*CRACK*
The sound made Tenten cringe. Hopefully it was one of the enemies. It came from the direction where Neji and Lee were fighting. It's not like she could look back and see who it was. She had a 250 pound enemy to deal with. She finally managed to defeat him.
"Tenten!" Lee yelled
"I'm coming." She replied
She made her way over to the clearing Lee had found and froze at the sight.
"What ... what happened?" She asked
"I was watching his back, but one of them ended up getting past me. The next thing I knew, he was on the ground." Lee said getting emotional
Neji clearly looked like he was in pain — serious pain. That crack she heard was his spine. His back was deformed from the impact. She couldn't look at it.
"Lee, we have to go. He needs to be at the hospital right now." She said frantically
He nodded. They dashed back to the village. The whole time they ran, Neji never moved. She was afraid the injury had killed him already. It was hard to see him like that. She never thought he of all people would end up like this. The mission was supposed to be simple.
They finally arrived at the village and ran full speed to the hospital. Villagers gasped as they saw only a flash of color pass by them.
"HE NEEDS A MEDIC RIGHT NOW!" Lee yelled
A team of medical ninja quickly ran to the injured man and took him away. Lee and Tenten could do nothing but sit in the waiting room to receive the news. It had been eight hours. Night soon fell and they had to leave.
It killed both of them to be so helpless. Lee never went to sleep that night. He fully blamed himself for the accident. All his frustrations were released in the training grounds. If he had anger, he better use it for training right? He worked himself to pure exhaustion.
The sun had finally risen. It was the longest night either of them could remember. They met each other at the hospital and sat in the waiting room. It was another six hours until they were allowed to see him. As they made their way into the room, they saw him sleeping on the bed.
"Is ... is he okay?" Tenten asked
The nurse replied, "I'm afraid that spinal injuries are very serious. Mr. Hyuga's spine was broken. We were able to keep him alive, but he is paralyzed from the waist down. We were going to wait until he wakes up to give him the news."
"So, he can't fight anymore?" Lee asked
"I'm afraid not." She said
Lee bursted out in tears, "I'm sorry Neji!" He gave a speech on youthfulness and how he had taken his away. The nurse took him out of the room due to how emotional he became.
Tenten made her way over to the side of his bed and held his hand. He was unreasonably cold, so she pulled his blankets over his chest and arms. Just as she did this, he opened one of his eyes. He had to readjust them to the light.
"Tenten? Where am I?" He asked
"You're in the hospital." She said as she brought his hand to her lips
"What was that for?" He asked taking his hand away
"Neji, I'm sorry. I should have been helping you with your battle."
He squinted his eyes, "Why are you acting so weird"
She chuckled at his observation and scooted away from him, "Sorry."
They sat in a peaceful silence until the nurse came back in.
"I see your awake now. Has she told you why your here?" She asked
"Apparently something went wrong during a battle." He answered
"I know this is hard to hear, but ... your injury was very serious. You are paralyzed from the waist down." The nurse said
He sat there for a little bit while he gathered his thoughts. He tried to move his legs, but nothing happened. He sighed and gave up.
"So, what your saying is that I can't be a ninja anymore?" He stated
The nurse nodded.
"And I would need assistance for a majority of tasks now? I would need a wheelchair." He said
Another nod
Tenten spoke up, "Neji, I would be happy to help you."
"That will not be necessary. I do not want your help." He replied
"But why.."
He looked at her, "I do not want you to dress me and bath me."
"It doesn't have to be awkward. I want to help you." She begged
He did not reply. He was good at ending conversations he did not want to be a part of.
The nurse tried to ease the tension, "He will not be released for another eight weeks. It will take time for him to heal. It would be nice if he had someone for support. Things like this usually take an emotional toll."
Neji rolled his eyes. Emotional support? He had never heard anything so far from the truth.
"Fine Neji, I won't help you, but I will come here everyday to check on you." She said as she stormed out
