It was late. As usual. Tenten honestly couldn't remember one time when they had ended training the same time as everybody else. So it was late. Again.
What was different about today and the other times though, was that it was only her and Neji there. Gai and Lee were away on a mission along with Hinata and Sakura, so not only had she had to put up with a cranky Neji, but a hormone-filled Naruto and a stupid, snobby Uchiha who felt that he was too good to be trained with.
Tenten was tiered, but not from training.
Tenten was cranky because she had not trained.
Tenten was currently kicking Nejis sorry ass because he was tiered from sparring with Naruto all day. Sasuke had refused to, as he so kindly put it, 'spar with some stupid girl.' Tenten hated his attitude. Such a bastard. How could Sakura date him? Girls were weird.
"Tenten!" Nejis voice pierced through her ears.
"What?! Giving up?!" She stopped, a sword glistening in each hand. He frowned slightly at her.
"Yes. I am out of chakra. You know this Tenten." His voice was calm and steady as ever. He never showed any emotion. She suddenly realized just how much she hated that about him and threw him a disgusted look. To her own astonishment, he looked stunned.
"Fine. I'm going home." She started to pick her scrolls up, back turned towards him, not offering him any further conversation. She would not be able to sleep tonight, though it was late and she had just sparred a while. She still had all that excess energy to get rid of. Perhaps she should do like Gai and Lee and run a few times around the city walls?
"Tenten?" His voice questioned. She kept her back towards him when she answered.
"What now?" She seemed to be able to get all of her annoyance out into the two words. But there was no response. When she stood up, he was simply there, staring at her. "What is it?! You have enough chakra to teleport but not to fight? Well, fine. I'm still off home." She turned around. "See ya." She heard him move behind her.
"Tenten, what's wrong?" Like he cared. She shrugged but frowned in annoyance.
"Nothing. I just want to go home."
"Tenten, don't lie..."
"What, all of a sudden you care if something bothers me? Well, I guess there's a first for everything..." She stopped dead as he once again appeared in front of her, though this time blocking her path. She leaned up towards him, whispering to him in her most wicked voice: "You do not intimidate me, Hyuuga Neji, move, or I will make you." Couldn't he see that she didn't want to be near him physically outside of training? It just brought all of those old feelings that she had tried to kill years ago back again. And it hurt. Every time. He'd never feel the same: She knew he cared for his team, but she nearly doubted his ability to go more than skin-deep.
"Dammit Neji, just fucking move, I want to go home!" But he didn't move. The bastard didn't move a centimetre.
"Tenten..." She stared at him. His voice was so strange, so full of... something. Then, knowing Neji, it could be anything.
"Neji, are you okay?" He blinked as she said his name.
"I..." He seemed to have a great trouble gathering his thoughts and put them to words. "I... Tenten I'm sorry about today." She stared at him again.
"What?" He looked away.
"I knew how much you wanted to train, something has been bothering you for quite a while and I know that it's a great stress-relief for you. I apologize." She stared at her hands. He was apologizing? Nobody would believe her if she told them.
"Neji... I..." She smiled at him. "It's fine. I can't have you all to myself all the time, can I?" He kept on looking away. Though I sure wish I could...
"Still, I am sorry. Let us train tomorrow instead. If you still want to train with me, that is..." He looked at her, eyes showing nothing, as usual. But he was yet to fully restore his voice.
"Of course, you silly person." Then everything seemed to be back to normal again. "So, you want to have some ice-cream with me then?"
It was a standard question. She asked it after every training session, and Gai and Lee always said yes, and Neji always had some other place to be. Though, this time, no matter how much the old soars risked being ripped up, she hoped that he would come along. Though she started walking passed him, her hand already halfway into a salutation of goodbye, when she heard him speak again.
"I'd love to, Tenten..." She stopped dead, hand still in its half-raised position, nearly waving goodbye.
"Right..." She didn't recognize her own voice.
"You sure you're okay Tenten? You look a little pale." She nodded in response.
"I'm just fine... We need to pick some ice-cream up though, Lee and Gai and I had the last before they went on their mission..." She stared at him, quietly asking the question. He just gave a small smile in response. Since when did he smile, anyways?
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So, what kind of ice-cream do you like then?" They were looking over the ridiculous amounts of flavours that they had on display at the store. He shrugged.
"I don't really have a favourite... I never really thought about it..." She sighed.
"Just as hopeless as usual then. Right, then we'll get these..." She picked up a package of striped strawberry-cherry-vanilla ice-cream. "It's lovely, believe it!" She imitated Narutos voice. The hint of a smile showed on Nejis face. "Oh, and we need..." She looked over the shelves above the freezers. "This!" She took down a bottle of cherry-sauce. She knew Neji loved cherries, though he'd never told her. She was his team-mate, after all. She sighed. Team-mate only. Life was bittersweet. But mostly bitter.
"Hold on, I need to get something..." Neji disappeared for a short while, then appeared with a bag of fresh cherries. She smiled at him and shook her head. "What?"
"So predictable..." She went to pay for the ice-cram and the cherry-sauce, but before she even knew it, he had snatched it from her and had gone to pay for it along with the cherries. She stared dumbfounded at him. What was up with him?
"Neji... what on earth...?" Then she heard a voice behind her. A calm, sleepy voice.
"What about him?" Ino studied her face. "You're thinking out loud again, Tenten-chan. Bad habit, really." The blonde girl yawned.
Tenten smiled at her friend. After a few kids Ino had changed like night and day, or so it seemed. Though, with Shino for a husband, Tenten figured it would be hard not to get calmer. Also, Shino was more social now, all thanks to Ino. They really did seem like the ideal couple. Tenten sighed. Then she remembered about the ice-cream. But before she had time to answer, Neji spoke to her from across the room.
"Tenten-chan, we need to leave before it starts to melt." She looked at Ino, shrugged, hugged Ino then went to leave with Neji.
"I'll call you Ino-chan! Tell Shino and the kids hi from me!" Ino nodded tiredly, smiled, and went to pay for her own things.
They walked a few minutes in silence before they arrived at Tentens two-room apartment. It was quite small, and had that kind of 'home'-feeling to it that made people relaxed and comfortable. She took the bag that Neji had carried, put it on the kitchen-table and got bowls and spoons for them. It was nearly eleven, it was nearly dark outside, and she was nearly nervous about having him around. That old feeling was coming back again.
"Here..." She handed him a glass of soda. Then they ate their ice-cream in silence. When they were done, she cleared the table and started to fill the sink with hot water.
"Feel free to look around, it feels like you haven't been here for ages... Though I doubt anything has changed much. Not more than me anyways..." She put the dirty dished in the sink.
"You are right about the apartment, though I think you must have changed... We all do." She closed her eyes. Though not the way we want things to. I want to be able to have you over like this without old ghosts haunting me whenever you have left...
"I guess it is inevitable..." Her voice was hardly more than a whisper. "Even though it seems so useless." She faked a cough. "So, how'd you like the ice-cream?" A small smile crept upon his features.
"I loved it, thank you." She threw his a teasing smile.
"I don't think I ever heard you talk this much, and I've known you for years." It stung in her heart when she said it. What was he doing? Why was he here? Was he enjoying seeing her being tortured like this? He could probably see exactly what she was thinking. She knew how good he was at reading people.
"I never really reflected on that..." His voice was quiet. The calm ticking off the clock was the only sound that disturbed the peace. "I guess I let my guard down around you."
Tenten let the water out of the sink and put a kettle on before she sat down in front of him.
"I guess I'm the same around you." He raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, really?" She shrugged slightly.
"Yeah." He stared out the window and up towards the sky.
"Then why won't you tell me what's bothering you? It seems you either can't stop thinking about it or you're dying to tell me." She went to get them cups.
"Don't worry, its fine, really."
"Tenten, you are lying, it's quite obvious. What's wrong?" She felt her tears coming and fought them with all her inner strength. She didn't want to tell him this way, if ever.
"I... It's not that simple. It's nothing to do with you, it'll be fine really soon... There's no problem, it'll be fine..."
"Tenten, spill it." She glared at him.
"You can't just order me around." She stated coldly.
"Tenten I... I never meant to. I'm sorry. But tell me what's bothering you, maybe I can help?"
Is he serious?
"I don't think so... No I really think not." She sighed. "It'll pass." She turned back to the cupboard to take down the mugs. But again she was stopped. Though this time, not by his voice, but by a soft hand on her shoulder.
"Tenten, don't... don't let it pass... not again..." She froze. She realized it all now. It was all a dream. And it wasn't funny. It was turning into a nightmare. It hurt too much to know that he would not be the same person in the morning.
"Neji, it's really not funny..." To her shock, he embraced her shoulders.
"I know... I know..." She felt his chin rest against her shoulder, and his warm chest against her back, felt his deep breaths and how his chest rose up and down slowly. "I love you Tenten. Don't let it pass again. Last time I realized it all too late. It crushed me. Not again, i beg you Tenten. It hurts much too bad."
She slowly turned around. His eyes were closed, but opened as he felt her move towards him. She stared at him in amazement.
"You never told me." She stated blankly, as if saying that it had just began to rain. "Why?" He closed his eyes again, this time a pained expression on his face.
"I knew that we were young, and what if you didn't like me and decided to break up? I couldn't stand loosing you Tenten, never..." She smiled softly at him, and kissed his cheek.
"I understand, Neji. I really, really do." Her voice was quiet, but not fragile in the same way that his was. She hugged him and held him close. "I love you Neji." He hugged her back, as if clinging to his last lifeline.
"Tenten... never let me go..." She stroke his hair gently.
"Never Neji, never..."
Ice-cream is a good ice-breaker! Haha it's soon six in the morning and I didn't sleep tonight... I'm Insane! Anyway, plz review.