet tightened. Her eyes felt moist, and her heart clenched painfully.

    " Is this how you fulfil your vows, Neji? " she cried.

As his vows repeated itself inside her brain, her sobs grew more violent. Her body rocked back and forth, until she felt too exhausted to move.
But the damned vows still continued to repeat, as if someone was continuously pressing the replay button.

     'I, Neji Hyuga, take you (Name) (Surname), to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for  worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish.

I promise to never leave you behind, and never abandon you. I'll cherish you with all my heart , and I'll protect you with my very own life.  

And I promise to always love you . I'll make you  happy, and make you smile everyday; and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us.'

With tears falling from her eyes, she laid her head on the pillow, and cried herself to sleep.

When she woke up the next morning, her heart had healed considerably, but it broke once again when she saw the other side of the bed, completely untouched. 

Neji didn't come home.

♤

     " What is this place? " (Name) murmured as she stepped into the garden. Her loose summer dress swayed along with the wind, and her eyes lit up at the sight of the beautiful flowers that bloomed.

       " It's a very special place for us, (Name)," Neji rasped as he wrapped his strong arms around her waist. 

        " Really? What happened here? " she beamed. 
Neji was happy to see her smile, but at the same time, the very same smile broke his heart.
True, to (Name), it was the place that he had proposed to her. But Neji knew more than meets the eye.

It was the place where he had roped her into the fate that led them to now. It was all in the past, but it hurt him all the same. But like in all situations, (Name) had no idea about the real picture.

She was too innocent and naive, like a child. Neji hated it when people used her, but he realised that what he had done to her was much worse. 

     " It's where I proposed to you, (Name). And it's where I put this on your finger, " he rasped, pulling out a ring from his shirt pocket.

(Name) had never seen the ring, and eyed it in intrigue. Neji gently picked up her hand, and pushed the ring through her ring finger.

      " You lost it during the car crash. Well, I wanted to return it to its rightful owner, "he said, squeezing her hand lightly. 

      " Neji, " she murmured softly. Her eyes were locked with his, warm and intense. " I want to remember. Whatever that happened eight years ago, I want to remember it all. "

Neji lowered his eyes, his grip on her hands weakening.
      " (Name). Am I good enough for you? " he asked suddenly. 

She frowned, her eyebrows furrowing instantly at the odd question. 
     " Not just good enough. You're perfect to me, " she answered. 

     " Then, if I wasn't always like this, would you love me the same? "

Instantly, (Name) thought about her dream.
     " What.. What do you mean that you're not always like this? "

Her desire, her need to remember grew so intense, that her eyes began to water. Afraid of who she was before, and the life she led before.

The time had passed, yet the possibilities of what could have happened terrified her. Be it bad, be it good. She wanted to remember.

She stared at Neji's gentle lavender eyes. They always glanced at her tenderly - she couldn't imagine them looking at her with even a single trace of dislike.

He has always loved her genuinely, or so she liked to believe. 

But everything was going to change soon. The season was changing, and it was going to take all the pain, the joy and the misfortune of the previous season along with it.

{ End of Part I }