To My End | Neji x reader

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"Thank you for dinner again, y/n," Gaara thanked me as he carried his sleeping siblings on streams of sand just a bit further behind him, "it was good."

"No... problem," I nodded, awkwardly, "um... Thanks for coming... And stopping them from destroying my uncles house."

He just nodded and turned, walking away.

Once he was out of sight, I turned and walked back into the house.

"Gosh-- he still makes me nervous," I let out a sigh as I shut the door, Neji popped his head through the doorway of the kitchen and looked at me slightly curious.

"Did you say something?" he asked, I shook my head and smiled.

"Are you still cleaning?" I asked.

"No, I just finished," he said as he stepped out, a towel in his hands which he tossed back to the side before he walked over to me, "how're you feeling? I noticed you were pretty pale throughout that meal."

"It's..." I paused, not really knowing if I should talk about Gaara but I just sighed and shook my head, "I'm fine. Just a bit tired is all."

"Then you should go rest, don't push yourself too hard. We can stay here for as long as you want. We're in no hurry back to Konoha and I'm sure Lady Tsunade wouldn't scold us for staying away for too long," he told me as he reached forward and brushed my hair back, "take your time."

"Thanks," I nodded, leaning into his hand.

He's warm.

I smiled before giving him a quick hug and then letting go, jumping forward a few paces before turning on my heel and facing him again.

"Then I'll go up now. Don't stay up too late," I told him before turning again and then walking up the stairs that I didn't know I missed until now and down the empty darkened hall to the door at the end. My room. My home.

Once in, I closed the door and slid to the floor as a rushing burning spread throughout my chest and I let out a deep sigh.

"Ha-- it hurts," I muttered to myself before taking a breath in and pushing myself up and over to my bed.

I pulled my bedside table drawer and found the medication I'd brought with me.

"How much longer do I have to take these, huh?" I let out a bitter laugh before forcing a couple down and then tossing them back into my drawer.

I flopped down onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling.

Has it always been this quiet here?

°🧪°
Later in the evening_
Midnight_

Neji's PoV

A sudden thud forced me to wake and I jolted forward, looking around slightly stunned.

"What was..?" I shook my head and went to lie down again but the sound of something falling again forced me to jump up again.

I left the room and looked to the right to see the door of y/n's room slightly cracked open, a small slither of light illuminated the hall.

Did something happen?!

That thought made me push down the hall to her room and push the door open. When I did, I froze when I saw y/n lying on the floor not too far away from the door.

"Y/n!" I shouted, skidding down to her side and hooking my arm under her head as I pulled her up slightly, "Hey! Y/n? Can you hear me? Please wake up."

My panic only grew when I got no response.

Pressing my fingers against her neck, I searched for a pulse and found one, although it was weak, it made me feel a bit better.

"I have no idea where the hospital here is," I muttered as I hooked my free hand under her knees and stood up, "the neighbours!"

Running out the room, down the stairs and out the building, I knocked frantically on the neighbours door with my foot until they finally opened the door with an irritated look which quickly dissipated when they noticed y/n in my arms.

"Oh no. Did she collapse again?" the man in the doorway looked at her with worry before turning and grabbing his coat, "follow me. I'll take you to the hospital."

"Thank you, sir," I bowed my head to him, thankful that he so willingly offered without me having to ask.

She must've been well liked around here.

Not the time, Neji.

I shook my head of my useless thoughts and followed the man through the streets.

Jeez-- every street looks the same! How do they get anywhere here?!

Eventually, we reached our location and the man shouted for someone immediately, a woman rushed over with a bed and told me to put y/n down.

"Wait outside," she told me, "we can't have you getting in the way."

Biting back, I stepped out of the way as the woman and a few other medic nin rushed away with my h/c haired girlfriend.

"It's been a while since that's happened," the man who lead me here let out a deep breath, "I thought I was hallucinating for a moment there."

"You've seen this before?" I glanced over to him and watched him nod.

"When she first arrived in Suna all those years ago within the second evening she was here, her uncle came to me in the exact same way you did," he told me, "then after that, we'd occasionally hear loud slamming from Yohei rushing out the house and not managing to close the door at a reasonable level. Not that we minded since the life of one is more important than the sleep of others."

I bit the inside of my mouth as I tried to calm my worry, the man must've noticed because he patted me on the back so hard I went stumbling forward a couple paces.

Turning, I shot him a cold glare as he let out a single loud laugh.

"Don't worry so much, young man," he told me, "y/n is in good hands. Yui has been her doctor here in Suna since she first ended up in the hospital."

Although they haven't found a cure... At least they've kept her alive this long.

I sighed.

"I'll trust in your words, old man," I told him.

"Old?! I'm only forty, you brat!"

Well you look sixty. Yeesh.