Their New Voices
Disclaimer: I do not, in any shape or form, own Naruto.
I wanted to try something new with this, so this is an AU, music-centered Nejiten fic when they are both adults (23 to be precise). It was a challenge for me to take this on, because I am nowhere near the characters' ages, and to also incorporate classical music (another one of my favorite things), it really wasn't easy. Enjoy!
Chapter 1
Tenten's dream was to perform as a solo artist, with a famed full orchestra, in front of a large audience. When she would actually willingly dress up like a girl for once, when she could hear applause for doing the thing she loved most. Playing the violin.
Blinking from the harsh stage light, she could only think that, well, it wasn't exactly what she hoped for, but it was close enough. Not the famed symphonic orchestra she dreamed about, but a famed pianist was pretty good, eh? She gripped the neck of her violin more tightly. Applause thundered in her ears as she smiled widely and took a bow.
It was the first time she had performed with a pianist she didn't know. Her manager apparently thought it was no need to tell her who she was going to perform with. She grit her teeth slightly behind tight lips.
She was performing the Mendelssohn violin concerto in e minor. Tenten had practiced for hours every week to perfect the piece to its high demand of not only technique but also the artistry and expression behind it. She took a shaky breath and whipped her head around to signal the pianist, strands of hair framing her face.
What she saw nearly shocked her out of her wits. Those penetrating eyes like two orbs of moonlight, hard pearls. That angled face, pale and unblemished. That hard line that was his mouth, lips pressed together firmly. That emotionless expression slightly covered by that long hair, the color of espresso.
She nodded absentmindedly and put up her violin, her brain whirring. She would not let just a familiar face distract her from her lifelong ambition.
Her violin went up in a fluid motion, and soon, only music flowed through her ears and only notes clouded her vision.
She just wished those two moons in her mind would disappear.
Her bow finished accordingly with a flourish. The audience was beyond themselves, screaming and clapping and whooping and stamping their feet. Tenten smiled shyly, accepted some flowers, and bowed repeatedly to more uproar.
She felt a pair of white eyes boring holes into the back of her skull. Tenten risked a look back. She mouthed a shaky "thank you" to the pianist and tried not to fall as she wobbled off the stage. She heard the piano bench scrape the wooden stage as he prepared to leave the stage.
In the back, Tenten wiped her violin carefully as if it were her own child. What was he doing here? This wasn't his dream. Most of all, who ever thought she would perform in a prestigious concert hall with her former classmate, former friend, slight rival?
"You did so well!" a backstage worker squealed. Tenten offered a shaky smile, mind only on one person. White eyes obscured her vision. Sighing in confusion, she hitched up her skirt and tried not to fall on those stupid heels.
She was looking forward to that nice tub of Neapolitan ice cream at home. She snapped her case shut. And Sakura would be at the flat with fresh food. Home seemed welcoming for the musician. She did not want to sort out the confusion regarding her and her former friend.
Tenten breathed in deeply and opened the heavy door. The night air was welcoming, cool against her face, unlike the stuffy aura the concert hall held. She scanned her surroundings carefully and sighed again. Since Sakura drove her here, Tenten didn't have her car here. She'd have to call for a taxi. And for this summer evening, it looked very difficult to call for a cab. In frustration, she started to walk, slightly limping, across the parking lot.
Until an arm jerked her back to the curb. Cursing as she stumbled over her shoes, she whipped her head around to tell off the person who so kindly almost made her die on those stupid heels.
But all her anger melted away once those white eyes, expressionless and mysterious, locked with her gaze. She stepped back slightly to look over him. Was he always taller than her, even with those agony-inducing shoes? Did so much change once they all left for their own paths all those years ago? Did they always act like this towards each other?
He looked similar enough, although taller and leaner, eyes holding more wisdom and, if it was even more possible, more mystery. His long hair, unbound tonight, waved around his pale face, touching his strong jawline. The sleeves of his gray dress shirt were rolled up despite the chilly night.
"Tenten." She snapped her gaze back up to his face. It was hard not to get lost in those eyes. "I am sure I was as surprised as you when I found out who was performing with me tonight."
"My manager wouldn't tell me who the pianist was. But it happened to be you, huh?" Her fingers gripped the handle of her case even more tightly. His eyes seemed to soften then harden again.
"Has it been so long since high school?" Tenten pressed on. "When it only mattered what chair we placed in orchestra? When it only mattered how good our grades or our athleticism was so we could make it to a prestigious university?" She herself had studied overseas at Stanford University in their music program while he had been accepted at the widely renowned Juilliard School.
"We've left for each of our own paths, Tenten. But these two paths happened to intersect at this point. Who knows how many more times our paths will cross?"
"That's a mighty good metaphorical way to put it, eh?" Tenten offered meekly. He smirked with a hint of arrogance. "Of course."
Silence weighed overhead after that like a heavy boulder. Tenten forced herself to speak, throat dry and heart pounding. "You should have been concertmaster. I didn't deserve such a prestigious seat in our orchestra while you were in the back of the first violins. If I could take us back there right now, I would make sure I failed my audition and find a way to make you first chair. You were an obviously better player. Why did I let our small rivalry get in the way of our friendship? We were never the same since, were we?"
"But look where that has gotten you," he replied. "Playing in this grand concert hall because the confidence of being concertmaster motivated you to strive to be even better. I, on the other hand, put my violin away and continued playing the piano. Once my favorite pastime, it is now my major career. I suppose I have to thank you for getting me this far as well."
"We need to use the past as a learning experience to help us in the future. I suppose I took my newfound confidence to tell me that yes, I could make it into a world class university overseas, and yes, I could be even better than the concertmaster of the high school's top orchestra. I guess I never had much confidence because one of my closest friends, you, overshadowed me sometimes. Friendship needs rivalry so each one of them can be better than they ever thought before. We just didn't realize that we excelled in our own areas, and, I guess, the sum of our expertise in each individual area was equal. We just couldn't look past ourselves to see the other." She shifted a little under the crescent moon.
His eyes roved around, following her every little movement. "Everyone deserves self-confidence. Maybe we've just refused to believe that we could be better." He searched her amber eyes for an answer. She closed her eyes slowly and willed her heart to stop beating so quickly under his gaze. "Yeah, well." It was obvious that the conversation ended there.
"We've been out here long enough," he stated after half a minute of another grueling silence. "It seems you don't have a ride, huh?" Tenten was glad he couldn't sense her flushed cheeks under the darkening sky. "No, actually. My flatmate drove me out here tonight. I was hoping to catch a taxi back, but it seems Lady Luck has not favored me tonight."
"I'll take you back," he offered, surprising her. She broke out into a small smile, the first genuine smile the entire night. "Won't that be bothersome for you?"
"No, it's fine. Sasuke wants me to pass on a message to Sakura, anyway."
"You still keep in touch with him?" She was surprised that he was still in contact with one of their friends from high school. But, she mused, after all, they were pretty close. Like her and Sakura. He chuckled, a noise that came from the hollow of his throat. It had been a long time since she had heard that sound.
"I am not that heartless, Tenten." She suppressed another smile as he led the way to his car. It didn't work, and she burst out in spontaneous laughter, clear and ringing in the night. He smirked, tilting his lips upward. It had been a while since she had seen that. She hadn't realized how much she had missed her former friend until tonight. As he used to say, one fateful night. She tilted her head up to the moon, nostalgia rippling over her along with the chill of the breeze.
She was drawn back to Earth as his car chirped as he pointed his key at it. Ever the polite person, he opened the door to the passenger side as she climbed in, a smile still gracing her features. Of course, this car was different from his last one from their senior year. It had been too long since senior year. Five years never seemed to be such a long time for Tenten, but now, after being "reunited" with one of her formerly closest friends, high school seemed like eons away.
The drive back was silent for half of the way except for the honking of horns and the rush of cars on the highway. After fifteen minutes, Tenten decided to break the glass. "So tell me what you're doing now. I think we have some catching up to do." She had his email, address, and phone number, but once they embarked on the journey to college, they had lost all contact. She always found herself staring at his contact for the longest time on her phone before sighing and locking the screen. Of course, she thought, why should I bother? We all left for our own roads, and we should I all be something more beneficial than searching through remnants of the past.
She was looking out the window, but she could detect a hint of a smile in his voice. "Well, I went to Juilliard for piano, Hinata joining me a year later, but for flute instead. We both graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Music. And my current manager hired me to be an accompanist for major solo artists out there. Sometimes, I'd get calls from the film industry.
"Personal life wise, more or less the same, I guess. Practice, practice, and more practice. It hasn't changed much. Relationship wise, well, let's just say I haven't found the right person yet." He exited the highway. "What about you? It seems I've done enough talking today, hn?"
"Same as you, except in Stanford. I earned a Bachelor's degree in Music. I had done some small concerts at some community venues, like at churches and community service centers, until my manager heard of my work around the community. So, I had always been about charity. One quarter of my income goes to charity.
"Personal life now, huh? Well. Same. Practice makes perfect, they said, right? For me, well, let's just say I stuck to my unofficial motto from my freshman year. Forever Alone." She laughed, her voice echoing off the car. "For you, it probably wasn't so hard to find girls just kneeling at your feet, huh? Though, knowing you, they were all rejected, huh?" He smirked but offered a quiet, "Hn." Which translated to, of course.
He pulled up at the curb in front of her flat. Accompanying her to the door, he seemed surprised when she put down her case. She smiled brightly, slightly hesitant at what to say. Surprising herself, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I'll see you around." She removed her arms. "And, thanks, Neji."
