Neji could set the table, at this point; Hizashi easily had everything in hand by now. The cook time for everything was fairly short, after all; it wouldn't be long before the two of them could eat. Time together always had been at a premium for them, especially once Neji started going to Academy, and even moreso once he'd started active service as a Genin. At least, in stolen transitional moments like this, they could enjoy having nothing more pressing to do than enjoy each other's company.
"Understandable..... Kushina-san is a busy woman, but I'm sure she'll do as well by you as she can. What do you intend to make your first priority, then?"
A few quick pokes, and he shut off the burner for the rice, to let the lingering heat do the rest of the work while it sat. Even if Neji had never had any control over the things that chained Hizashi down..... well, he didn't think Neji would ever truly know all the help he's been over the years, the kind of blessing he'd been to him. Some days..... some days, when he was cold and tired and defeated, when he felt the chains cutting into him most acutely and the heel of his betters pressing against his throat, when he most wanted to give up and stop fighting, and surrender to the inevitable erosion of who he was..... Neji was there.
He may not have been there physically--Hizashi had always been careful to try not to show Neji his ugly side--, but he was there in spirit. He was a purpose. He was the reason Hizashi would always get back up and throw himself into the battlefield again, whether that was literal or political. Neji was his saving grace. But how could he ever, ever put something like that into words?
"I don't know about that..... You helped me create that very alternate style, for example. It was an interesting exercise, pitting it against the Jyuuken. Perhaps we should see how yours fares against it, as well--I'm looking forward to seeing your technique develop and refine itself."
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"Understandable..... Kushina-san is a busy woman, but I'm sure she'll do as well by you as she can. What do you intend to make your first priority, then?"
A few quick pokes, and he shut off the burner for the rice, to let the lingering heat do the rest of the work while it sat. Even if Neji had never had any control over the things that chained Hizashi down..... well, he didn't think Neji would ever truly know all the help he's been over the years, the kind of blessing he'd been to him. Some days..... some days, when he was cold and tired and defeated, when he felt the chains cutting into him most acutely and the heel of his betters pressing against his throat, when he most wanted to give up and stop fighting, and surrender to the inevitable erosion of who he was..... Neji was there.
He may not have been there physically--Hizashi had always been careful to try not to show Neji his ugly side--, but he was there in spirit. He was a purpose. He was the reason Hizashi would always get back up and throw himself into the battlefield again, whether that was literal or political. Neji was his saving grace. But how could he ever, ever put something like that into words?
"I don't know about that..... You helped me create that very alternate style, for example. It was an interesting exercise, pitting it against the Jyuuken. Perhaps we should see how yours fares against it, as well--I'm looking forward to seeing your technique develop and refine itself."