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Disguised Curses	By : Raholea Category: Naruto AU/AR > General Views: 2438 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

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OMG, I'm back!!! And ALIVE!!!! With an update!! Now, I think this is a little short- or at least it seems short to me... But I'm really, really trying to get to the point I can move on to the rest of this fic. This chapter is kinda important, to current situations but overall.. well, I have no clue. But it needed to be written. I am working on the next chapter, currently, and the juices are flowing again even though my time limits are still royally screwed up. Please bear with me and I hope to take a little less time with updates. Thanks for all of you who review, I live for input and thrive under it. Thanks to my wenches who helped me with the first part of this chapter and especial thanks to Leeana, for making me feel confident that I had Neji in character. He's my fail zone... *Hugs* My personal apologies to NarutoVixen. I do not plan for Naruto to get both Hyuuga. While I don't necessarily mind those fics myself, I have a different mate in mind for Neji. But he will take a while getting to the one he will eventually be committed to. On that note, I do plan on giving Naruto two "mates" though I am still debating on how long he will have them both. It may be a temporary situation. We'll see what the muses dictate as I continue this story. You know the drill. Italics in emphasis for this chapter. No other notations needed.

Chapter 22

Several days passed, uneventful except for minor ranting between Kiba and Kimi, who seemed to love antagonizing the dog-nin. And not unlike Naruto, Kiba was so willing to fall for prime teasing and pranks. It was after one such prank that fouled the dining room and sent the ninja looking for a different eating place, that intervention was called. The strong musks had mixed into something horrible, and neither would admit to what they’d independently set off. Gaara had officially banned pranks from both of them unless it was sparring, away from civilians, and nothing lethal.

It suddenly left Kimi with a lot more free time. She’d been putting off dealing with the male swan, Neji, until she could figure out what precisely she was going to do. Her initial bargain was thrown out the window, because Naruto had done his own version of show- and- tell, which had been very telling after all. And even though she had questions, she wasn’t going to force the swan to answer them. No, she’d go to the fox himself, or that raven haired one always with him, the Uchiha. There was something about him that both resonated, and spiked her wary sense, that she hadn’t quite figured out, and the peek she had the other night hadn’t helped any. She snorted. No, if she was going to bother tutoring the swan like one of the fledglings back home, she was going to make it worth her while. She wanted to know if he could teach her the repulsion he’d used upon her that first fight, that shoved her backwards and sent her seeking her wings for balance. She wanted to experience that again. With her wind element, she knew she could master it- if she only knew how it was done.

Those thoughts in mind, she wandered the halls to find Neji’s room. It was the best place to start this late in the evening.

Neji was pulled from deep meditation by a knock and an almost- familiar presence on the far side of his door. His mind rose from the peaceful blankness that had become his “zone” when he did this, only recently it had adapted a pond to the one side of the emptiness. Sometimes he could catch vague glimpses of a dark shape moving over the water, but he hadn’t been able to get a firm look at it. Actually, he’d been careful avoiding doing so. He wasn’t sure what would happen when he did, and really, it wasn’t something to experiment on when not in the safe comfort of his own home. The less he lost control while here in Suna, the better.

Still, someone wanted his attention and was unperturbed by the warding jutsu he’d set up. It’d helped him keep a peaceful atmosphere for… He cracked an eye and glanced at the clock in the room. It’d been almost four hours. He stretched his body before getting up and heading to the door, cracking it barely open when he reached his destination.

“Kimi- san. Can I help you somehow?”

The hawk didn’t look the least bit perturbed at his gruff, if proper, acknowledgment “I’ve come to talk negotiations, swan. You still want to learn control?”

Yes. Hell yes. But he didn’t say that. “I am willing to negotiate for you to teach me that, yes.” He felt a drop of sweat slide down the nape of his neck at the smirk she produced to his answer, wondering which trap he’d just walked into. “You have an idea. Get to the point.”

She pouted, just slightly. “You ruin my fun, swan. I teach you how to control yourself, I want to be taught something in return. It’s only fair.”

Neji frowned, trying not to let it show too much. He knew the implications behind Kimi’s potential request could put him in an awkward position- again. Really, how much did she expect to try and learn from him? “So what is it you want, hawk? You don’t need help with stealth, speed, or strength, you’ve made that clear. And your sparring skills can be honed against anyone, so that’s not it.” He lounged backwards, resting his upper back against the wall the bed had been pushed against. He was trying very hard to give off his cool Hyuga attitude, and the fact he had to try showed just how much he was slipping.

Honey-gold eyes blinked, darkened, and adopted a glacial stare. “I thought kids from prominent clans would know how to barter better, not be snobby brats. You teach me your defensive moves, I will teach you how to access your swan, to shift without losing conscious control, and how to play the instincts so you don’t succumb to them so much. You’re so weak to what you are you might as well be a hatchling.”

Neji bristled back. Fuck his cool exterior. “I can’t help that I have no clue about what I am. There’s barely records showing this exists in my clan, none that can help me adapt. Do you know it’s been well over three or four generations since one like me lived? There’s no one back home for me to learn this from, and I daren’t show that me, one of the strongest for my age, is a pathetically weak bird when I get scared! Do you know how often just being around Naruto spikes my instinct to run? He’s a fox, and I’m a swan, and one of these days I’m going to run away because I can’t help it, and he won’t be able to hold himself back, and I’ll be fresh meat. I’ll be a smear on the side of the hill for my village to rinse away like some dirty secret!!”

A loud crack filled his ears before the stinging in his cheek bloomed to full out pain. Kimi had crossed the room and slapped him, in an instant and he hadn’t even noticed she’d moved. “Stop wallowing in your pathetic pity session. I won’t teach you anything if you can’t suck it up! I’m hawk, a predator- but a lesser predator. You think I can’t feel the surge when your friend dances with his instincts and he’s near me? Foxes eat whatever they can catch, from mice, to hawks, to rabbits, and owls. I would be a snack for him to pick his teeth over, with you as the main course! No wonder you can’t control your shift, you’re avoiding your instincts and treating your new nature as something to be detested! Get over it, and now, or no one will ever want to teach your sorry ass any semblance of control!”

He bolted upright from the bed, getting nearly into her face. “So what, you expect me to treat this damn thing as what, a blessing? I never asked for this, you know.” His body was vibrating with his anger, his chakra gathering along his skin but still very much under control. “I don’t know how to treat this except as a weakness. My control is gone, my instincts and emotions make my mind a wreck. I don’t know what to do except avoid this. It’s just a weakness…”

“That’s where your wrong. Swans are prey, beautiful, elegant prey, but you’re more than just the bird. You’re human. And I’ve seen that you have some skill. Turn this thing you feel as a weakness, and make it a strength. With the right kind of self-control you can do anything. You can stalk enemies from the sky, scout farther than someone on foot can, and faster. You can slip into enemy territory and never be noticed until it’s too late. And you can escape with a mere thought.” She stepped back, and for a few seconds she seemed still with concentration, and then she turned. Neji watched as her skin rippled and the wings just seemed to burst from under her skin, the wide span filling the room before they folded back. She turned back to face him, her wings faintly vibrating. “You can’t deny you want to do this, Neji. But to learn this, you have to learn the basics. And I can’t teach you this at all until you can come to terms with yourself.”

He watched her for several long moments, before releasing a slightly shaky sigh. “I need to learn… as much as I can, really.” He couldn’t stop studying her wings, though, as he continued. “You said you wanted to learn something from me. What defensive technique are you referring to?”

“The one where you repelled me and sent me backwards without even touching me. I haven’t been tossed around like that in a long time.” She shrugged, and her wings mimicked the gesture. It was strangely fascinating. “It was like a wall I bounced off of, but it wasn’t just bouncing, it tossed me away as well.”

“Rotation. ‘Heavenly spin’. It’s more along the lines of clan secret. Not just anyone has the precise chakra control it takes to learn how to do it accurately, and no one outside the clan has ever bothered to ask. At least back home.” He sat heavily on the edge of the bed, clearly thinking.

“If this ever gets out that I taught you this… people may know it’s a Hyuga trademark, but if my name comes up at any point, I will have to deny it. I cannot be the one that taught you this. Understood?” Kimi leveled her eyes at him in the blatant ‘no duh’ look.

“I promise, little fledgling, you won’t come up.”

********

“To Godaime Hokage, Tsunade.

“I have been requested to give and seek approval on permitting one of my own personal guests to travel to Konoha in escort of Teams Kiba and Neji. A wanderer, Kimi, that has proven to be an asset, even though not a proper ninja, wishes to visit Konoha for personal leisure. Neji Hyuga has offered to take responsibility for her for the trip and stay there, and I authorize and sanction her as a non- security threat for the villages. She has offered to speak further in person, to explain what cannot be written. Please authorize or revoke before the visit is over. Gaara, Kazekage ”

Tsunade read over the contents of the letter several times, wondering if she really had the option to refuse. Her trust in Gaara was deep, he was not one to trust easily, and neither was Neji. For Gaara to back this person up stated much, and she wasn’t about to ruffle Sand over something relatively trivial. Then another letter was dropped in front of her, with Neji’s personal mark on the outside. She waited until the messenger had left before opening that one.

“Tsunade- sama,

“With all respect, I feel it an urgent request and need to bring along Kimi upon the return home. She has things I desire to learn (about my personal situation) and we have come to an agreement. I will respect orders to the contrary but I formally request to escort her to Konoha to stay for an uncertain amount of time. I will personally see that she is housed and properly accommodated during her stay and that she remains a non- threat to the village.

“I will personally explain more upon the return to Konoha. Neji Hyuga ”

Tsunade sighed. Somehow, she almost expected the Hyuga’s letter to be longer… although considering the topic and conditions, short wasn’t particularly bad. It actually said more than writing more would have. She picked up a pen and set to writing a return missive. She would allow this ‘Kimi’ to visit, if only for the sake of showing proper grace and hospitality to someone supported by two people she trusted highly.

____

PS. If anyone wants me to email them when i finally do update- this or anything else- please leave your info in a review and I will try my best to update ya'll when I update my stuff. Reviews feed me and inspire. Thanks.
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Disguised Curses