"Neji-kun, daijobu desu-" Tenten's once-cheerful face turned into astonishment as she realized what Neji and Hinata were doing. Immediatly her eyes welled up with tears as Neji and Hinata broke their kiss and turned to stare at her, Hinata with enjoyment and Neji's with horror.
"Scuse me." She said in a small voice, if they even heard her it wouldn't matter, and ran out the door. She didn't know exactly what to feel, between anger, shock, astonishment, rage, hurt, and, of course, broken-heartedness. Running out of the Hyuuga compound and out into the cloudy day she clicked that in her mind.
'How fitting! Rain, for my gloomy day!' She managed to fit the thought inside her head beside the rest of them, which consisted of vile words and murderings of the Hyuuga's entire clan.
----------
(Earlier)
"Yes, Tenten, I'll be right back, I'm just going to grab a couple of things."
"Okay, hurry back, Neji!"
Neji closed the door behind him and sighed roughly. She was so demanding sometimes! He plopped on his bed for a split second as he rearranged his shoes. A shadow fell over them and he turned around to see a figure mostly in shadow with purple short air and evilly gleaming eyes in front of him. He yelled slightly as Hinata pounced on him, and kissed him. When she pulled back, she said, "Wouldn't it be great to do this forever? If only it wasn't 'morally wrong.'"
Neji nodded and leaned forward to kiss her again. Sure, he liked Tenten, but who was to say he couldn't like his cousin as well?
His lips touched hers, and suddenly he realized that the door had opened. He broke apart with Hinata to stare at who was in the door.
Of course. Tenten.
At first he was numbly annoyed that she had caught him, but then he realized what he had been doing.
Oy!
He suddenly realized how wrong the thought he had just thought was.
Her eyes filled with tears as she ran out the door.
"Oh, Neji-kun! Now we can be together!" Hinata said, glomping (tackle-hugging) him. He pulled away from her kiss and kept staring out the door.
The day he dreaded had come.
He must choose between Hinata and Tenten.
------
Tenten had arrived at the farm-shack she called her home. It wasn't heated during the winter, nor air-conditioned during the summer. The bed was made of straw, and her bathroom was a bucket placed outside of her window, that never got stolen just because of the smell of it.
Yes, you got it. She was poor. The money she got from being a ninja she put into food, clothing, water, and weapons.
She ran to her bedside and gripped the picture of her and Neji, taken no less than a week ago, and put into a very expensive frame. She gripped it so hard her knuckles became white. She glared at it so much it risked lighting on fire. She did nothing but grip it as hard as she could for a few moments. Then she heard it crack, and felt the glass gouge her palm. That was when she screamed, as loud and high-pitched as she possibly could for as long as she possibly could, and then, once all the screaming was over, she threw the frame.
It was a very expensive frame, as stated before. It took her 3 missions just to buy it! And, those missions were C-ranked. It's cost was equal to about 300 US dollars.
And when it reached the wall, it broke.
Through the wall.
Which let the cold through, which let Tenten out.
Ever done something you wished you should've? I have, with my DS. I got pissed at a game, which had a hacker who was cheating, so I lost my temper and stabbed it four times with my stylus... which, left 2 dents in the top part, and two marks in the screen. I was extremely pissed off.
That was what Tenten was feeling like.
------
Tenten...
Hinata...
Tenten...
Hinata...
Who's the one to be afraid of if her feelings got hurt?
Hinata...
Who's the one who's always been there for him?
Tenten...
Who's the one he almost killed?
Hinata...
Who's the one who's a busybody?
Tenten...
Who's the one who stutters a lot?
Hinata...
Who's the one with amazing throwing prowess?
Tenten...
Who's the one who has plans for world domination?
...Truthfully, they both do.
------
To cope?! No clue.
How could she face her team again? She wouldn't be able to even look at Neji one more time.
But, she needed the money!
She couldn't quit, nor could she ask for missions by herself, that would make even less money!
Maybe she should kill herself?
Naa, she was never much of an emo.
She could buy seeds with the rest of her money right now and then plant vegetables, fruits, and the like and live off them..
And if they don't sprout?
She could ask for hire somewhere...
But this town was notorious for perverts!!
------
He'd made his desicion.
It wasn't Hinata.
It wasn't Tenten.
His desicion was both.
But why...?
Without Tenten, he would feel empty. Without Hinata, life would lose it's sweetness...
Sweetness that Tenten could replace, if he gave her a chance.
But, might not work the whole nine yards.
-----
"Tenten!" She turned around, and burst into tears at the sight of him, turning around to cry in her knees again.
"Tenten.. I-" He approached her, to be blocked by her impenetrable wall. It assembles itself out of nowhere. Weapons, all facing outwards, covering every eighth of an inch, with three layers of them. It was her ultimate defense. Slowly the rest of her weapons flew around her until she was completely out of sight.
"Tenten.. I'm sorry!"
"Just leave me alone!" She sounded angry as heck.
"Te-"
"I SAID JUST LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"
For a while, there was silence besides the ruffling of the wind and the occasional sobs as she struggled to get herself under control only to replay the scene in her head once again.
"I'm sorry, it's just that I... had.. I liked.. I had to choose... and I.."
"No, really, I mean, it's not like we were together or anything." Neji winced. He had forgotten the reason he went into his room was to get their one year anniversary present.
"I-"
"How long?"
"...Hn?"
"How long have you and her?"
"...A month and 3 weeks after you and I-"
He was intterupted by a wail that was both of rage and depression.
"Neji." Her voice was now completely devoid of any emotion whatsoever. He winced slightly as her weapons shield shot down from around her and fell into a pack she had on her back. "I hope you realize what a completely insensitive and cold bastard you are." Normally words don't hurt, but those words hurt as much as the katana she held in her hands. Completely devoid of feeling. Creepy.
She jumped into the air, jumped off the tree, and headed for the forest.
Yeah, if that wasn't the worst thing in the world to Neji right about then, please let Neji be struck with lighting. He slowly followed her to find her amid a clearing of about 30 yards around, surrounded by dead squirrels, birds, and the occasional chipmunk. He stopped as she turned around, her brown eyes having lost it's sparkle, and filled with the coldest rage you could ever see. Ever. She jumped, and attacked her new target, Neji.
Repeatedly. With all she had. And, with her aim and traps set up, stopped him from spinning in his little spin. A trap consisting of superglue, unbreakable string, and several kunais stabbed into various places.
He glared at her. What was she to do now?
She did nothing. She sat down on the branch he was on, and stayed there, still with the cold rage etched on her face.
"Now what?" She asked him.
He simply glared.
"Why glare at me? As I recall, it was the cold insensitive bastard who caused this."
His gaze faultered.
"Cheating on me with your own cousin? The least you could do was break up with me!"
He said nothing, although looked away.
"Do you realize how I am battling with killing you and killing myself?"
He looked at her. Her unflinching gaze pretty much said she wasn't joking.
"Of course, I may be battling, but I'm not going to lose. I'm not an emo."
He opened his mouth.
"Don't, save it. Once the glue weakens, you must go and explain to Hinata how you chose to destroy both of your relationships."
He looked at her questioningly.
"Do you think that once you just up and left her heart didn't crack either?"
He looked down.
"Do you think when you left the building she didn't know why?"
Now he felt ashamed times two.
"She's not as strong as me, she might kill herself."
He gazed at her.
"Although I did say might."
He continued gazing.
"Not to mention she might find another man to help her."
He continued gazing.
"Either way, I'm not sure either of us will forgive you."
Now he looked away.
"Sure, I understand Neji. I battled between you and Lee as well!"
He continued to look away.
"But, I made up my mind before I went and cheating on one of you! I went and devoted myself to the one I chose, never doubting that he would never hurt me."
He looked up.
"I never decided to break your heart. Nor Lee's, he was just in a state, not permanently."
He now looked at her to see tears streaming down her face.
"Go." She said, cutting his feet free and his arms as well.
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
He stared at her now.
She took something out of her pocket and threw it at his feet.
"At least I didn't make a mistake." And so, she left.
He watched her leave, and then looked at the tree below him. A small box lay at his feet.
He picked it up, and opened it.
It was a ring, with something enscribed alongside it.
"Thanks for the best years of my life, and for the years to come.
Tenten."
---------------------
-Blink-
It's calling for a sequel, eh?
EraTomo