Summary: It was her hands that he noticed first. They were elegant yet strong and caressed the keys in such a loving fashion. [Nejiten]
A/N: Rewritten.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and am simply writing this for fun, not profit. Though I do profit from your reviews :P
-The Pianist-
Hyuuga Neji sat in the comfy leather chair as he stared at the black piano in front of him. His friends had dragged him out tonight under the pretence that he needed to get out more. It had been two years since his last relationship and since then he had buried himself in his work.
So he had gotten dressed up, a light grey button up shirt and a pair of khaki pants, and let his friends drag him to this new piano bar. It had only opened a week ago and already it was a place were all of New York's socialites met to discuss the goings on in the large metropolis.
He sipped his drink as he waited for the night's entertainment to begin. It was seven thirty two exactly when the lights around the grand piano in the corner lit up. A woman wearing a simple white summer dress walked up to the piano and sat down on the small bench provided for her. She began moving her fingers over the keys, pressing none.
She was trying to memorize the notes to the song, as well as warming up her fingers. Neji was captivated. This wouldn't be the first time he had seen someone play the piano, in fact even he had played occasionally. There was just something about the way the woman moved her fingers that entranced him.
She finished her warm up and relaxed her back a little. Another woman walked onto the stage. She was wearing a black pantsuit with a metallic pink shirt underneath. She tapped the edge of her wine glass a little to gather the audience's wayward attention.
"Without further delay, I bring you tonight's entertainment," was all she said before retreating to her seat near the front. The woman in white stood, took a bow before sitting back down at the piano. She stretched her fingers once again and then began to play.
It was a simple melody, but as Neji watched her hands, he realised playing it was a whole different story. Her fingers expertly struck the keys of the piano as her body swayed slightly with the music.
For Neji, the song ended too soon. She had struck up another melody before the effects of the last had completely dissipated. Her slender fingers once again drew him in as they moved across the ivory and ebony keys.
The music continued to flow through the room for another half an hour, captivating ever-single person in the room. Finally, the last note of the song faded away and the spell the pianist had cast on the crowd faded. The woman stood once more, bowed and then left the stage.
Once the piano was once again left empty, the crowd went back to what they had originally been doing. Neji however, followed the young woman with his eyes, seeing that she came to rest at a table with a few other people.
He stood, making up some excuse for his sudden movement, and headed to the bar at the back of the restaurant. He took the seat closest to the table the pianist was occupying and ordered a gin and tonic from the young bartender. Before long, the pianist joined him.
She sat a few stools away, ordering a strawberry martini, and casually talking with the bartender. Neji felt a strange feeling come over him and he moved closer to the pianist. She noticed this and turned to look in his direction.
For the first time since she had walked on stage that night, Neji looked at her face instead of her hands. She had deep chocolate eyes and matching brown hair that was tied in a single bun atop her head. She smiled at him, and her face lit up.
"I'm Tenten. Did you like the show?" she asked.
"Neji, and yes, it was wonderful," he replied as he brought his glass up to his lips and downed the alcoholic beverage.
"Thanks," she said as she smiled again. He loved her smile. He found it nearly as captivating as her fingers. The two lapsed into comfortable conversation. Somewhere during the night, when the alcohol they had both consumed began to take effect, their friendly conversation turned into shameless flirting. Both felt that they could have talked, or flirted, the entire night but near two-thirty, the bartender said it was closing time.
The two new friends regretfully parted ways, but even as he walked towards his apartment, he still couldn't stop thinking about Tenten the pianist, her megawatt smile and her elegant fingers lovingly caressing the keys of her piano.
-The End-
A/N: Took off the last scene because I never really liked it. I like the new end a lot better.
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