Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
Enjoy :)
Neji Hyuuga walked down the quiet streets of Konoha, rain pouring down on top of him. He didn't care though, he would have done anything to get away from home- even for a short while.
He was mentally exhausted from all the stress the Hyuuga clan has been putting on him, specifically Hiashi-sama. He would praise Neji for his strength as a ninja, and then degrade him by "making sure he knows his place." Destiny had cursed him.
If destiny was a person, he would punch destiny square in the face. What gave destiny the right to control peoples lives? Although, everything must be controlled by destiny- that's why his father was born second.
He kept a cold look on his face- hiding his self pity from the rest of the world. Then he felt stupid, because nobody was outside since it started raining. His face relaxed, and he sat down on a soggy wooden bench wedged underneath a light pole.
The whole town was covered in a blanket of gray and he shivered, as thunder clapped in the distance. He hadn't thought to bring a coat with him, and now he was suffering because of it. He just wanted to get away from home for awhile, away from the glares and the blank faces. He couldn't help be think of the irony of it all. He comes from a family of straight-laced-impassive people- but he's in a team of the most expressive people known. Minus Naruto of course.
A cold wind blew threw his hair, and rain pelted him even harder then before- a simple shower turning into a full blown storm.
'Destiny has cursed me once again.' he thought to himself, the corners of his mouth tugging into a frown. He allowed his thoughts to drift away, letting him hear the littlest bit of sound. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply- trying to relax, something her hadn't done in ages.
He heard the rain pour down from the roofs, heard frogs croak in the distance, heard foot steps come towards him… Foot steps? Wha-
"Evening, beautiful!" He heard a cheery voice say behind him. He knew who it was from the foot steps alone, but how could he not have sensed her? He didn't hear her foot steps till she was at least five feet away!
"Tenten." He stated blankly, his face becoming impassive once again. He attempted to look as if he knew she was there all pouted slightly, leaning forward onto the back of the bench.
"Oh c'mon! That was the most expression I have seen you show all month! You have to mask your emotions all the time?" She inquired, her pout replaced with a look of suspicion. Her hair was damp and strands of it fell around her face as she lowered her chin with attitude. He had to admit, she was quite pretty. For a tomboy, that is. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"I only mask my emotions in battle, as expected of any ninja." She narrowed her eyes back at him.
"Oh, I see. So talking to me is a battle, huh?" Her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back, away from the bench. He craned his neck around to look her in the eyes.
"Whoever said I'm masking my emotions at the moment? You can obviously see that I am glaring at you right now." He retorted. She rolled her eyes.
"That's just your face!" She exclaimed.
"My point exactly." She face palmed herself.
"So why are you out here in the rain anyway?" She asked casually, taking a seat next to him on the bench. He looked straight ahead.
"I needed some air." He replied impassively. She just rolled her eyes.
"And you came all the way into town when it's down pouring rain to do so?" She inquired. She had a point, but he wasn't going to admit it.
"Hn. And what are you doing here?" He raised an eye brow at her, shifting his gaze to hers.
"I got bored. I like rain." She stated. Likely excuse.
"I see." An awkward silence came over them. She sat there- uncomfortable with the newfound awkwardness. He was uncomfortable when she was silent. Her happy demeanor and talkative manner was what he liked about her most- and she was definitely not talking at the moment. She never seemed to stop talking, so why now?
"So…" she clasped her hands in her lap, finally breaking the silence. "Ya gonna tell me what's on your mind?" He didn't reply. She let out a frustrated sigh, sinking back into the bench. This caught his attention.
"What is it?" He asked.
"You're an idiot." She stated. He narrowed his eyes at her.
"Excuse me?" He asked, his voice as sharp as a kunai.
"Ya know, a baka," she stated in a dull voice, "also known as stupid, dim-witted, du-"
"I know what it means. What I want to know is why you called me that." His voice only grew sharper with each word.
She closed her eyes in a bored manner, still slouched in the bench.
"Because you are. You never tell anyone anything, you keep yourself impassive- even when injured. You have the stupid 'holier-than-thou' attitude, and you think destiny controls everything. It's annoying and dumb." She stated bluntly, completing everything with a yawn. She pulled her damp hair out of place lazily and let the long locks fall around her shoulders.
He was seething on the inside. How dare she say that! 'She doesn't even know what I've been through! She wouldn't know what a hard life is if it smacked her square in the face! I have a duty to my clan, I'm not going to stab them in the back by spreading nasty rumors about them! Of course I'm going to hide my emotions, if people saw my true feelings I'd be punished by the seal mark! And none of that makes me dumb! It's all destiny's fault!'
"I didn't choose to be this way. Destiny has everything planned for me." He said impassively, once again. His voice was calm, but his mind was on rampage. Her eyes snapped open and her brows furrowed.
"You see? That's what I'm talking about! Destiny doesn't exist!" She stood up in front of him, forcing him to look at her. Keeping one hand on her hip, she jabbed her other finger into the middle of his chest.
"Prove to me that destiny exists!" Her hair whipped around her like a weapon. He glared up at her and then stood, forcing her to take a step back.
"Destiny was why my father was born second," He took another step. "Destiny is why my father died in Hiashi-sama's place!" Another step. She still glared up at him. "Destiny is why I have this curse seal on my head!" His voice raised in volume slightly, his eye brows furrowing. "Destiny is why I'm required to waste my life protecting a main house family member!" He had her backed up against the wall of the supply store. "And destiny is what took my family away." He glared down at her- his hands on either side of her, the wall supporting him.
She saw sadness and pain in his eyes, his anger and frustration. She lowered her voice and spoke in almost a whisper as her eyes bore into him.
"It's easy to blame everything on destiny, isn't it?" her voice carried a hint of understanding and sorrow to it. "I could easily say that destiny took my parents away, that destiny caused me to live alone since the age of seven, that destiny put me in this very spot. It would be easier, definitely. But destiny had nothing to do with it. My parents left on their own, resulting in me living alone. And I'm here because you're my friend, you're an idiot, and you need to learn that destiny doesn't exist."
His face softened slightly. He knew nothing of her past, just that she lived alone. He never bothered to ask why, nor had he cared. He felt selfish that he thought he was the only one in the world cursed by destiny.
"It does exist, and it is evil. It takes away everything important in a persons life. Although I hate destiny, it does exist." He stated, dead set on it. She raised an eye brow at him.
"And what makes you say it's evil?" She inquired, fully interested now.
"It has not benefited you or me one bit." His brows furrowed together. "Destiny is why Naruto has that demon in him, why Sasuke became a traitor, and why your parents left as well." Her face looked shocked at the mention of her parents, and then she sighed.
"Ok, let's say destiny does exist. I got you and Lee because of it. I have great friends who would do anything for me, and although I live alone, I have a great home. You- you are one of the most powerful ninja in Konoha- even if from the branch family. You have insane friends, but they would do anything for you. Including me."
"Hn." Was his short reply.
Her face lit up. She brought her face closer to his, only two inches separating them. His face held a look of confusion.
"I'll let you decide if this is destiny or not." She crashed her lips into his, gently wrapping her arms around his neck as she stood tip toe. He was perfectly still for a good two seconds before he slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.
'Maybe destiny is not so bad after all…' he thought to himself.
A/N; hey, sorry it's short. I'm gonna try to work on a story longer than a one shot, but i want to finish it BEFORE i post it. Thanks for reading! Review it please!
~Darcie rae