SORRY!
I ACCIDENTALLY CANCELED EVERYTHING
BLAH
NOW I HAVE TO RELOAD IT
UGH
Without Looking Back
TenTen's POV
It was an in between time as I liked to call it, not quite dark and not quite light. The people that passed the ANBU testing were standing to the side, waiting to be formally and officially picked in. The people watching were standing to that side, people like me and the teammates of the chosen ones. I stood next to Gai-sensei and Lee, waiting and wanting to stop the inevitable.
The ANBU's were standing to the side. They were going to take care of the formality of officially accepting a person into ANBU. The people that passed were allowed to refuse but that had never happened before. The choosing began. The ANBU appeared and stood next to the hopefuls. One of the masked men stepped forward and laid a hand on Neji's shoulder, "Hyuuga Neji." Neji nodded in agreement and they both stepped back. I felt torn when I watched him step away he was stepping away from more than just a spot on the ground. This was his dream or rather his 'fate' and everyone knew that he would be chosen. He was strong, emotionless, and he didn't have many ties to the rest of the world.
The next masked man stepped forward to touch Shikamaru on the shoulder, "Nara Shikamaru." Shikamaru agreed as well and I couldn't stop the small smile that touched my face. Temari really had changed Shikamaru; the lazy ass that always moaned about things being troublesome was becoming an ANBU. The world sure was ironic. He also was a good choice though; he had over two hundred IQ and could think of great strategies in a second. He had a few ties, especially the really strong one with his girlfriend Temari, but a bit of emotion training would enable him to push away emotions.
The last masked man stepped forward "Aburame Shino," he said and Shino agreed as well. He was a good choice I supposed. He didn't have any extraordinary abilities but he was skilled and pretty much emotionless. I saw Shikamaru and Shino glance back to their team before they stepped away completely. Neji didn't look back, he was severing all ties to our team, to pretty much everything. They all stepped away and disappeared to wherever.
I stared at the spot that they had been at and clenched my fist. Damn Hyuga, always having to be betterthen everyone else, damn him! And the worst part was, even though he was most annoying, arrogant, stick up his ass person I've met, I was in love with the jackass. DAMN HYUUGA! I had thought about telling him once, but had dismissed that notion. Telling the most emotionless person I've met that I loved him, nuh uh. Now I was glad I had chosen that option. It was better that he never knew, it would hurt me less.
I glanced at the other teams that had just lost a member of their team. Ino was staring at the spot that Shikamaru had last been with a sad, 'left behind' look. Chouji was gently patting Ino on the shoulder and staring at the exact same spot. Both of them were taking in the fact that Shikamaru, their childhood friend, was gone. Ino turned her head and sobbed into Chouji shoulder.
I turned and glanced at Hinata. She looked a mixture of pride, sadness, and joy. Probably pride and joy that Neji and Shino had made it, sadness that they weren't in her life. Kiba was trying to pretend it wasn't affecting him, absentmindedly patting Akamaru on thehead. Kurenai had a proud expression, but she was a teacher, all teachers are proud of their student's accomplishments.
I looked at my team. Lee was trying hard to look tough and Gai-sensei was staring at the spot that they had been. I swallowed the lump in my throat, watching the others had kept me focused away from tears but now they were begging to be let out. I gritted my teeth and ignored them, gripping one of my kunais.
Why Neji, I thought desperately, Was Team Gai too weak for you? Did you need someone stronger or did you need to prove yourself? If you needed to prove yourself, who were you trying to prove to? Yourself? The Main House? I lifted my chin and clenched my kunai tighter feeling determination. I was going to be stronger, I won't let something like this stop me from being the best possible kunoichi that I could be. Neji hadn't look back, he had just forgotten his past. If he did it, I could do it, he hadn't looked back, and I wouldn't dwell in the past of what already happened. I would forget him and forget that I ever loved him. I shook my head and turned to Lee, "Seems like he's not going to be here for you to challenge anymore," I said nonchalantly to Lee.
Lee looked at, desperately trying to hide the tears that were falling, "I'm sure I'll find another person to challenge. YOSH, if I can't find someone else to challenge I'll run five hundred laps around Konoha!"
I smiled sadly, I knew that was Lee's way of cheering up, through training. I smiled sadly at him and looked around at everyone again. I promised to myself that I'll grow stronger and stronger, I won't let anyone or anything stand in my way. "Yeah, I suppose you will…."
Lee's POV
I looked at the youthful blossom in our team. She was smiling at me, her lips lifting up into a grin that should carefree and happy. I might not know TenTen as well as I know Gai-sensei but I noticed some things during our seven years of knowing each other. TenTen's eyes sparkledwhen she smiled, she would light up and cheer you up. But now… they looked dead and empty, even with the smile pasted onto her face. I frowned in concern, she was never like this before, not even at the anniversaries of her parent's death. Right now, she was trying to hide her emotions, something she never did normally. She would always optimistically smile or just be happy in general. Sure, occasionally she got mad or sad but those were short and far in between, a few minutes at most. Never, ever did she try to hide what she was feeling under another emotion and pass it off to her teammates. Never did her eyes look like an empty yawning hole, NEVER! So what happened to her, and why did it happen now? Oh my youthful teammate, how I wish I could help you!
first chapter
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