«Tenten, please listen to me!»
His voice. So soft and sensitive. But she would never fall for that again. He betrayed her, wounded her. Made a fool out of her. Not in a million ways would she forgive him. She turned away, arms crossed. "Never! You ruined me! You used me! You made me believe in you!"
Her voice was trembling, the intensity rising with every statement.
"Please, let me explain! What's the matter? What happened?
"Please! Like I haven't noticed the way you are around girls. They all swarm you, 'cause your so dark, so mysterious. Yet so kind and friendly and soft and warm..." Her voice trailed off as she busted into tears. "How could you? I trusted you!"
She stormed out. Leaving the dumbstruck man in the white outfit standing alone. She ran down the stairs off their apartment, and out into the street, wiping away her tears as she ran. She couldn't think. She didn't want to. She just wanted to run. To forget everything. But deep down, she knew she couldn't. There was no way to deny it. She loved him. But he would never love her back. It all stood clear now. All he had done was use her. And she had let him. She gave him full access. 'Cause she believed in him. Believed in the love she thought they shared. But now it was all in ruins.
She ran until she reached the forest. Her she stopped for a moment. Stopped to think. Just for a moment. "Damn that Ino", she thought. Why did she have to tell her? That her man, the beautiful, masculine, Neji, had been flirting, even sleeping with other girls? At first she couldn't believe it. She denied the fact for a whole long day. And then she started seeing it. How he smiled at the other girls. How they swarmed for him. And then she confronted him with it. And guess what? That bastard said nothing to deny it! Not that she had given him the chance anyway...
Suddenly, something snapped inside of her. She didn't give him any time to talk at all. All she had done was to throw her accusations at him, yell, and then storm out the door. What had she done? Oh no! Neji! She started to cry again, just as a hand landed on her shoulder. A warm, heavy hand.
"Tenten?"
The warm voice rung in her ears. Neji was standing right behind her. All she really wanted was to turn around throw herself into his arms. But she refused to do so. She had to be strong. Face him, and demand an explanation. So she turned around and stared deeply into those beautiful, white eyes.
A gasp escaped her. All the words that lay ready on her tongue disappeared. Feelings welled up inside her. For what she saw in those bright, white eyes, was tears. Tears that streamed down the pale cheeks before it dropped to the ground. Neji was crying for her. She couldn't stop herself. She fell right into his arms. Clinging to his firm and strong body.
"Oh Neji, I'm sorry. I could never leave you! I don't care what you have done... I still love you!"
"Tenten! My sweet, innocent Tenten! You got it all wrong! I never slept around with anybody! You know Ino, don't you? All she does is walking around spreading rumors about everybody."
Tenten's sobs lasted for another long minute before she realized the ever so obvious truth: Ino had set her up. She was testing to see how long she could push her. Damn that bitch...
She looked up and smiled back at the Hyuuga, who looked down on her with kind eyes. Then she kissed him. Right on the lips. And he kissed her back. With full intensity. For a moment, they just enjoyed each other silently, before their lips parted and Neji broke the silence by whispering, "I love you."
Another joined smile, and they started walking back to village, hand in hand.