Hardened Heart |Sequel to The Strength of the Weak|

|11|

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"You can come out," Satomi's voice chimes lightly, the girl pushing herself to her feet. She was in the yard weeding out the garden and making her home look more presentable. A strong chakra signature invaded her senses in the middle of her task, causing her to sigh and call to the guest.

Neji steps into the yard, a tall and familiar presence. Satomi can't stop the smile that rises to her lips as she dusts her pants off and approaches the Hyuga, tucking a strand of long hair behind her ear shyly.

"I'm sorry for intruding, I just thought that it would be best to see you as soon as possible," Neji says, clasping his hands behind his back and tilting his head to the side.

"Don't worry about it. I also wanted to talk to you, but just didn't know when the time was right to bother you."

"I'm glad you're back," Neji admits, his eyes far away as he nods to himself surely.

"I'm glad to be back. I was gone for so long that I almost forgot how being this happy felt," she muses, meeting his all-seeing eyes. "Why don't you come in, I've been meaning to make some dinner."

"I don't want to intrude," Neji says, although by the gleam in his eyes Satomi could tell he was only saying that to be polite.

"Please, join me. It would be nice to have some company for once."

"If you insist," Neji succumbs, following Satomi as she leads him to the kitchen. His eyes travel through the rooms, having never been in her house before. The farthest he had ever gone into her property was walking her home from lunch a few years back. He wasn't surprised by the cleanliness of the place, seeing as Satomi was generally an organized and put-together person.

"I was planning on making some sashimi, if that is alright," Satomi questions, rummaging through her cupboards as she pulls out ingredients for the dish.

"Sashimi sounds lovely," Neji murmurs, his eyes unable to leave Satomi's form. He could barely believe it, it had been so many years since he had seen the girl who had peaked his interest more than anyone else in the world, and on top of that she still seemed to be willing to forge a relationship with him.

He knew that he was incredibly lucky, and he wasn't one to pass up on luck such as this.

"I never asked how you've been," Satomi says, making idle conversation as she glides across the kitchen floors.

"I've been doing well, thank you. I made jonin a little bit ago, and I've been attempting to make amends with Hinata, but other than that life has been the same."

"Congratulations on your promotion. Come to think of it, I'm still just a genin," Satomi chuckles, pulling out plates and chopsticks for the meal. Neji hums in response, watching Satomi's every move carefully. He noticed the light smile on her face and how she seemed to dance around the kitchen without a care, completely at ease with him around.

"I hope you enjoy the meal," Satomi says as she places a plate down in front of Neji, grabbing her own plate and balancing it on her fingers as she grabbed her favorite garnishing spices.

"Itadakimasu," Neji murmurs, digging into the homemade meal with a renewed joy in his heart. Satomi took small bites, her eyes trained on Neji as he enjoyed her meal.

"I wonder if Lady Tsunade will put us on a mission together soon," Satomi murmurs, trying to make small conversation between the two of them.

"Hopefully soon. We work well together," Neji muses. Satomi chuckles under her breath at the prospect, twirling her chopsticks between her fingers absentmindedly.