Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Just the plotline. ;D
Author's Note: No spoilers once again. This is a fic for the livejournal community tensquared, the May Challenge (theme: One Last Dance). It's supposed to be a Tenten-focused fic, but it ended up being in Neji's point of view the majority of the fic. It might be confusing in the middle where they spar but it's supposed to be a blur… I suck at writing action stuff so it came out crummy. D:
Just pretend it's not as crummy as it really is. Haha. Anyways, enjoy.
Dancing with the Wind
"May I have this dance?"
She stood in the tree, tall and poised, as the cool wind swept through the forest, rustling the leaves in the tree and her silky chocolate bangs. The pale light of the moon enhanced her warm brown eyes and made her smooth peach skin glow softly. He silently marveled at this from where he stood—on the ground of the darkened forest, in the shadow of another tree.
"You may."
As if she really needed to ask.
He made the first move, which was unlike him since, as a gentleman, it was only proper that the lady make her move first, but today was different. And he wanted her to know that. He took one final good look at her, radiant and beautiful in the lone beam of light, before whipping a set of shuriken at her and disappearing into the shadows. Through his opened eyes, veins around his temple swelling slightly, he could see her.
She was right behind him.
She thrust something at him and he moved his head, feeling the extra wind from the sheer speed of the kodachi rush past his cheek. In one swift movement, he turned around and caught her wrist, both still running along the nearly pitch-black floor of forest only illuminated by the rays of the moon seeping through the gaps in the trees.
Each time those beams touched her face; he could see the exhilarated spark in her eyes that made everything feel worth it.
Rather than trying to free her wrist, he noticed out of the corner of his eyes, her other hand, gripping another weapon tightly. Within seconds, a kunai was thrust upwards, aimed for the region just missing the vital point at his stomach. His other hand snapped forward in response, grabbing her wrist just before the sharp point of her blade reached his clothes.
Her soft lips curled at a corner slightly, smirking at him.
He leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to those lips, feeling her smirk change into a smile. He bent her wrist towards her own body, the kunai now arranged to face the open space between her shoulder and her face. With a flick of his wrist, he pushed the kunai out of her hand and heard a satisfying thunk as it flew out of her slender fingers, through the intended space, and into a passing tree.
He pulled away slowly, taking his time, even though he could see her sliding a small razor-like blade she had concealed in her sleeve. He knew everything was moving quickly—the trees, the shadows, the wind, the moon, and her hands—yet, in his eyes, it felt as though everything had slowed down… just for him, just for tonight.
Just for this dance.
Their running slowly came to a stop.
She moved her wrist slightly, still held in his grasp, and positioned the edge of the blade at his wrist. He twisted his arms quickly, keeping his wrists as still as possible, and revealed his own hidden knife. She turned her wrist and let her blade slid out more but he evaded it, stepping backwards and pulling her towards him.
He spun her around so that her blade faced away and his blade faced her, then she, too, moved her feet in order to change their positions.
And it became a swift battle of wrists and blades. Her other hand still held the kodachi, the sharp part of the blade facing his ear, and she began to move her wrist, forcing him to watch both hands with equal concentration.
Their steps were quick and well executed, their fingers were nimble, and their movements revealed their talents. It was like a waltz—the forest was their stage and the wind, birds, and animals of the night were their song—they had been dancing for years.
For a second, she had him pinned, the blade of the kodachi just at his temple and the tip of the razor pointed at the soft flesh between the veins in his wrist. But with a couple of quick movements, he had her pinned, pushing her blade to facing the bottom of her own wrist with his blade resting on the top of that same wrist, and her kodachi maneuvered towards her neck.
And just as swiftly, she shifted her wrists, her steps, her weapons and had him cornered to her advantage. She stilled for a moment, holding him firmly but not moving any further. He didn't want her to stop.
Not just yet.
"Don't stop, Tenten. This might be… our last dance."
He watched her as she closed her eyes, almost bitterly, and took a deep breath in. They were in the moonlight once more and he took the moment to memorize the face he had grown up with; the face of the woman he loved. He could feel both their hearts pound and the only sound in the air was the sound of their breathing, short and shallow.
"Why you?"
He wanted to ask the same. But they both knew the answer. It was his duty as a ninja of Konoha, one of the top nins in the land, to go out and do what they did best. Protect the country. It wasn't only him. This time his team would consist of all his friends and comrades—Lee, Naruto, Sasuke, Sakura (as the Legendary Trio), Shikamaru, Kiba, Shino, Gai, Kakashi… the list seemed endless—and this time, he knew, not all of them would make it back.
He might not make it back.
"Why not me?"
It wasn't that she didn't qualify or wasn't good enough; no, those weren't the reasons at all. Tsunade didn't want to send unnecessary nin and therefore, Tenten and many of the more talented females of Konoha were decided as back up in dire emergencies. Other than that, they didn't need her and even if they did, he wouldn't allow it.
There was absolutely no way he'd let her go.
She dropped her hands, letting his go as well. She turned her face away unable to meet his stare for the first time since the day they met. It was too hard and he felt the same way, forcing his gaze to stay on her.
"No," she stated firmly. Her hands clenched tightly around her weapons. "This won't be our last dance, Hyuuga Neji."
He watched her calmly, a light breeze sifting through his hair. She looked back at him, deep brown eyes locking onto his pale gaze. For a split second, he was taken aback with the strong, unrestrained rush of emotions in her eyes. Her look was fierce but solemn and she fisted her hands even tighter.
"Promise me this won't be our last dance."
"Tenten…"
"Promise me, Neji."
She unclenched her hands, weapons clattering to the ground in defeat, and looked down again, her bangs shadowing her eyes. When she looked up, her gaze was different—pleading to him—and seeing her look at him in such a manner nearly broke his heart. He let his own weapon fall and took her in his arms, capturing her in a firm embrace.
He kissed her again, softly, and murmured against her lips his quiet reply.
"I promise."
She stood in the tree, tall and poised, closing her eyes as the wind fluttered gently past her face, mingling in with her loose, wavy tresses. The wind was pleasant tonight and she enjoyed the feel of it against her. The pale light of the full moon reminded her of his identical moon-colored eyes and how the rays shooting from the dark night sky gave his alabaster skin a soft glow. She placed a hand on her rounded stomach and held it there lovingly.
A figure stepped out from the shadows on the ground of the forest and into the space lit by the moonlight, one hand extending gracefully at her. His handsome face had blood smeared at the top of his crown, and cuts and scratches marred the outstretched arm. There were bruises here and there, and his other was wrapped and propped up by the sling around his neck. But despite all that, he looked like he was in a fair condition.
She let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.
His pale eyes locked onto hers and a slight smile graced his lips.
"May I have this dance?"
She carefully jumped down, holding her stomach protectively, and smiled, a single tear rolling down her smooth cheek. She stepped forward to embrace him, cautiously wrapping her arms around his neck. She ran her fingers through his loose hair and closed her eyes.
As if he really needed to ask.
"You may."
end.