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In the hyuuga clan, one's hair is a status symbol. To cut your hair, or to have your hair cut, means you have done something shameful, something the main branch frowned upon.
As a branch member, neji, growing up, knew his place. He'd put his rage and anger aside, acting respectfully and not speaking unless spoken to. Everyone knew he was a prodigy, probably the strongest the clan has seen. And when neji hit the age of 11 he too had realized this. He was often pitted against his younger cousin, and main branch member, hinata. The two would train for hours, not exchanging a word. But this day would be different.
Just a year prior, Hinata had angered her father for being so weak, being defeated in battle by her younger sister, whom she was 5 years her senior. After the battle, Hiashi took Hinata away, and cut her hair.
The next day during training neji had spoken more to her than he had in years.
“You cut your hair”
“My dad said I had to.”
“Do you know why?” His tone condescending
“No.”
“He's ashamed to call you his daughter, because you are weak.” Hinata's eyes widened at her older cousin's hurtful words. She didn't know why her father took her to cut her hair, but she knew it wasn't for good reason. Hearing neji tell her though, sent tears to her eyes.
‘A Hyuuga with short hair, everyone but you knows it's because you're a failure” that hit her, she had always been insecure for not having a ‘fighting spirit’ as her father would put it, or for being plain weak in general. She cried.
Neji scowled as she cried, he walked off, giving a cold shoulder to the younger, leaving her to cry in the room alone.
On this day, when Hinata and neji fought, he felt his anger bubbling in his chest. The elders were here to watch. He hated the elders, he hated his uncle, they all had only showered Hinata in love and pride even though she was weak and an unfit fighter, but to neji, they refused to even acknowledge him.
So to have them watching, snapped something in him.
Activating his byakugan, he followed each chakra flow, not yet moving though. Hinata did the same, an anxious look on her face, she too felt not only the eyes of the elders, but the aura being emitted from her older cousin in front of her.
When he took his first swing at her, she stumbled, neji almost never missed, and today he couldn't afford to. But it didn't weigh on him, he knew hinata couldn't dodge anyways.
Another strike, but this time Hinata hit back, it didn't seem to affect him. He spun and hit her in the back. She fell to her knees and coughed blood.
One more hit would kill her.
The idea filled Neji's head till he could no longer think. But he stopped.
There was a pull on his hair, and out of shock he whips his head around and sees hiashi, an angry hiashi. He turned back to look at his younger cousin, who had an elder by her side, examining her condition. Then he looked at the others who were watching the fight, he hung his head low. All of the sudden the excruciating pain that started in his forehead spread throughout his entire body, like he was being shocked by thousands of volts of electricity.
He screamed, he screamed like he was being murdered in the most brutal fashion.
Distracted by the pain, he didn't notice that hiashi had put down the symbol that activated the seal on his forehead, and picked up his kauai.
SLICE
Not until it was too late,he realized that his uncle had sliced his hair off infront of everybody. SIlence rang in his ears. He fainted from the pain that continued to bash around his head.
And they all left him there, before he hit the ground, and as his vision went out, he watched hiashi hold his daughter's hand as they walked out.
Once neji was out though, Hinata turned back to look at him.
That night, neji sat on his bed, his fingers finding their way to the blunt, uneven ends of his hair. He turned to the mirror in his room. He had never really been insecure of his looks, but now his hair was cut. And cut badly. He balled his fist and clenched his jaw, feeling an angry, ashamed tear fall down his cheek.
And it was at this moment she heard his door quietly creak open. He turned around to see who it was.
“Hinata” he said to her as she shut the door behind her.
“Older brother.” He looked at her, her hair had already begun to grow out, grazing her shoulders.
“I came to help you even out your hair.” she quietly said, darting her eyes to the floor.”
‘Get out.” he said, she looked up at him, feeling her eyes sting at his rejection “i said get out!” he yelled at her. So she did just that, and left his room. The two didn't talk for another while after that.
The next morning, neji woke up, staring at himself in the mirror remembering the events that took place the day before. He had to go to the academy in an hour. He took his kunai and attempted to even out his hair. Once he was satisfied, he walked to school, his head hung low, he'd have to face his team looking like this.
Stares piled in, he felt the eyes of everyone on him as he walked past. They all knew he did something to upset the elders.
Damn.
He walked to his classroom, he was early, idly looking into the other classrooms as he passed by. Inside one he saw another boy, who looked as if he had just been sleeping. His eyes half lidded, but upon seeing neji pass by his eyes widened.
Shit! Nej thought, someone saw and knew. He felt shame bubble in his stomach.
When he finally found himself in the class, he took his seat, and he too rested his head on the desk just like the boy he had seen. Typically, he sat up straight, ready for whatever lesson his teacher had. But today was his shameful first day with his hair cut.
“Neji you got a haircut?”
That day when he got home from school, Hinata greeted neji at the door, upon seeing her, he draped his arms around her. Embracing her , this was new, Hinata was confused. Eventually though she hugged him back.
THey walked to Neji's room together, not a single word exchanged between the two. Neji dropped his bag on the floor near his bed.
“I'm so sorry hinata.” he said. Sadness in his eyes, hinata teared up, neji had never been so vulnerable, neji had never apologized. Hinata brought her knuckle to her lip.
“Neji..” she cried. Neji's eyes widened.
“Oh- come on.. Don't cry…” he looked to the side.
From this moment on, tensions between the cousins had eased. It weighed on Neji, it took this traumatic event for them to reconcile,
For him to be able to look at her with anything but jealousy and hatred.