To See The Light
Tenten drove out Sakura's driveway, smiling at the others. She stared at her best friend, Neji Hyuga, who was sitting next to her, in the passenger seat. They were going home after a long party, and for the first time, neither of them were drunk.
"Hey, Ten." Neji called to her as she started to drive out of Sakura's compound.
"Yeah?"
"That was fun, wasn't it?"
"But of course. Sakura's party's are ALWAYS the bomb." She grinned at him. It was true. Sakura Haruno was the richest girl in school, with her hottie of a boyfriend, Sasuke Uchiha, and her dunce of a best friend, Naruto Uzumaki. Every year she held parties for no apparent reason, and of course, the Christmas, Valentines, Halloween, New Years, and even St. Patrick's Day parties.
Tenten smiled to herself as she remembered what this party was for. Ino Yamanaka had just graduated from college, and Sakura was looking for a reason to party anyway. It was the usual, 'invite your friends, your friends' friends, and your friends friends siblings' schoolmates' kind of thing.
Tenten thought about her best friend. Neji was going to graduate next year. And she didn't know what would happen after then. She, taking up medicine, would graduate in about 2 years. She didn't want Neji to leave her of course. She just couldn't live without him.
Neji, on the other hand, was also thinking about his best friend. He hadn't told anyone yet, but after graduating, he'd be taking up a job in Kirigakure. That was miles away from Konoha. He didn't want to lose Tenten, of course. He just couldn't live without her. And he thought, no he was sure, that he was falling in love with her. But if he could just find the right moment…
Suddenly it happened.
"Tenten, look out!" Neji yelled. A speeding car had gone to the wrong lane and was heading head on to Tenten's car.
"Neji! H-help me! No!!" Neji heard Tenten screaming. Suddenly it was all black.
--
Neji woke up in a comfortable hospital room. He saw monitors rating his heart, and of course, the oxygen thing that they stuck into your veins and nose. There were bandages covering his arms in various places, and he felt sore around his back.
"Neji? I'm g-glad you're awake? I-It's a relief you kn-know…" Hinata smiled at him as he sat up. She was sitting in a chair near the door.
"Hinata? What happened?"
"You were in a car accident. I-It was a p-pretty bad o-one…"
Suddenly something came back to him in a flash. "Tenten. Hinata-chan. Where's Tenten?"
Hinata bit her lip. There was definitely something wrong. "I th-think she's okay, N-Neji-sama…"
"No, you can't THINK, Hinata. What happened?!"
"Neji…" she said gently. "You h-have to rest… Th-the doctor will b-be here soon to check on y-you. Tenten's f-fine. You'll s-see her tomorrow. Now g-get some rest, okay?"
She smiled at him with such gentleness and sincerity that Neji believed her immediately. He fell asleep, but the minute he did that, a tear dripped out of Hinata's eyes.
--
Neji woke up. He wasn't aching, and his bandages were almost gone, except for a big one on the side of his head. Hn. I didn't notice that before.
"Well, good morning Neji." Tsunade stood at the side of his bed, checking the monitor.
"Tsunade-sama! What're you doing here?"
"Well. I am a doctor here, baka. I came here to check on you." She smiled at him. "I have to say, it's not a real surprise that you're doing much better. You've been asleep for 4 days."
"FOUR DAYS?!"
"Don't yell, Neji. This is a hospital." She frowned at me. "Anyway, yes. Four days. We took great care of you and you're lucky that your wounds aren't that deep. Unlike Te-" she stopped herself. Oh no, Tsunade. You did it this time.
"What are you talking about? What? Tenten? Where is she?!" he suddenly was wide awake, eyes widening the minute he said 'Tenten'.
Well, well. I think he loves her. Which will make it even harder to tell him… "Oh Neji… I wasn't supposed to be the one telling you this, but you would know later anyway…"
"Tsunade-sama. Tell me right now what happened to Tenten?"
"Neji. Tenten's… Tenten's…"
"Tenten's what?! Dead?!" He asked, voice rising.
Tsunade looked like she was about to cry. A first for her. But this would be so crushing for him. Why do I have to be the one to tell him? Help me, Kami-sama… please… and help this boy understand… "Neji… Tenten… during the accident, her head was hit pretty badly. And her face hit the wheel hard. Tenten's… blind. Permanently."
Suddenly Neji felt as if he had stopped breathing. Blind? But… "How can she be blind? What happened to her? I need answers, Tsunade-sama… please…"
"The force from her hitting the wheel caused her eyes to go haywire. Finally, according to our observations… her eyes stopped working. The force also damaged the cornea severely…"
Neji stopped listening to Tsunade. He was blank. Tenten, the weapons mistress, blind? This could affect her career to prove that a kunoichi could be the best. That, and… how could she ever see the things she loved again?
--
Tenten lay in a bed, somewhere 2 floors above Neji's room. She sighed, and felt like crying again. Tsunade had told her the news. The bandages lay on her eyes, making her feel like a mummy. The only thing she could see was black.
What did I do to deserve this? I hate this. Why did it have to be blindness, of all things? I could've been burned…or had a severed arm…as long as I could still see Neji… What will I do now? My ninja career is over… it really is… This just isn't happening!
Tenten choked back a sob just as the door opened a crack. The chakra pattern she felt, was just too familiar. "Neji." She said, tears threatening to spill. Which was impossible, cuz she couldn't cry.
"Tenten…" he murmured. She felt him step closer and closer until he was right at her side. He held her hand. "I heard… I know…"
Tenten reached her hand out desperately, and felt nothing. She wanted to feel his face, if she couldn't see it, she just wanted to feel it. She could hear the smile in his voice. "Ten, a little to the left." She moved her hand, and felt his soft, blackish-brown hair. She felt his cheek and the corner of his mouth.
"Neji…" she said quietly. His name was the only name she could say right now. "Neji…"
"Ten… I'm so sorry…" he placed his other hand, the one that wasn't holding her other hand, on the hand that was holding his cheek.
"Why would you be sorry, Neji? You didn't do anything stupid…" she said softly.
"As if you did the stupid thing, Tenten. You didn't. It was a car accident. An ACCIDENT." He said, clutching at both her hands.
"But because of this accident, I can never see anything again! I can't see Lee… I can't see Gai-sensei… I can't see my target… I can't see my friends…" she paused, and tried to look at me. To Neji's surprise, she turned to face the area where his head was, exactly. "Neji, I can't see you!"
"Tenten… it's okay… I'll help you, Ten… You can at least try to do it… Try to see."
"Neji… what will I do? It's hopeless… Neji, it's hopeless…"
Neji drew close to her and she collapsed into the warmth of his arms.
--
3 months later…
Neji stayed faithful to her. He visited her everyday, and made her laugh sometimes. But Neji noticed that when she was thinking, even though she couldn't see, she could tell exactly where the window was and look out of it. Which is what gave Neji hope that even if she couldn't see, she could see using her senses. Sort of.
Finally, Tenten was discharged from the hospital. Neji stayed with her every step of the way down to the ground floor and out the doors. Neji wasn't surprised when she only needed a little help from him getting down the stairs.
"Tenten! My youthful flower blossom! It is great to see you out of the hospital!" Gai's voice reached Tenten's ears. The bandages were still over her eyes, and she was told they'd be there for a while. Gai had come to see Tenten out of the hospital.
She smiled, and turned to Gai's voice. "It's great to see… I mean, meet you too, Gai-sensei… is Lee-" suddenly she felt a presence behind her. "He's behind me, isn't he?"
The response was a great big bear hug from behind. "I am so glad to see you Tenten! I missed you so much!"
She laughed as Lee swung her around. "I missed you too, Lee."
While Lee and Tenten talked and laughed, Neji turned to Gai. "You've noticed it, Gai-sensei?"
"Yes. Her accuracy is amazing. I can't believe that she could know where I was just by listening to the sound of my voice." Gai replied.
"In the hospital, she didn't need much of my help at all going downstairs. She also didn't need help eating, or anything! It's as if her senses were suddenly magnified when she got in the accident."
"That's possible, Neji. We'll have to check in on that."
"Gai-sensei… I'm sure that Tenten was thinking that her ninja career was over. Is that possible?"
Gai thought for a moment. "Neji, do you think her career's over?"
Neji was startled. "I think so. But with her eyes…"
"You said it yourself… I think so too. But I'm almost positive that she can get back to being a ninja. The senses make up for everything."
"Yes they do, Gai-sensei." Neji said. And in his heart, the first ray of hope started to enter his heart.
--
Tenten wanted to go with training, and of course, Gai couldn't do anything to stop her. She sat down on the ground as she listened to Lee's legs kicking the old tree trunk he'd been going at since he was a kid. She listened to Neji quietly meditating next to her. And of course, she could hear Gai, who was yelling encouragement to Lee.
Suddenly she realized that Neji's presence was gone. "Neji? Where are you?" She realized he was right next to her in a flash.
"Come on, Tenten." He gripped her hand.
"Where are we going?" Neji lead her through a path, a path that felt familiar to her in some way…
"Tenten. We are going to train." His voice spoke again after a while. Tenten scrunched up her face as she tried to wonder where they were.
"Tr-train?! But Neji… I can't…"
"I don't care. We're training. I'm going to be your teacher." She heard the smirk in his voice.
"But I can't…"
"Stop saying that! You can, Tenten. YOU CAN." He murmured. He stood next to her and slipped something in her hand, something she'd been thirsting for ever since she was in the hospital.
"A kunai…" she whispered. She missed the feel of the weapons in her hands, ready to obey her at the slightest twitch of a hand. "But…"
"Don't say anything." Neji whispered. "Throw it."
Without a seconds' breath, she threw it, completely by instinct. She heard the thwack that always made her happy. The sound of a target being hit. "Did I get it?"
"Tenten. You hit it right in the center. That's amazing." He sounded awed. Tenten let herself smile. This was a milestone for her! And she was happy. And she could sense it. Neji was too.
"Are you serious?" she said.
"Would I lie to you, Tenten?"
"Of course not."
"Then, yes. I am serious."
Tenten let herself smile again, only bigger, and much more radiant. She flew into his arms. He wasn't surprised that she knew where he was. Her senses were amazing. And this proved it.
--
"Gai-sensei, I'm sure that she really can still be a ninja." Neji told him after Lee and Tenten left the training ground.
"She passed your test, Neji?" Gai sounded surprised.
"She threw a kunai basically by instinct, and still hit the target. And I did what you said, moved the targets around, not in their same places."
"I see. She's something." Was all Gai could say.
"But I want to have her spar. To test if she really can-"
"Neji, she'll be ready when she's ready. I don't want her sparring right back into the hospital just as she got out. Even though she is full of youthful vigor, I will NOT allow her to spar with you." Gai looked at Neji firmly.
"Hai." Was all Neji could say. Hmm… can't spar with ME, eh?
--
The next day…
Neji walked to Tenten's house.
-knock knock- "Ten?" there was no answer. "Tenten? Are you home?"
Guess she didn't feel like training today… Neji sighed, disappointed. He then headed to the training grounds, and surprisingly, he heard a noise that he'd heard before. Kunai slamming into targets.
He ran to the spot where he led Tenten the day before, and sure enough, Tenten was grabbing as many kunai she summoned, and throwing them into the targets. Neji stayed where he was, watching as she turned around and hit target after target, in the center.
"I know you're watching, Neji-kun…" he saw her smile as she summoned needles and threw them (all of them) into the heart of the nearest target.
"Tenten. You're amazing, really." Neji smiled and sat down on the ground. Tenten stopped too, and sat down next to him.
"It's just really weird, Neji-kun…" she said quietly. "I just need to concentrate really, really hard and I can do it. Just like you said. I'm really happy."
"Don't get mad at me, Tenten, but I guess it's… FATE… that makes you still want to be a ninja." He winced. Tenten hated his talk about fate, and he knew it.
"I guess so…" she said quietly, again.
"What's wrong, Tenten? You're so quiet! Are you okay?"
"I was just… er… thinking about something." She murmured, turning red.
"Sure? Cuz you look sick." Neji placed his hand on her forehead. Tenten just turned redder. Stop it Neji! Do you know how close I am to revealing my feelings for you? Get away!
"Hey Neji! Have you seen Gai-sensei and Lee? Cuz I've been wanting to train with them and…" Oh what's the point. He probably knows by now… I'm completely obvious… even Lee-san knows…And I am totally guilty…
*FLASHBACK*
"Hey, Tenten-chan?" Lee asked me (A/N: The flashback is in Tenten's POV, so don't get confused, 'mkay?) as we walked home.
"Lee-san? What is it?"
"You like Neji-san,am I correct?"
"What are you talking about, Lee?"
"You like Neji, right?"
"I…"
"I knew it!" Lee said, but the tone of his voice made it sound… forced.
"Lee…? Are you okay…?" I said cautiously.
"Oh, I am just fine, Tenten! It is just the fact that Neji gets everything his heart desires, whilst my lovely cherry blossom won't even give me a second glance…" Lee sighed.
"Don't give me that stuff, Lee. I know that's not it." I tapped my toes impatiently.
"It's the truth, Tenten!"
"Lee."
"Ok… promise you will not get mad?"
"Of course." I could hear him scuffing his shoes on the ground. I could imagine him with his hands behind his back in a shy manner, and staring at the ground. (A/N: That's what he WAS doing, for your info. But Tenten couldn't see that, couldn't she?)
"You're not bringing weapons with you, correct?"
"Lee!"
"Ok, fine, fine. Tentenithinkiloveyou."
"What?"
"Tentenithinkiloveyou."
"Lee, slow down! Your speech still has to wear leg weights, you know."
"TENTEN I THINK I LOVE YOU!"
Whaaaa…? "Lee…? What are you…"
"I am sorry for embarrassing you Tenten! I could not hold it in! I just hope I did not ruin our friendship… Because I would rather have you as a friend than as someone who was embarrassed by my feelings…"
"Oh, Lee… It's okay, really! It's just…"
"You don't like me, do you…" Lee sighed.
"Don't be so hard on yourself! There are TONS of girls in the universe, 'mkay? You have a match…somewhere out there!" I grinned at him.
"Thanks, Tenten. Still friends?"
"Of course! Why wouldn't we be?" I smiled at him. Suddenly I felt a kiss on my cheek. "Lee?"
"Yeah that was me. I am sorry again!"
I smiled to myself. Then…
*swack*
I kissed Lee's cheek back. "I told you it was okay!"
*END OF FLASHBACK*
Tenten sighed. How was she going to tell Neji?
"Tenten… are you still on the planet earth?" She became aware of Neji shaking her gently.
"What... was I talking about?" Tenten turned to Neji, who was sure that he was laughing his head off.
"Well, you kinda stopped talking after asking me where Gai-sensei and Lee were…" Tenten heard the snicker in his voice.
"Stop laughing. I guess I forgot what I was talking about then." She snapped at him, crossed her arms, and turned in the other direction.
"Oh come on, Tenten. I wasn't laughing…"
"I can hear it in your voice, Neji… You were laughing! Don't deny it!"
"Fine, fine, I'm sorry, Tenny-chan… please forgive me?"
"How many times have I told you not to call me Tenny-chan?"
"About 64 times." Neji said.
"Touché." Tenten turned around and smirked.
"Tenten? I have something to ask you."
"Hm. Depends. What are you gonna ask?"
"What if I told you I loved you?"
"HUH?!"
"I'm just asking, you know."
"Well. If you said that, I wouldn't believe you."
"And why is that?"
"One: How can you love someone like me? I mean, there's Sakura… There's Ino, for crying out loud… so why would you love me? Two: How can you love a blind person? And three: I just won't believe you."
"To answer your number one, I can. Cuz Sakura's already dating Sasuke. Ino's a bit to loud. Temari's one I would NEVER want to cross paths with, and Hinata's my cousin. I CAN love a blind person you know. It just depends on the person who's blind."
Tenten felt herself blush a bit. "And my number three?"
"I think if I told you I loved you, you'd had to believe me."
"Why?"
"Because… well, I'd make it pretty convincing."
"Neji! What are you talking about?" Tenten sat up in a rush.
Neji sat up too. "Actually, Tenten. Back to the blind part. I could still love you, you know. Because you could still feel this."
Suddenly Neji's lips crashed into hers. Tenten was startled, but then started kissing him back. Then, when Tenten started to think that this would never end, Neji stopped.
"Neji? Why did you do that?"
"Because, like I said, Ten. I love you."
Suddenly, Tenten's heart was filled with a new hope. Something that made her strive harder… to see the light.
THE END
Whew! Just got this out of my system! 11 pages on Microsoft Word! Anyway, review please! I didn't put 'oneshot' on the summary cuz maybe you'd want it to become a chapter story. Please tell me if you want this to stay one shot… thanks everyone! And my other stories: Don't worry, I'm updating! Dattebayo!
Dedicated to: Chrisirene C. I TOLD YOU I CAN FINISH A STORY!