I sat straight up on the couch, a look of panic in my eyes. Neji, Lee and I had just been informed by Tsunade that Gai-sensai and the rest of his squad had not returned from their mission. At first Tsunade had thought they had gotten lost, but after a week she knew something was up. It was supposed to have been a simple mission to be completed within a few days. Gai was supposed to escort a monk back to the fire temple. The monk was not in any particular danger, but it was proper courtesy to escort someone back to their home after paying Konochahage a visit. She could have given the mission to anyone, but Gai was eager for something to do while the rest of his squad rested.
"We should go look for him immediately!" said Lee. "I do not want anything to happen to my youthful sensai!"
"yes, please milady, let us go look for him" I pleaded. Gai may be annoying, extravagant, and loud, but I cared deeply about him. I looked at Tsunade, waiting for a response. Only Neji remained silent, in effort to hide his distress.
Tsunade sighed. "very well. You may go look for him, but report back to me as soon as you find something out of the ordinary. And be very careful."
"yes ma'am!" we responded in unison. A few minutes later we began our search for Gai along the path to the fire temple. At first we stuck together, following footprints, feeling for chakra, and searching for signs of a battle. We covered a lot a ground and were able to search large areas at a time thanks to Neji's byakugan. After about an hour of searching, Lee decided it would be faster if we split up. He went to the left and into the woods, leaving Neji and I by ourselves.
I have always loved Neji. I love his long hair and expressionless face. I didnt realize I was in love with him until recently, when I decided to stop ignoring the fact I craved his presence and touch, and decided to face the fact that I was in love. I have no idea how he feels about me. Trying to read his emotions is like trying to understand a rock. In battle, however, we understand each other perfectly. I can predict his moves and he can predict mine. I protect his blind spot and he watches my back. Outside of battle, I do notice that he lets his guard down around me, but only when its just the two of us. Its the only time I have ever seen him smile.
We continued our search in silence for another couple of hours, until at last Neji decided we should take a break, stating he was low on chakra from using the byakugan. I nodded in agreement, and I sat down on the side of the road and leaned against a tall tree. Neji took a sip of water before sitting down beside me. As I looked up at the sky, I noticed it was getting dark. Neji offered me some water, but I shook my head.
"Tenten..." he spoke softly. "you should really drink something." but I shook my head again. He sighed and leaned back against the tree. We were sitting very close, out heads almost touching. Without warning, tears began sliding down my face. At first I tried to hide them from him, but he noticed immediately.
"what's wrong?" he asked me softly. I didn't answer him, and turned my face away from his. After a few moments of silence he said, "crying isnt going to bring Gai back." for some reason, this angered me. What was Neji saying? Or was he too stoic and cold hearted to worry about Gai? He had been our sensai for years. I got up and walked away from Neji without looking back. I leaned against a nearby tree and stared blankly down the road. A few seconds later I felt something brush a few strands of my hair that had fallen out of their buns away from my eyes. I turned to see Neji standing beside me, running the backside of his hand across my face. I looked at him in surprise. Neji had never been one for affection or physical contact. My heart skipped a beat, and I forgot that I was angry with him. His hair had fallen out of his low ponytail and hung, partially covering his face. His pupil-less eyes stared straight into my chocolate ones, as if he was searching my soul.
"I hate to see you like this" he murmured into my ear. I could feel his breath on my skin. I turned away again, not wanting him to see the fresh tears streaming down my face, but he put his hand on my jaw and roughly forced my head back towards him. Using his other hand, he wiped the tears off my cheeks. I was shocked, and despite my sadness, I felt a twinge of thrill from this rare contact. What did Neji think he was doing? Does he know I like him? Does he like me? We stayed like this for a few minutes, until at last Neji gently pulled away.
"Let's rest here for the night" he said. I nodded, which seemed all I was capable of today. The air was warm, so it was comfortable enough sleeping out in the open.
"shouldn't one of use keep watch?" I asked, sleepily. He nodded. "I will. I'm not tired. You sleep Tenten." part of me wanted to argue, but I was too tired. We walked a little ways into the woods before he sat down and I stretched out on the mossy ground. I lay with my head beside him, looking up into his eyes. He stared with equal intensity back into mine. Slowly, a rare smile crept across his face.
"What?" I asked, smiling. Neji continued to smirk.
"Nothing" he said, smiling back.
"Yeah right" I replied, and rolled over to face away from him in fake anger. I lay there, waiting to see what his reaction would be. A few seconds later, I felt his hand undoing the pins and ribbons that held my buns in place. He freed my hair and began to run his fingers through it.
"Hey!" I said. "Those took me forever to do!" I saw a shadow come over me and I felt Neji brush his lips along my hairline. I shivered. Now I was really confused. There was no way Neji liked me, right? But if that was the case, then what the hell was he doing? I rolled onto my back and stared straight up into his face, which was tantalizingly close.
"Neji... what the hell are you...?" I started, but he put a finger to my lips. Without warning, he put his hands under me and lifted me slightly off the ground and moved me so my head was in his lap. This couldn't be Neji, could it? The Neji I knew hated getting close to people. "go to sleep, Tenten", he murmured softly. I had no choice but to close my eyes. I lay on his lap, listening to our breathing and the sounds of the forest. Neji sat very still, not moving a muscle.
I napped for a least a couple of hours, and when I finally woke up, Neji was nowhere in sight. Instead, my head was on his folded up jacket. I rolled over and breathed in his scent. I heard the sound of crunching leaves and I looked up. As I did, a droplet of water fell from a tree above and hit me in the eyes. I jumped, and I heard soft laughter from behind me. I tried to look back at him, but the water was obscuring my vision, and it was still rather dark.
"Good evening, Tenten. Well, I guess its good morning, although its still very early." Neji said. I couldnt see him until he knelt down beside me and leaned over, so his hair hung over his face.
"Hey Neji, what happened to your hairtie?" I giggled, and he smirked slightly and shrugged his shoulders.
"Are you ready to head out?" He asked, and I nodded. He offered me a hand up and I took it and he pulled me to my feet. Once I was on my feet, he didnt let go of my hand. Instead, he guided me towards his chest and held me their for a moment before gently dropping my hand. Then he leaned down and picked up his jacket and bag and I did the same. We then set off, using our chakra in our feet to make us soar through the trees. Neji activated his byakugan and scanned the area for Gai's chakra, while I searched the ground for signs of activity and battle. After about half an hour, it began to rain, which somehow made us that much more determined to find our missing sensai. We still had no word from Lee, but we were not worried about him. We had faith that he would find us right away if something came up.
As my eyes scanned the ground, I caught a flash of light ,and I dove down and landed on the soggy earth. Neji followed me immediately. I walked towards where I had seen the light and found myself standing above a bloody kunai. I gasped, and Neji knelt beside it and gently picked it up.
"...Its Gai's blood," he said anxiously. "Byakugan!" he looked froward towards the trees and off the path. "this way Tenten," he said, and I followed. We walked this time, following a trail of small drops of blood and an assortment of shurikens and kunai, covered in the blood of Gai and a mysterious ninja. The rain was not making tracking him any easier, but it seemed to be letting up. I felt a panic attack rising in my chest as the evidence of a battle became clearer and clearer. What if Gai sensai was...? No, I must not think about that. He is too powerful to be taken down so easily. Still, without even thinking about it, I felt myself reaching for Neji's hand. He held onto mine and gave it a squeeze to let me know that he was there.
It was dark, and we walked, hand in hand, with our hearts beating rapidly in our chests. Sweat slid slowly down my face. I was on high alert. The usually calm and collected Neji was no different, and seeing him getting anxious added to my fears. Together, the two of us stumbled through puddles and mud in desperation to reach our sensai.
I spotted a kunai stuck in a tree, and I ran over to it. As I did, I tripped over something and fell to the muddy ground, spattering myself with mud. I swore under my breath, and as I looked over to see if Neji had suffered the same fate, Gai's bloodstained face stared back at me. I gasped and let out a small shriek. It had been Gai sensai that I had tripped over.
"Gai! Gai! Gai! Say something! Please!" I yelled into his face, shaking him over and over, as if it would knock the life back into him. "Gai, no! Please dont be dead..." I began to sod uncontrollably as I held his lifeless head in my hands. I felt rough hands pull me away from Gai, but I shoved them off and threw myself protectively in front of the body.
"Tenten! We need to leave now, the enemy may show up any second," said Neji urgently. "and we need to leave Gai sensai here." I couldnt believe what I was hearing.
"Neji! Gai is dead! DEAD! And you dont show any emotion at all! You heartless bastard!" I yelled at him through tears. I wrapped my arms around Gai sensai so Neji couldnt pull me away.
"Tenten, please..."
"What the hell, Neji! Hes dead!" I curled up tighter beside my sensai and cried harder. As I lay there, I felt arms wrap themselves around my neck and a chin rest on top of my head.
"I know, Tenten, I know," Neji murmured. I twisted around to look at him, and to my surprise I found tears running down his face. "I will miss him more than anything, believe me. I... I am afraid if we stay here we will be killed. We will avenge his death, trust me, but now we need to get back to Tsunade. We can mourn there." after a few seconds, I nodded, and Neji pulled me into his arms and stood me on my feet. Then he pulled me close and held me against his chest. I felt him kiss the top of my forehead gently. His hands made their way to my face and wiped the tears from my cheeks. I kept on crying, but even through my great sadness I still felt a jolt in my chest from Neji's behavior. By now, I was pretty sure he had some sort of feelings for me. Well that, or this was definitely not Neji Huuga, and there was some random ninja in disguise creeping on me in the forest. I looked down at Gai's face for one last time, biting back sobs.
"Okay, lets go," I said, pushing myself away from Neji's embrace. He looked down at Gai and stared at him silently. Then, he nodded. We picked up the things we had dropped and began our journey back to the village.
The trip back took no time at all, and as soon as we arrived we rushed to the Hokage and told her what we had found. Neji did most of the explaining, because I had broken down in tears as soon as I entered Tsunade's office. I usually pride myself for being strong and composed, but I did nothing to stop the tears from flowing. My wonderful Gai sensai deserved more than the tears I shed for him.
Tsunade told us she would send people out to collect the body and find Lee, as well as an investigation squad to find out who was behind this attack, and the whereabouts of the person Gai was supposed to be escorting. She promised to leave the slaying of Gai's killer up to us. Then she told us to go get some sleep. Although she appeared composed, I knew she was biting back her sorrow. Neji and I thanked her, left the office, and walked out of the building.
Neji offered to walk me back to my place, and I agreed. We said nothing the entire trip, which gave me plenty of time to think. At first my mind drifted to all the times I had spent training with my beloved sensai. Lee, Neji, Gai and I had had some of the best times together, and we had all grown to love, and admire, in Lee's case, Gai's creative and wild antics. After reflecting for a while, my thoughts shifted to the person beside me. I really wanted to find out his true feelings. Did he like me? Or had he just been trying to comfort me? He did kiss me, although it was on the head. That doesn't mean anything, does it? I had to confront him, it was now or never. When we turned down a small alley, I looked to make sure no one was around. I took a deep breath before turning to him.
"So...?" I asked, as took a step and stood in front of him, my eyes boring into his pupil-less ones.
"So?" he asked, expressionless.
"What was that all about?" I inquired.
"What was what all about?"
"C'mon genius. You know what I'm talking about." I was about to say more, but he reached out and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close.
"You're right. I do know what your talking about," he murmured. "And do you feel the same?" his hands slid up to my face and he held it facing towards his.
"Oh, stop avoiding my question. You know? You really suck at this sort of thing," I replied, smirking. He smiled back at me, almost a little sheepishly.
"I love you," he whispered.
"I love you" I replied. And he brought is face towards mine. Our lips met in a kiss. After a while, he pulled away. He gazed deeply into my chocolate eyes, his face hovering inches from mine.
"I... I'm sorry Tenten, if it looked at first like I wasn't emotional about Gai's death." He said, his voice so quiet it was on the brink of audibility. "I just sensed that the enemy was nearby, and I wanted to make sure we got out of there. I knew even the two of us would not have been able to take out a ninja that had killed Gai." I nodded.
"You cried," I said. "I have never seen you cry before."
"He meant a lot to me."
"Me too. How do you think Lee will take this? I'm really worried."
"I'll talk to him."
"And as soon as Lady Tsunade lets us, we will hunt down his killer."
"Right."
"Just making sure we are together on this"
"We are." Neji replied. I felt something rough and cool behind me and found that Neji had me pinned against a wall. He used one arm to hold me in place, leaving his free hand to caress my cheek. I looked up into his face and kissed him passionately. He returned my kiss with the same eagerness which I would have normally thought would not suit him. I now now knew that the stoic guy did in fact have a fire inside of him. You learn new things every day.
"Ha! So you think you're pretty smooth, huh Neji?" I asked, when he broke away.
"I know so. I am a genius," he replied, smirking.
"Okay then, genius. Let me ask you a question."
"Anything."
"Will we avenge Gai's death?"
"I'm a genius, not a prophet."
"Will we avenge Gai's death?"
"His killer will be dealt with severely."
"Just making sure, genius."
I then preceded to break down in tears, as fresh memories of our encounter with out dead sensai resurfaced in my mind. Neji held me in his arms. Despite my obvious sadness over the loss of my sensai, I felt a new ray of hope. I had lost one thing, a precious, irreplaceable thing, but had gained another. I knew that Neji, Lee, and I would avenge Gai's death. I would never ever forgive his killer, and I looked froward to sinking my knife into his murderers flesh. I had never felt this intense about a fight before, and the feeling frightened me a little. I guess, for the first time, I kind of understood how Sasuke could get obsessed with revenge. It was like a drug, fueling you and driving you do desire things you never desired before. I wanted to charge through the woods and hunt down Gai's killer. I wanted to unleash my fury and shred his unworthy flesh. My heart skipped a beat at the thought of me going on a rampage.
"Neji?" I said, looking up at him as I lay in his arms.
"Hnn?" he replied.
"Don't let me become like Sasuke, okay?" he looked at me, surprised. Lifting my body, he brought my face to his.
"Never." he murmured.
"Good. I wont let you become like him ether."
"I would be more worried about Lee if I were you." I sat up.
"You know, you really have a hard time admitting your weaknesses, dont you?" I said. "So did Sasuke. Honestly Neji, I'm worried."
"I can admit my weaknesses." he retaliated.
"Okay, what's one of your weaknesses?"
"My blind spot."
"another." I said. Neji paused, and leaned down so his lips hovered over mine, brushing them slightly. He kissed me, but did not linger at my lips. Moving down, he kissed my jaw and neck.
"I think you know the answer to that." he breathed. I smiled.
"shut up, wise guy."