Crossing Lines
Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, I wouldn't be sitting here writing about how I'd want it to turn out, would I?
Summary[Sequel to "If I Weren't a Shinobi" they have crossed lines, jumped back over, repainted said lines vigorously, and still there are unresolved issues to deal with.
Preview: Control
TenTen was fit to burst at any point now, and it was all Neji's fault.
Okay, to be fair and somewhat objective, you can't entirely blame the object of your affections for falling in love with them. Just sort of.
But really, Neji was entirely too good at acting as though…that had never happened. Like they had never kissed each other senseless and completely dismissed the shinobi code of conduct and enjoyed every damn minute of it. Yes, she realized that they had agreed (even if it wasn't aloud) that they never would acknowledge the fact that it had happened. That they had crossed the line and then they had jumped right back over, and then added a few more layers of paint to make it all the more clear. But it didn't mean that Neji's unchanged attitude towards the kunoichi wasn't utterly infuriating.
Still, whenever TenTen saw Neji, be it at work; in passing; during briefings, she could feel the emotions roiling around inside of her. It felt as though her skin was expanding to accommodate the mixture of things inside her head, and it was an interesting sensation—that odd combination between adrenaline high, excitement, and mild pain. And she would have to consciously reign herself in. Take a subtle deep breath, concentrate on returning to normal size, and filter out background noise.
It was all she could do sometimes to prevent herself from grabbing the infuriatingly-attractive stoic bastard and kissing him out of his right mind.
Yes, she was completely in control of herself.
Neji was going to cave in one of these days and he was going to whole-heartedly blame the bun-headed kunoichi he worked with for it.
Not only was she ridiculously attractive in all her violent, precise, pointy, combative, intelligent, enticing glory, she was a good actor.
Scratch it, a great actor.
He saw her several times a week; mostly through their ANBU work and in passing; and every time she acted as though nothing between them had happened. If Neji still wasn't imagining the way she tasted when she kissed him (she was great at that too, damnit), he would almost believe that he had been dreaming.
He just wished that there would be a little glint in her eye when she looked at him; anything to hint that she remembered that night as well as he did. But no, each and every time—emptiness. Why did he have to fall in love with the singularly most talented and infuriating kunoichi in the village?
Hell, he knew the reason; because she was TenTen, and TenTen was wonderful and gorgeous and everything he could want in all her violent, precise, pointy, combative, intelligent, enticing glory.
Yes, they were totally in control of themselves.
There it is. My preview/teaser for a series that I will (hopefully -crosses fingers-) finish. So many people asked for a sequel series/oneshot en lieu of my "If I Weren't a Shinobi" piece. I was so flattered. Now, I have to feed myself before I starve (WON'T ANYBODY GROCERY SHOP IN THIS HOUSE??).