Hey everyone! Tenjichan here!!!! This is my promised oneshot!! It's a little angsty, KEYWORD: LITTLE, but it still ends well. This could become the first part of a proper story, if I cut off the ending and I decide to continue it, but I highly doubt it. But, I've asked reviewers of my other story to vote on it, so I'm waiting.
Anyways, On wizze dreadeedh dreadheedh zisclaimerrh… (on with the dreaded, dreaded disclaimer): ME NO OWN ZE NARUTO!!!!
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No one but the moon could see the girl who wept into her pillow, 4 and a half months after the person who had been plaguing her thoughts had had his last day of school. She had tried to cry the day she learnt he was going to leave, but she couldn't. She had bet to herself that he hated her because of that. She tried to cry the day she hugged him. But she couldn't. That hug was very special to her, and it was the final hug she would get from him, that she knew of, at least. She had been too ashamed to do it before, for the fear that people would mock her by saying that she had a crush on him, even though many people had hugged him before.
There was one girl, Yuki, who hugged him pretty much every day, and had gotten very close to him after learning that he was going to leave. To say jealous, would not only be an understatement to describe the girl, but it was also the wrong term. Heartbroken was more accurate. Even then she would not cry. It was not that she didn't want to cry, it was just the fact that she couldn't. No matter how hard she tried, she could not shed a single tear, although there had been the lump in her throat for ages.
She had known him very well, for his route to school was the same as hers, and they often walked together with a couple of other schoolmates up to the school. Just these short walks made her heart thump. People often say that awkward silences fell between lovers, and the times when they were alone, it would happen occasionally. They would always break the silence at the same time, and because she had been so loyal to him, she would always let him speak, no matter what, and her ideas were often forgotten, and she always ended up wondering if the world could have been changed if she, had continued her own topics, for one thing leads to another, and a mere few different words spoken could have changed his ways of thinking, and would affect everyone around him, and so on and so forth.
People around them insisted that she liked him, and he liked her, but she was scared that he did not in fact 'like' her, and kept silent, willing herself not to allow any room for more heartbreak. What would happen if he rejected her? It would be much more than the embarrassment that would be the outcome. The thing is, she felt that her heart would shatter into millions of pieces, and would take ages and ages to fit back together, piece by piece. She would not risk that, and yet it still ripped her heart in half not to know his true feelings. Days, weeks even months passed, and she decided to ask herself the fateful question that is the reason behind the girl weeping softly into her pillow, allowing the tears to slide down her face leaving marks that dried and made her face feel cold, and yet it felt good! To finally be able to let out the tears she had been holding in for at least 7 months! It cleansed her spirit, and although it still left her feeling sad, she could not deny the feeling of freedom that leapt from her heart!
But one thing she could not forget, or forgive herself for, was the crappy good bye she gave him. She had originally planned on hugging him, daring to think that he might, just might kiss her, but her hopes were in vain. She was too chicken. So, instead of hugging him, she just stuck out her right hand and he shook it. She remembered so vividly the look he gave her hand when she shook it. He had a beautiful smile on his face, as his eyes didn't look up and meet hers. He stared almost fondly at the palm he was shaking. But one thing that was so perfect about the moment was that both of them didn't even say the farewell words. She just stared at him, and he just nodded as he took her palm. It was as if they had a tacit agreement that they would not, COULD not let go. She felt somewhat woozy as she dazedly let go of his hand, walked to the front of the classroom and picked up her report card. She walked to the door, and before she left, she gave one last glance towards the boy, who was now talking to his friends. She sighed as a smile danced upon her facial features. Slowly and quietly, she left the classroom probably unnoticed by him. This was what hurt her the most. The fact that he didn't notice her leave. Or so she thought. She could never be sure of his true feelings after she was gone.
Tenten's POV:
'I loved you, NejiHyuuga' She whispered emptily, not much meaning behind the words. Her head was in turmoil:
Do I love you, Neji Hyuuga?
Did I love you before?
Was it just a silly crush?
The thing is, I've never felt so strongly for someone before.
I really don't know what this aching feeling in my chest is.
Could it be love?
If I tried so hard to impress you…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I felt happy to be in your presence…
Does that mean I loved you?
If every day I wished that we would be put together for a group project…
Does that mean I loved you?
If almost every moment was spent thinking about what you thought about me…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I cared whether you hated me or not…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I chose words carefully so as not to offend you…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I laughed it off when you insulted me during pointless arguments, when inside it really hurt…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I felt exhilarated every time you praised me…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I felt my face go warm when I saw your cocky smirks, or your cheerful grins, with that tooth sticking slightly out, reminding me of a cute, chibi vampire…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I felt my body tingle whenever I was within a meter of you…
Does that mean I loved you?
If every time we had a disagreement, and I went home feeling depressed…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I tried so hard to appear strong in your eyes, although I knew truly I would never be as strong as you…
Does that mean I loved you?
Although I know you acknowledged me, but I desperately craved for the feeling to be held by none other than you…
Does that mean I loved you?
If whenever I thought about the days that I would miss you, and felt sad…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I thought about what it would be like when-if- we met when we were adults, and we were both successful business people or something, and we had a whirlwind romance…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I hoped against hope that you would come back after two years- or less…
Does that mean I loved you?
If every single day I felt pain in my chest, whenever I thought about you…
Does that mean I loved you?
If I still feel pain whenever I think of you, obviously missing you so, so much, and how grateful it would make me feel if you felt the same way, and I got to see your face again, in real life, not in photos…
Does that mean I still LOVE you?
Yes.
Of course I do.
I never liked you.
It would be a lie to say I loved you.
Because, Neji Hyuuga, I love you. And it will never die.
'Neji…please come back to me…I'll always love you…' She whispered as she fell into a deep sleep.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
2 years passed…
'Hey Sakura, Ino, Hinata!' Tenten cheerfully said as she walked into school, now aged 16.
'Hey Tenten!' They chorused.
'Did you do the chemistry homework Tenten-chan?' Hinata asked.
'What was it… shit…' Tenten replied.
'Remember, Asuma sensei told us to make a 'study sheet.' WHAT KINDA SHIT IS THAT?! I MEAN IF AN ORDINARY PERSON WERE TO READ THE NOTES THAT WE HAVE WRITTEN IN MR.ASUMA STYLE, THEY WOULD SURELY NOT UNDERSTAND A THING ON THE DAMN SHEET AND END UP FAILING!'
'Ehehe… calm down, Ino-pig…' Sakura said.
'So basically, all I have to do is make up crappy notes on what we've been learning, right?'
'Yup!'
'Ok!' With that, Tenten rummaged through her bag and fished out her chemistry book and hurriedly scribbled down some 'really, really helpful notes that would surely help her on her test.' (if you didn't understand the sarcasm, '!!!')
'Neji… I wonder what you're doing today…' Tenten muttered to herself.
They entered the chemistry classroom.
'O.k. class, today we are going to be learning about plastics. In fact, we shall be making silly putty.' Asuma sensei said.
'YATTA!' The whole class yelled.
'All plastics are polymers. They are made from long chain molecules strung together. These long chain molecules are formed by monomers linking together. A monomer is a single atom that joins with many other single atoms to form a long chain molecule, or a polymer. There are two different types of plastic. Thermoset and thermoplastic. Thermoset plastic is the brittle plastic that you find in plastic cups, or it can be the harder type that is harder to break, and thermoplastic is the type of plastic that you find in stretchy shopping bags. Thermoplastics are formed by long chain molecules clumping together loosely, and this is what forms the stretchy plastic. Thermosets are formed by long chain molecules strung together in proper lines, and they often cross over, joining at crosslinks. Crosslinks are the parts where each molecules sticks to the other, making the plastic less flexible. Blah blah blah…'
A couple of girly girls at the back started whispering among themselves, and the teacher got mad.
'Ok, girls, if you're not going to listen, YOU try teaching the class.'
'…'
'Do you find me boring?'
'…'
'It's ok if you find me boring, just tell me, and I won't mind. I've been told that I'm boring before.'
'…'
'Seriously, if you find me so boring, you can go to the library and study, and we'll see if you can pass my test.'
'…'
And so the lesson went on.
Tenten looked at Yuki with some hurt in her eyes because at that moment she was thinking of Neji.
Suddenly, the door opened.
'Asuma sensei, we have a new student.' A random prefect said.
'Come in.'
In came a boy with pale skin and luscious dark brown hair that was so silky and soft. His eyes were closed as he stood stoically in front of the class. He exhaled through his nose. Tenten's breath caught in her throat.
'Why don't you introduce yourself.'
The bell for break rang, and just as it did so, the boy opened his eyes.
Tenten gasped. Pale, lavender eyes. He was looking straight at her.
She rushed out, unable to believe her eyes, and she heard Yuki squealing excitedly in the back. (Just a reminder, Yuki is not a fangirl, or so she says. She thinks of him as 'a brother.' Yeah right.)
'Neji!!! I can't believe it's you!'
Tenten dashed off to her next lesson, and she could feel a lump welling up in her throat. After all this time?
Her next lesson was double drama. At least she got two whole lessons of a fun subject. Hopefully, Neji would not be in her class. She would not be able to face him. Their chemistry class was a mixed class and in fact, Sakura, Ino and Hinata were in different form classes to her. They were just lucky to be put together for their chemistry lessons.
Suddenly, Anko yelled out to them, 'GOOD MORNING, MAGGOTS, TODAY WE HAVE A NEW STUDENT!'
'No no NO!' Tenten whispered to herself.
'Introduce yourself.'
'Neji Hyuuga. I used to come here.' He directed this at Tenten who was purposely looking elsewhere.
'Ok, Neji, we will be doing partner work on improvisation, so I would like a volunteer to be his partner.'
Neji looked fiercely at Tenten, who was so used to his glares that she didn't even flinch. He was willing her to raise her hand, but she was stubborn. Almost immediately after Anko said the words, Yuki raised her hand.
'Ah, Yuki. Today you will be partners with Neji.'
Tenten looked up at this moment, her eyes flickering over to Neji's where she saw the hurt in his eyes. Immediately she looked down.
'Yeah right… like he cares about me…' She thought to herself.
The lessons went by, and after the last lesson, double art, where they had to endure a two hour lecture from Kurenai sensei about 'HOW ART is SO BEAUTIFUL THAT it MUST be APPRECIATED very WELL,' Neji tried to approach her. She had been avoiding him the whole day, and he desperately wanted to talk to her.
'Ten-' he started as he saw her scurry out of the classroom, looking ahead, purposely ignoring him, but he was cut short by Yuki.
'Neji! Eat lunch with us!'
Tenten went down to the lunch area after purchasing her lunch and sat down with her friends, looking depressedly down at her food, eating it slowly. Ino, Sakura and Hinata looked at her carefully, making eye contact, each time wondering, 'What's up with her?'
They thought better than to ask.
Suddenly, Neji approached their table.
'Tenten, I would like to speak to you.'
She couldn't say no. Her friends looked at each other and mouthed 'Oh.'
Slowly, using her body weight, she slid her chair back and mutely walked beside him, looking straight ahead, her head held level. She would NOT show him weakness. She could feel the tears brimming but she forced them in, her throat aching. She could not tell whether these were tears of joy, or sadness.
Neji was walking towards the school garden, where it was surrounded by trees and had a beautiful view. It was secluded, and hardly anyone went there. They stopped. Neji motioned for Tenten to sit on one of the benches. She complied.
She looked down, as the first tear fell, not wanting to show him.
'Tenten.'
'Neji.'
'Is that a way to greet a friend?'
Snort. 'Same goes for you.'
'Look, Tenten. I don't know why, but you've been ignoring me the whole day. Did I do something wrong before I left?'
'Yes.'
'What was it?!'
'I'm afraid I can't tell you!'
'Well, why bloody not?!'
'It's because I really don't want to have my heart broken by you, AGAIN!'
'What do you mean, again?' He asked, his eyes widening.
'You'll never understand! I missed you! I waited for 2 bloody years!'
'Well so did I! Do you even know how much it pained me today when you ignored me? I was hurt! Aren't I your friend?'
Her eyes widened.
'Pained YOU?! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN?! I THOUGHT YOU WERE PERFECTLY CONTENT HANGING AROUND YUKI! WHAT ABOUT ME?! DID YOU EVEN CONSIDER HOW MUCH YOU HURT ME BY BASICALLY SPENDING LESS AND LESS TIME WITH ME THE DAYS BEFORE YOU LEFT?!'
'What the HELL do you mean?!'
'I MEAN WHAT I SAY! I WAS SO SAD! YOU PRACTICALLY IGNORED ME THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL, HANGING AROUND HER! WASN'T I YOUR FRIEND? DIDN'T YOU CARE ABOUT ME ANYMORE?! I WAS SO HEARTBROKEN! YOU DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE WHEN I LEFT FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! ALL THAT HARD WORK SPENT TRYING TO IMPRESS YOU!!! FOR WHAT? I DON'T KNOW! So, Hyuuga,' she spat, 'See you around.'
With that she walked away, leaving Neji shocked. She had NEVER called him Hyuuga.
'Tenten, wait!' He grabbed onto her wrist and spun her around. She gasped.
'How do you KNOW that I didn't notice you leave? The room got DIMMER for me, once you had left. NOTHING felt right anymore, without you in the room! Do you know how bad it felt when you didn't say ANYTHING to me when we shook hands? I want to know what you were thinking. Hopefully it was the same thing.' Neji smiled at his last sentence.
'You want to KNOW what I was thinking? Even AFTER you hurt me, I STILL cared for you. HERE WAS WHAT I WAS THINKING, I WAS THINKING, Neji, I hope you find a girl better than me.'
Tenten grabbed her wrist back, tears now falling freely. This was not all she was thinking. There was much more she was thinking.
'Tenten! I'll tell you what I was thinking. I thought exactly the same thing as you! I hope you find a better guy than me. But that was not all! I was also thinking, willing myself to say… I love you with all my heart.'
'LIAR! And you've come to break my heart YET AGAIN! You're just saying that! Do you know how much internal pain I was feeling because I could never have you! I could never have you because no matter what, no matter what, you WOULD NEVER LOVE ME, even IF I LOVE YOU!'
She quickly covered her mouth, shocked.
'You…love me?' Neji whispered.
Tenten turned around sobbing into her hands and quickly ran away.
'Tenten! WAIT! I need to say something to you!'
She didn't listen. She just continued running. Neji sighed, running a hand through his hair. He ran after her.
He caught up to her and grabbed her arm, jerking her back into his chest.
'What the Hell?! I HATE YOU! GO AWAY NEJI!'
He ignored her and embraced her tightly, hugging her as if his life depended on it.
'Tenten, how can you hate me when I didn't even answer your statement?' Neji slightly amusedly said.
'Stop making me feel WORSE Neji! I HATE YOU!'
'How can you hate me, when you just said you… loved me…' Neji teased. He loved it when she was mad. All the more adorable.
'FUCK OFF, TEME! WARE. DAIKIRAI. ONUSHI! (I. Hate (with a passion). You.)'
'Tenten, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you feel so bad.'
Tenten stopped struggling in his grasp. She was still facing in the same direction as him, her back leaning on his chest, his arms around her waist. She was glowering.
Neji bent his head downward to her ear, purposely making his hair tickle it, smirking when he saw her shiver- she was ticklish, and said, 'Tenten, can you forgive me? I've been thinking about you every waking moment. I just didn't know that I was hurting you so much by keeping silent. I'm so sorry.'
She turned around, tears not falling anymore. She looked up into his eyes and she saw nothing but the truth.
'Tenten, I love you with all my heart. I am not lying. I swear, I would rather wear green spandex suits for evermore than lie to you. Tenten, please believe me when I say this. I. Love. You.'
Tenten mouth dropped open a bit. She couldn't help but try to imagine Neji in a green spandex suit, just like their friend, Lee.
'I'll prove it to you.' He said, knowing that was exactly what she wanted.
With that, he lifted her chin with his second finger and wiped away her tears with his thumbs and placed a warm, gentle kiss on her soft pink lips. Her eyes widened and more tears spilled. Slowly, she raised her arms and rested them around his neck, and he dropped his arms from her face and let them rest around her waist. He tilted his head so he could deepen the kiss and she opened her mouth slightly, allowing his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her warm, sweet cheeks.
For them the kiss lasted for eternity, and it was so sad to let go of it.
'Now do you believe me?'
'Yes.'
'You have no idea how much your image has been plaguing my thoughts. I was so happy when my father got posted back to Konoha from Tokyo.'
'That's so sweet Neji.' Tenten cried on his chest, making it wet. He rubbed her back soothingly. Even his eyes were glazed from unshed tears of joy.
'Neji, I will always love you.'
'Tenten, forever will I love you too.'
THE END!!!! I HOPED YOU LIKED IT!!!
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Tenjichan:D :D :D XD XD XD!!!!!