It was off-season, and Tokyo was particularly calm that morning. During off-season, Neji was left to his own devices, which was something he could never quite adjust to. Someone like him craved structure. A strict regimen to stick to. Yet that early morning in Tokyo, around 6 AM, he found himself just talking a walk. Maybe to cool down from the previous evening's conversation with his overbearing father. It was completely absurd, Neji thought, that his father could never stop enacting his policies on his only son.

When are you going to meet a nice girl? Your poor mother and I want grandchildren. It is important you fulfill the legacy of the Hyuga Family, his father said last night. It still irritated Neji. And they had set him up on arrangements, dates, and while he found the selection pretty, it never felt right to attend. As if he could ever bring himself to marry a girl not of his own choosing.

Lost in his own thoughts, he stared out at the swirling fog of the city. He was not paying attention. And suddenly, he felt a thud against him. And a hot wetness on his sweatshirt. The scent of green tea, his favorite. His eyes widened, taken aback, and he looked down at the culprit.