Tenten sighed. The night of the full moon coupled with a meteor shower later on and she was the only one without someone to enjoy it with. Hinata had finally gotten up the nerve to ask Naruto, Ino was with Shikamaru and Sakura and Sasuke were together. It was only she out of the group that didn't have anyone to spend tonight with. Her fingers slid up to her hair and pulled out a lock from her buns, twirling it around carelessly. She nestled herself on her windowsill and continued to stare.
Was it wrong for her to complain? After all, she was always the one saying how she didn't need anybody by her side, how she would be happier by herself. A soft laugh escaped her lips. If only she could go back to the time when she said that. Sure, there was no emotion on his face, but she knew, it hurt him more than anything in the world.
Had she been wrong? Tonight, she was lonely, yearning for that someone like all her friends had. It was only tonight and it was understandable, but she started to doubt her words. When she said them, she had been so confident, so surefire. But now, now she started to rethink things.
She thought about how she had hurt him that day, saying those words. But he would get over it. He'd never have time to care for those petty words. He hated that subject entirely.
So why did she feel so guilty that day? And even now, almost three years after? Surely she couldn't have fallen for him…right? There was no way.
But there is. You miss him. You like him. You want him. You want to be with him now. To share the full moon with him, don't you? Tenten scowled at her inner voice.
"So what if I do? He's my teammate, for heaven's sake! He would never…" Tenten's voice faded, breaking off. She continued strongly, "He would never like me!"
As her yell echoed in her room, the image of him that day flickered in front of her eyes. The pain he suppressed in those eyes, the undeniable heartbreak, it was all there.
He likes you. You like him. You've always liked him. Why won't you admit it?
"What do I care? It's like I said: I don't need him or any boy. I'm just fine on my own," Tenten's voice cracked on the last word. She knew it wasn't true. And so did her inner voice.
You need him. Call him. Find him. Ask him to the hill where everybody else is. Do it. You want to. You know you do.
Infuriated with herself, she refused to answer. Her eyes began to fill up; she knew the voice was right.
He still likes you. Call him. Do it. Invite him to the hill.
Her shaky hands started to reach for her phone beside the bed. She grasped it and pulled it to her, along with the pillow from her bed. He was on speed dial. He was just a few presses of the buttons away.
Call him.
Her fingers moved as if not controlled by her. She stared in awe as they moved with a mind of their own and pressed the speaker button. The dialing ring filled the empty room. Tenten held her breath, hoping he wouldn't be home, hoping that he wouldn't answer, hoping for anything that she could use to hold off on this.
"Hello?" She buried her face in her pillow. He had to be home. He just had to be home.
Ask him.
"Hello?" repeated the voice. Tenten opened her mouth to speak and quickly closed it. No, she couldn't. She had to back out. She didn't have an ounce of courage.
"I'm sorry, wrong number!" Tenten yelled out lamely and hung up. She cried into her pillow, unable to believe what she had just done.
Coward! Why can't you just tell him? Wouldn't it be so much easier than putting yourself through all this torment?
"It'd be even more painful if he rejected me!" Tenten screamed. The phone rang beside her. She pressed the speaker button.
"Hello?" She answered dully.
"Tenten? Did you just call me?" asked a familiar voice.
Tenten freaked. "But how did…?"
"Caller ID." She smacked herself in the forehead. Of course! He had told her he had it once before!
"Oh…" Tenten managed shakily. What was she going to do? She had already backed out once and he knew it was her all along!
"So, why'd you call?" Crap! He was asking! Now what!
"Um, just to chat," You idiot! Tell him! Ask him! Do it already! Before the night's over!
"Oh, okay. I thought you would be out tonight."
"Uh, yeah. It would be a little awkward for me since everyone else is out there with someone else, so I stayed in. I'm looking at it from my windowsill, though," What is wrong with you? Ask him!
"Oh…"
"Yeah, um, so what's up? What're you doing?"
"Tenten?"
"Hm?"
"You didn't call just to chat, did you?" The kunoichi stared at the phone blankly for a second, then started spazzing. Yes! Now you have to ask him! Tenten scowled at her inner voice again and racked her brain for an answer.
"Tenten?"
"Um, yeah?" she answered nervously. Now what!
"Did you call to ask me to the hill?"
Wide-eyed, the kunoichi said really fast, "Um, I have to put you on hold for a minute! Hang on!" and hit the button. She started screaming and cursing into the pillow.
Yes! He knows! Admit it now!
"Will you shut up!" Tenten screamed and regained her composure. She hit another button on her phone. "Hello?"
"Hey."
"Hi."
"So? Did you call to ask? Because I know you didn't call to just chat." At this point, Tenten was smacking her head against the window.
"Um, uh, well…"
"You did, didn't you?"
Silence.
"Tenten?"
"Yeah."
"You're asking?"
"Yeah." Finally! Good kunoichi! Good weapons mistress! Don't you feel better?
"Would you cut it out!" Tenten shouted, frustrated with the nagging.
"What? What'd I do?"
"Uh, not you. Don't worry."
"Alright then."
Silence.
"Tenten?"
"Hm?"
"Sure."
"What?"
"I'll go with you. Meet me on the hill in five minutes, okay?" Her heart skipped a few beats. She quickly pinched herself just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. A sigh of relief escaped her when she found out she wasn't.
"Tenten?"
"I'm here. I mean, I'll meet you out there in five minutes."
"Alright. See you then."
"Bye." Tenten hung up and she screamed and screamed and screamed with joy. She flung her pillow into the air and danced around her room, skidding to a halt in front of the mirror.
"Oh, crap. You've got to be kidding me." She stared at her reflection. She was in her pajamas, her hair was tousled and her eyes were a little red from the tears earlier on with the first call. Her forehead was bright pink because of the contact with the window.
She raced to her closet. Crap! What was she going to wear? What did the others say they were going to wear?
"You guys are making a really big deal out of this," Tenten said.
"I'm finally going on a date with Sasuke!" Sakura cried at the same time Hinata yelled the same thing for Naruto.
"As for me, Shikamaru's gonna have to have something cute to sit by. Maybe I'll even go for a kiss!" Ino flung her blond hair, which was currently down, over her shoulder. Sakura and Hinata giggled, obviously thinking the same thing with their dates.
"So what are you three wearing for your 'big' dates?" Tenten asked. She couldn't care less but oh well.
"Maybe a sundress? That way I'll have an excuse to cuddle up to him when I get cold!" Sakura giggled. Ino laughed scornfully.
"Yeah, go ahead, Sakura! I'll be wearing a tank top and a mini skirt. I'm gonna be so sexy, Shikamaru isn't gonna be able to resist me! Oh yeah!" Tenten snickered, unable to hold all her laughter in.
"Hinata?" Tenten turned to her. Hinata blushed.
"Nothing much. A top with open sleeves and a long breezy, flowing skirt. I don't think my father will let me wear much more than that," she said and hung her head in shame.
"That's alright! It's better than Ino's, that's for sure!" Tenten put a comforting arm around Hinata and smiled when the kunoichi laughed.
"Like you should be the one talking! At least the three of us have dates for it! What are you gonna do?" Ino yelled, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Tenten and the others stared at her for a second. Tenten scowled and stood up, glaring at Ino.
"Whether I choose to get a date for something lame like this is no business of yours, Ino. Just because you're watching with someone doesn't mean I have to. Like I said, I don't need a guy by my side."
"Crap, I didn't want to remember that…" Tenten muttered, clutching the edge of her closet. She shook her head and went through her clothes. "Okay, so something nice, like pretty nice, but not formal, like a funeral or wedding formal."
Clothes were ripped off the hangers and flung over her shoulder. Tenten stopped to hold a top up to the mirror for consideration. It was a crimson red sleeveless one-shoulder with gold trimming and a distinct Chinese look. On the left side, the bottom went down until it stopped mid-thigh with a point. Taking off her pajama top, she tried it on.
"Not bad. I gotta find something to match it though," Tenten said, going back to her mad clothes hunt. She finally decided on a pair of dark blue jeans.
"Maybe I should wear something over the jeans. A skirt maybe?" Tenten started to pick up some of the clothes she had flung.
"Oh, this?" She held up something that looked like a shawl, but made to be tied around the waist. It was a golden brown color, with beads hanging off the end, and ended in a point off to the right.
"Eh, that'll do," Tenten shrugged as she examined herself in the mirror. "Now for my hair," she said, taking out her buns. Her fingers moved expertly as she placed them back in buns. This time, she tied them with strings of bright red beads, allowing the ends to dangle freely. She checked to make sure that her eyes were no longer puffy.
"That'll just have to do, I guess. I gotta leave now if I'm gonna be able to meet him there," Tenten consulted the mirror one last time before running out the door.
She slowed to a stop by a large oak tree on top of the hill. One glance told her that he wasn't here yet. Another look revealed the positions of Sakura, Hinata and Ino, along with their dates.
"I wonder why no one's taken this spot. It's got such a great view," Tenten said quietly to herself. She looked around again. Still no sign of him. She sighed and settled down on the grass to stare at the moon. It was a lot better and more beautiful here than from her window, that was for sure.
"Tenten?" The kunoichi shifted her position to look at the source of the noise.
"Oh, hey Sakura. Hey, Sasuke," Tenten acknowledged the stoic-as-ever date.
"I thought you weren't coming!" Sakura said, shock on her face.
"Yeah. The hill's for people with dates, Tenten." Ino and Shikamaru walked up.
"Oh, you're here, Tenten! I was hoping to see you!" Up came Hinata and Naruto.
"Nice to see you all too. Having fun tonight?" Tenten smiled. With her sitting down and her friends surrounding her, he wouldn't be able to find her, she realized.
"Tons of fun. So, do you have a date? The hill is for people with dates only," sneered Ino. Tenten's face twisted into a scowl and stood up.
"For your information, I have a date, Ino. He's not here yet, though."
"Sure, right, Tenten."
"Are you talking about me?" Everyone turned in surprise to see none other than Hyuga Neji standing there. Tenten smiled, trying to hold in the laughter at the expression on Ino's face.
"Cousin Neji? You're Tenten's date?" Hinata gasped and clapped her hand over her mouth. Her tone had sounded wrong, like an "I-don't-believe-holy-crap-no-way" tone. She had wanted an "Are-you-serious-this-is-great" one.
"Yeah. Why?" Neji asked, emotionless.
"How'd you find me? I swore that I was hidden behind the wall of these people," Tenten asked.
"Not too hard. I just looked around for two blonds and pink hair. They stick out like a sore thumb. Why? Were you trying to hide from me?" His tone bore a faint teasing tone, one only Tenten could detect. She smiled secretly as Ino, Naruto and Sakura glided their hand up to their hair and inspected it.
"Let's go, Shikamaru-kun. The shower's going to start soon," Ino and Shikamaru waved and started back to their spot.
"Yeah, we should head back too. Bye guys," Sakura and Sasuke headed off.
"We should get back to our spot, Naruto-kun," Hinata pulled on Naruto's sleeve.
"Yeah, I guess. Bye, guys," Naruto and Hinata waved and walked off.
"So where do you want to sit?" Neji asked.
"I don't know. Here is fine, I guess," Tenten shrugged and sat down on the soft grass. Neji followed suit, sitting beside her. Tenten's eyes wandered around. It turned out that the others' spots weren't too far away. The farthest were probably Ino and Shikamaru, and Tenten only judged their difference to be five yards, tops.
"Tenten?" The kunoichi looked at the Hyuuga prodigy.
"Hm?"
"Why'd you ask me to be here with you?" Tenten bit her lip and blushed, looking down. She didn't know how to answer him, not after what she said three years ago.
Tell him! Tenten scowled inwardly. Not this again!
Neji sat patiently, waiting for an answer from his teammate. Inside, he knew why, but he wanted to hear her say it. He watched as she twirled a blade of grass around her finger and a thought crossed his mind. Had he been wrong? Was the reason she asked him different than what he thought? She seemed to be acting that way. And what she said three years ago, wasn't that proof enough? After all, she had never really been the one to hold back. This kunoichi had always spoken her mind, at least for as long as he could remember. A look of uncertainty passed his face now.
Tenten, out of the corner of her eye, saw the look. He had known all along and she knew that he had known. So why was it so hard for her to say it? He was right there. They were alone. She could tell him to his face right there. But what would happen after she did? He liked her, that was certain and obvious now. So why couldn't she bring herself to say it? This was what she had been waiting for! Why couldn't she do anything? She clenched her fists, ripping the blade from its roots. Her inner voice was right; she was a coward, an idiot.
"I…I just…" She squeezed her eyes shut. She couldn't bring herself to do it. It was just too hard.
"Yeah…?" Neji prompted her.
"I just…wanted to make sure that you didn't stay home and miss this. And I didn't have anyone to go with so I just invited you. You know…so you wouldn't be lonely!" Tenten made up hastily, a fake smile on her face.
Neji's face fell and he tried to cover it up, but it was in vain.
She had seen it.
"A-alright then. Just making sure," Neji said uneasily and stared up at the moon.
Idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot, IDIOT! The inner voice again.
An awkward silence fell upon them and they looked away from each other.
"N-Neji?" Tenten couldn't hold it in anymore.
"Hn?" Neji looked down at the kunoichi, who was staring at the moon. He could see her silhouette perfectly, the light giving her a new look in his eyes.
"I lied."
"How so?"
"I…didn't ask you here just to make sure you weren't lonely. I…"
"Yeah?"
"I did it because…I like you. I've liked you for a long time, but I was stupid and said that stupid thing three years ago and I've been trying to hide my stupid feelings for you because I was stupid and…and I'm so stupid!" Tenten couldn't bear to look at the Hyuga's expression.
Another silence fell over them and Tenten tried to keep her breath at a normal pace. Even her inner voice wasn't coaching her anymore.
"I…know, Tenten." The kunoichi looked at the Hyuga in surprise. He locked gazes with her.
"W-what are you-?" Before she could finish, his lips met hers. As she closed her eyes, she saw the first meteor fall. They broke contact and just stared at each other.
Tenten gave him a small smile and scooted closer to him. Without hesitating, he put his arm around her.
Farther away, Hinata and Naruto smiled.
"They're finally together," Naruto said, sighing.
"Yeah…" Hinata responded, happiness for them exploding inside of her. Tears started to well up in her eyes. Before she could reach to brush them away, another hand had done it for her.
She looked up into those blue eyes and smiled. Their lips met for a brief moment and they hugged.
Farther away, Sakura and Ino were enjoying themselves with Sasuke and Shikamaru.
Neji and Tenten saw this, but weren't the slightest bit happy for them. They were just focused on making wishes on the meteors.
But there wasn't much left to wish for.