A/N: Hi guys! A new story that is going to be multi- chapter. Pardon me while my other story is unfinished; sometimes inspiration just strikes. :) Please enjoy!

Chapter 1

"H-hey, hello there. I'm Tenten, and I noticed that you have been here for the past few weeks. I stay nearby, so this route is my way home for me every day…Anyway, is there, something bothering you? You don't seem very happy whenever I see you."

The boy jerked up, long hair flying as he whipped his head around to face her, the pale eyes that were so outstanding glaring at the brunette who had dared to approach him.

"That's none of your business."

His brusque tone did not deter her, nor the glare. For she had seen, in that moment before his eyes iced over, the brief flare of hurt.

"I can be your friend, if you want. I could lend a listening ear." Tenten stated matter-of-factly, making sure that her tone was neutral without betraying the sympathy she felt for the stand- offish boy. She knew that this boy, who seemed to wear his pride like a shroud, would only mistake sympathy for pity.

"Leave me alone. I don't need anybody, much less you." He was already walking away; backpack slung over one shoulder, a hand stuffed into his jeans pocket.

"I will be here, same time tomorrow. See you around?" Tenten was nothing if not tenacious and she saw in him something that she wanted to save, something she wanted to soothe. Call it her mother hen instincts but Tenten had always been more sensitive to other people's needs than they let on.

"Then I won't be here." He had stopped in his tracks but only did so to throw those words coldly behind at her. Soon, the tall, long- legged boy was only a speck in the distance, leaving the girl standing alone by the railings facing the Kyuu River.

Sunset was already here, the fiery colours setting the sky on fire, the dying sun reflected in the ripples of the waters. Tenten sighed and played absently with the ends of her long hair. She thought back to the first time she had seen him, that mysterious boy with the long hair and silvery eyes.

She had been on her way back home from grocery shopping, twin plastic bags bursting with dinner ingredients. The Kyuu River was her favourite route home, the scenery making up for the five- minute detour than the main road.

She had never seen him by the river before and her curiosity had been caught when she saw his solitary figure in the distance, tingeing the dusk with a touch of melancholy. His arms had been crossed and resting on the metal bars as he gazed into the far distance across the surface of the calm waters, a large backpack lying by his feet. Tenten had not stopped that day, mindful of dinner and the aura around that boy that kept people at bay.

But she had seen him every day after that, a still and silent figure standing at exactly the same spot she had seen him at, three lampposts from the steps she would take to go back on the main pavement. He never spared a glance at her, or to his surroundings for the matter. Rather, his gaze was always directed across the river, seeing something that she could not.

That was a month ago. By this time, Tenten's passing curiosity of the stranger had deepened. After all, she did see him at the same spot, at the same time, doing the exact same thing day after day. It did not help that she could sense that things were not going well for the boy, if his empty gaze was anything to go by. He was too thin for his own good too, those sculpted cheekbones becoming more and more pronounced over the month that she saw him, and the way his tops, though they seemed to be of good quality, hung loosely from his frame.

Not that Tenten was observing him closely, mind you, just that, well, it was getting harder to ignore his constant presence on her favourite route home from school and the market. His appearance was very striking too—the long black hair that should have made him look girly but instead accentuated his masculine features, the high cheekbones and sharp aquiline nose, and the long lashes that curtained those strange, pale eyes. Although Tenten had never seen his face frontal, his profile alone told her that this was a boy who was very handsome in a quiet, refined way.

So it was driven by these thoughts and her curiosity that she spoke to him suddenly that day, her hands full with yet more groceries for her dinner. His reaction had not been unexpected, though Tenten was vaguely disappointed over it. Shrugging, she continued to walk home, a little apartment on the second floor of a condominium facing the river.

"Mum, I'm home! Sorry that I'm a little late today!" Sliding her shoes off, Tenten put on her home slippers before walking down the narrow planked walkway from the main door to the kitchen, where a middle- aged woman with curled brown hair was stirring something at the stove.

"Okaidi, Tenten. Did Tobu- san give you a discount at the butcher's? Come, taste this soup for me; it's your favourite radish soup. Wash your hands first though!"

Tenten shook her head fondly at her mother's disjointed comments. It was so like her to veer off on various topics at once. It was no wonder her friends teased her for her scatterbrained chatter—clearly, she had inherited it from Megumi. Leaning to give a kiss on her mother's cheek, noting with concern the tiny wrinkles that had seemed to increase since yesterday, Tenten turned on the tap and began to wash her hands dutifully. Hands washed, she took the wooden ladle from the older woman and took a sip of the bubbling broth, smiling in delight when the aroma of radish and bonito flooded her tongue.

"This is really good, Mum! Thanks for cooking it for me. You are the best!"

"Good, good. Now, help me with the meat and the eggs, your father wants oyako don for dinner tonight."

Dinner was soon ready, the wooden dining table laden with gleaming white rice and glistening tamago sauce over fat katsu fillets. Tenten sat down to the sumptuous feast with her parents and the small family chatted happily about their day over mouthfuls of food.

She always enjoyed these family dinners—with her father working and her studying and working part time, times together were only available over the dinner table. Her mama would always ladle soup for them and made sure each bowl of rice was full of ingredients before settling down to eat. Her papa would kiss her mama on the lips (here, Tenten was too used to this nightly routine to be embarrassed) and tousle Tenten's hair affectionately before he picked up his chopsticks. Tenten loved her parents dearly, loved that they gave her the warmth and love that had managed to let her grow up into the confident, happy-go-lucky girl that she was today.

Sipping the radish soup that had been her favourite since young, Tenten allowed her attention to slide off from the conversation at the table, her parents' voices washing over her like waves in the background. The warmth in her house somehow reminded her more forcibly of the detached boy by the river, the solitary figure he cut as he walked away. Sighing softly, her breath rippling the soup in her spoon before she drank it, Tenten resolved to get to know him better, even if she did not know why or how doing so would do any good.

Tomorrow then.

Tenten trudged home slowly, shoes scuffing against the cobbled path beside the meandering river. Work had ended half an hour ago at the convenience store where she worked as a cashier and she was just now on her way back home. Looking at the deserted stretch ahead of her in disappointment again, she could not help but wish that she had not scared the boy away.

True to his word, he had not appeared ever since Tenten had spoken to him a week ago. Tenten had rushed home after school that next day, eager to meet her new friend (she already regarded him as one, since she was determined to break past his walls and get to know him better). Yet, the overgrown path beside the Kyuu River had been devoid of that single figure leaning by the railings, three lampposts from the stairway.

Sighing in resignation, the girl straightened her shoulders. No matter. If they were meant to know each other (and she was sure they were, she did not know why though), then they would meet again, one way or another, river or no river.

Hyuuga Neji let his keys drop noisily onto the scarred counter beside the door, the darkened room a perfect complement to his mood as he threw his backpack forcefully onto the sofa. Sinking onto it himself, Neji threaded his fingers agitatedly through his long hair.

It was no use. No matter how far he ran, no matter where he went, they always found him. They always wanted to lock him back into that cage, that giant bell jar where he had been slowly suffocating under. Seventeen years. Seventeen years living under someone else's roof, enduring the cold stares of the elders and the taciturn temper of his uncle, all the while hating them with a virulence for causing his father's death, the only person in the world whom he had loved fully.

They had nearly found him again when he was on the way back from work at a ramen restaurant tonight. It was only thanks to the after-dinner crowd on the streets of Konoha Central that he had managed to slip into the darkened alleys without getting the attention of them. Those eyes, so much like his, had been unmistakable, even at a distance.

Neji cursed under his breath again. He had had enough trouble fixing his work schedule with his sullen supervisor at Ichiraku's, making sure that it was not too regular lest they figured out his timetable. Now, it seemed that he would have to switch jobs. Tonight's escape had been too close for comfort. He would be damned if he went back to that jail again.

The only place where he could seem to find some peace nowadays was by the Kyuu River. The long expanse of water always managed to calm him down. Over there, he could hear the dovetails calling out to one another; see them soar free towards the sunset. That exhilarating taste of freedom seemed in his grasp in those quiet moments by the river.

Yet, even that had been denied him, and all because of an annoying girl who had disrupted the bubble of peace he so treasured. Neji shut his eyes as a headache began to pound in his temples. He knew of the girl's existence, of course. Even though he had seemed oblivious of his surroundings, he did not fail to see how the same girl would make her way past him every day on that cobbled pathway by the river, the breeze always bringing her scent, a clean, floral and somehow, carefree, fragrance to his nose whenever she walked by.

Tenten, she had introduced herself as being. Smirking softly, Neji stood up from the sofa, headed to the tiny bathroom for a shower. She was observant; he would give her that. But if it was one thing that Hyuuga Neji did not need, it was friendship from a stranger, a pretty stranger with a warm smile and sparkling brown eyes though she was. He had more important things to worry over, such as finding a new part- time job, enrolling into a new high school for his final year, and avoiding his family for the rest of his life. He shelved thoughts of the girl from his mind as the hot water came on, the sprays of water relaxing him little by little.

He was never going to meet her again, anyway.

To be continued.

A/N: Enjoyed? Please review! :)