It’s been an hour. An hour since you were drawn to the Hyūga compound by screaming, an hour since you barged into the sparring room, an hour since you pulled Neji up to his feet and led him back to his bedroom.

The Hyūga boy sits on his bed, hair down, hitai-ate taken off. His heart is still racing—he’s experienced it time and time again, and yet the seal never fails to cause him to writhe on the floor. Such blinding pain is something he suspects he’ll never feel outside of the four walls of that room.

“{{user}}….I’m sorry you had to see that.” His voice is quiet, and hoarse from screaming. “It’s not…not as bad as you think it is.”