Ten-Ten & Neji;; Nejiten;; Fan-Fiction;; Hurt/Comfort/Romance;; T Rating;; Everyday, Every Night.;;
"Everyday, Every Night."
CHAPTER ONE:: WRITTEN IN STONE
The singeing daylight faded as the plum shaded night waved through the sky of The Leaf in hues of lavender, cerulean, and speckles of chrome. The faintest freckles of polished stars flecked the sky. The wind wisped through the willows, and twirled through the empty yard that held the tombs of lost loved ones. The autumn leaves twirled unsteadily through the dusky night, crispy crinkles creaking from the forsaken shed of skin the trees had let loose. The fading sound of the hooting owl far in the distant forest echoed through the seemingly barren air. What was the point in noticing the air when you wished that you weren't breath yourself?
The evergreen strands of grass tickled my knees, leaving light stains as I slumped down in front of the polished rock. Deep incisions in the dense stone confirmed my worst possible fears. The name was so familiar, so beautiful. The way that it would roll off the tongue was so delicious. I missed saying his name. His voice was beginning to diminish as does his memory. His voice was so wilted in my mind, though I always remembered him saying my own name. Ten-Ten. Oh how I wished that was his voice right now, calling my name, though it was only a distant memory. The touch of his surprisingly warm hand, his deep thoughts, his skill, his talent, his care for everyone, I missed it all.
The feeling of his quaky lips against my own, I missed that as well. His fear, his distance, not wanting to hurt me emotionally or physically, scared that if he were to make advances that it would scare me away from him for good. His nervousness with a simple kiss, it made me feel like he cared, because he was scared that he would hurt me. He was loving in his own way.
Whimpers racked my body as the sobs began to draw from my body, breaking down with every punishing heave that my chest made. My body hurled over. The musky dirt danced around my hair and body, the grass blemished my arms with ivy stains. The sobs began to wrack my body, sending pain into my ribs and my dry lungs. The cries and calls were unheard, inaudible to everything and everyone around me. The cries that were always hidden by the confidence that always glazed over my skin, nobody knew how much it hurt, how much it killed me inside every day. It was unheard of for me to cry, no one has seen it happen before. No one ever suspected that the lost of my dearest team-mate had really left a scar. But he's free now. The bird has been released from his cage.
The transparent liquid regret spilled down my cheeks, gliding thoroughly off the crest of my jaw, dripping onto the ground, little splashes of brine stirring some dust from the dirt.
"Why couldn't I have taken your place? Why did Hinata go and not me, I would have protected you…as much as you wouldn't have wanted it…why couldn't you have taken me with you, why couldn't I have died and be with you right now…? If you're gone, I want to be gone with you." The whisper was hoarse as it drifted from my crackled lips. The tears began to fog my vision, not allowing me to see anymore. Closing my eyes tightly shut, my body convulsed from the weeping.
"Ten-Ten." called an oh-so familiar voice from the shadows.
Wonder washed over me, though the blubbering that was coming from my body didn't cease.
"Neji…" The name continued to find space on my lips every time my quaky breathe hitched.
He was always so powerful, so brash. Inside he really did care, somewhere down there, he did. He sacrificed his own life to save the life of Hyuga Hinata, and of Uzumaki Naruto. Even as much as Naruto never ceased to annoy him, he still complied, and saw the true youth that Naruto had. Even though he almost gave his cousin cardiac arrest, in the end he loved her more than anything else. Overall, he fulfilled his duty to his father, to complete his training, and to protect the life of Hyuga Hinata, the heir to the throne that he had always wanted for himself. He was unsure, and internally afraid, but now, he is free. He lived out his destiny and never strayed from the path that he believed was assigned to him, of that of the side branch of the family, the under-classmen, he treated everything as if it were written in stone, and he treated it as if it could be unchanged, and unwritten. He always wanted to be free from his mental imprisonment…and he got what he had always dreamed of.
And now, here I lay, on the ground of the Konoha cemetery, expressing emotions that ninja aren't supposed to have. I went against what I have learned.
"The number one rule for a ninja; never express emotions, regardless of what happens, you will not have love, sadness, hatred, or pain. You will carry out your duties calmly and thoroughly, and do nothing more." Iruka states on the first day of the ninja academy school year, like he does every year. I tilt my head towards my seat mate, a new child I've never met before, Neji Hyuga, "Um..". His pale, insipid eyes gazed in my direction, seemingly bored, irritated, and not really seeming to have the want to talk, or ever correspond with me. "Yes, what is it?" His voice was rough, and it almost sounded peeved, a little hiss in the undertone of his voice. Prodding two of my fingers together, I tried to think of what I was going to ask. I'm eight years old, how am I supposed to remember stuff like that ? "Um…well, why can't we have feelings?" My voice was quiet, as if unsure of myself. This seemed to catch the Hyuga's attention, and he said as if it was the most obvious thing on planet Earth, "Because if one of your loved ones die, your work as a ninja becomes defective." Gazing off at nothingness, he looked me straight in the eyes. His eyes were that of a pale lavender color, that reminded me of the bouquets that we made when learning to be a kunoichi. I had picked so much lavender and so many lilies and roses. "You know, you sound a lot like my little cousin. You shouldn't stutter like that, it makes you look weak, and it's rather annoying, toughen up, and I'll bet you you'll be the best ninja I know." I smiled brightly, "Thanks Neji!"
And here I was, crying because the one I loved died, hating the fact that he had died such a bad death, hating that man who killed him, and not wanting to do my assignments, and maybe one day I'll have the chance to reap what I have sown. Was this my destiny? Was this written in stone when I was first born?