:Sadly….nobody owns Naruto itself besides Masashi Kishimoto. T.T:
He who would have watched even the saddest thing happen and not bat an eye, he who would just stand there and watch an enemy die without and flicker of emotion across his face, he who's face is void of any emotion at all; he, who goes by the name of Hyuuga Neji.
Who was Ten Ten kidding? The most she had ever gotten out of Neji was a ghost of a smile; and that had taken all of her energy to earn. They had been in the same team for more than two years, and both were nearing the age of fifteen.
Ten Ten could not understand how Neji could be so emotionless; she had tried, and that had barely lasted her ten minutes. She could not stand not sniggering at something Lee said, or sighing at another boring mission assigned to them. Neji would just lean against the tree and smirk. Ten Ten felt as if that was all he did. For his whole life. She understood how he felt about the ways of the Hyuuga, and she couldn't blame him. But she also understood as well as he did that those traditions weren't about to change in the near future.
All Neji did was train. All those times he would make her train with him, through sun, sleet, snow, or hail, and when she pleaded for him to stop, he'd eye her with a look of contempt. She would then surrender to his desires to become stronger than the heiress of the Hyuuga. Everybody knew he already was, so what else was he trying to prove? Ten Ten thought that he was cruel at times, traumatizing his own little cousin just to prove his point to others. Ten Ten knew herself that Hinata didn't want for this to happen. She knew that Hinata would gladly give up her title of heiress to somebody else. And she knew that Neji knew, too. Ten Ten sighed. It was just too frustrating.
"Ten Ten," came a cool voice.
Ten Ten's head jerked up from the weapons she was polishing, looking straight into the face of Neji. She grimaced, then leaned back a little. She didn't know why, but it was agonizing to look straight into those pupil-less, pale eyes of his. "Hai," she returned, just as coolly.
Neji's eyebrow raised a little. "You've been polishing that shuriken for sixteen minutes already," he said quietly.
Ten Ten looked down at the gleaming star. Indeed: its blades were reflecting her face without any scratches of smudges. Ten Ten's face flushed. She hastily slipped it into her holster and avoided Neji's face.
"Lee and Gai-sensei already left," Neji continued, eyeing her with a quirked eyebrow.
Ten Ten stood up and swung her belongings over her shoulder. She paused for a moment, then said, "Why are you here?"
Behind her, Neji was silent. Ten Ten waited, then rolled her eyes and sighed, starting to her home.
"Somebody has to make sure you're actually going home tonight," Neji finally responded. Ten Ten flushed into a brighter shade of red. Was it his goal to make her the most embarrassed she could possibly be?
"Well, you're wasting your time," Ten Ten snapped. "I don't need somebody to take care of me like I'm some kind of a helpless toddler. I can take care of myself," she said hotly.
Ten Ten had meant all the things she had said, but she hadn't meant for her to be so irritable. It seemed as if whenever she was around him, she would mess up in whatever she was doing, receiving annoyed looks from her teammates. Her speech would sound impaired, and she could not bring herself to look straight into Neji's eyes. It seemed as if those Byukagan eyes analyzed everything he set his eyes on, and most of the time, he understood what he saw. Sometimes Ten Ten really hated those damn Byukagan eyes of his.
Neji sped up to match where she was and then cast a sideways glance at her, which she looked away from.
"Why are you doing that?" Neji asked.
"What?" Ten Ten said, with a hint of anger in her voice.
"You're avoiding me."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes you are. You won't look at me."
Ten Ten's footfalls were heavier. "I do," she said fiercely.
"No you don't. Ten Ten, I want to know what's going on with you."
"There's NOTHING going on with me! Why can't you just keep your nose out of this, like you always did! Go--go train or something, that's the only thing you do these days!"
Ten Ten's eyes stung.
"Is that what you think?" said Neji's quiet voice.
Ten Ten gave a frustrated, angry sigh. She stopped, staring hard at the ground, which seemed to shimmer and blur.
"Is it?"
Ten Ten kept silent, pursing her lips, trying not to let any noise escape her lips. She couldn't close her eyes. If she did, Neji would see. And he would…he would….
"Ten Ten."
Ten Ten wished that he would stop calling her name. Each and every time he said it, her heart ached and she wished for more than she could ever have.
A finger lifted Ten Ten's chin up and to the side, where Neji's face swam.
"Why are you crying?"
"I'm not!" Ten Ten protested, just as tears slid down her face. She squeezed her eyes shut to avoid looking into Neji's scathing eyes, feeling hot liquid seep out of her eyes.
Neji's eyes remained on Ten Ten's tears.
"Just…go away, Neji. Please…" Ten Ten sobbed quietly. "Leave me alone."
"No."
Ten Ten blinked through her tears. "Why not! You're just going to scorn me. Crying is weakness for you, isn't it? You are so emotionless, I'd never-"
"Ten Ten."
"What!" Ten Ten glared furiously at Neji through her wet eyes.
"What do you want for me to do?"
"What?" Ten Ten sniffed and wiped away her tears.
"What do you want for me to do?" Neji repeated.
"What do you mean?" Ten Ten murmured, lowering her head in shame. She had not cried since she could remember.
"What would make you feel better?" Neji said softly.
"Nevermind me," Ten Ten said, blushing slightly.
"Your eyes," Neji said. "What they say-is that what you want?"
"What?" Ten Ten said, confused.
"Is that what you want?" Neji repeated.
"Nani…I don't know what you're talking about." Ten Ten closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her brown eyes opened, staring automatically at the ground.
"I'll give it to you, if that's what you really want," Neji said quietly.
Ten Ten looked up again. "Neji, I don't know what you're talking about."
Neji slid his hands out from his pockets, then gently touched Ten Ten's cheek.
A pleasing tingle snaked up her spine.
He leaned forward. Ten Ten's heart was beating like crazy. She had rarely ever made contact with him physically--only when they were sparring, and she had seldom gotten close enough to him to hit him.
Her eyes were wide as Neji's lips pressed against her own, her world blinded by the beating of her persistent heart. She barely felt Neji's lips leave hers; she was in such a daze. Her world was extremely bright. Oddly bright.
Everything faded, then Ten Ten felt herself slowly fall forward. The ground came oddly close….
Ten Ten squeezed her eyes shut, then cracked them open. Everything seemed foggy. A white piece of something hovered over her, then came into focus. It was her ceiling. Ten Ten blinked slowly and took in her surroundings. Her room was dim. She squinted at the clock next to her bed. It was late morning. She'd better get up and train….Gai, Lee, and Neji would be waiting for her. Impatient, most likely. Speaking of Neji…
Ten Ten blinked. What a strange dream. Of course, it will absolutely never happen. She sniggered. What a load of bunk. And where were her hair ties?
"What are you laughing about?"
Ten Ten yelped and fell off her bed the opposite side the voice came from. Stars exploded in her dim vision and she shook her head. Then, she slowly got up and peeked over the side of her bed.
Omniscient eyes glowed at her through the dull lighting.
"Neji!" Ten Ten squeaked. Her eyes unfocused, then she clambered back into bed. "I hate double dreams," she muttered as she pulled the blanket over her head.
A hand stopped the blanket before it settled. "Ten Ten, what are you doing?"
Ten Ten's eyes blinked wide open inside the bed. She shot up into sitting position, then flicked her face toward Neji.
"What are you doing here?" Ten Ten demanded.
"Well, she somebody passes out like that, you usually have to take care of them," Neji said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes.
"What?"
Neji stared at Ten Ten. "You passed out. I took you home."
"What!"
Neji stared harder.
"So it wasn't a dream?" Ten Ten asked, unbelieving.
"What?" Neji's eyebrow twitched. This girl…
Ten Ten stared back at Neji as if she'd never seen him in her whole life.
"Then you…"
Neji raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"Then you…did it for real?"
"Did what for real?" Neji said, his voice slightly exasperated.
"You kissed me for real?" Ten Ten asked, not daring to believe it. She regretted asking that question--if Neji hadn't done it….She'd never go outside again.
Neji sat back slightly, then blinked. "Y-yes," he stuttered. And if it was just the lighting…Ten Ten could see a tiny blush creeping over his pale features.
Ten Ten stared at her hands. She could feel her face turning red.
"Well, we'd better go," Neji said, his voice back to its usual, toneless nature. The faint blush lingered.
"Yes…" Ten Ten said slowly.
Ten Ten walked quietly next to Neji. Her dark hair was in long ponytail instead of her usual Chinese buns. Neji had raised an eyebrow when she walked out of her house and locked her door. She merely slipped the key into her pocket and walked on, hiding a small smile.
Neji had changed for her, and she felt that she could do with a few changes herself. He had even blushed for her…that was something she had never seen him do. And that was also, to her, more important than the kiss.
Smiling, she slipped her hand into Neji's.
:n.n did you like me one-shot? This was my second-favorite Neji pairing. If you like Hinata/Neji, I have a fanfiction called 'Wings of Freedom'. Thank you! (bows) Review, please! n.n