Author's Note: My second Naruto fic! Yay! To all of you who reviewed my SasuHina fic (My Princess Isn't Mine) thanks! And another thing: you should all thank that wonderful Uchiha who goes by the name of Sasuke for this! Okies, now go on and read!
Author's Note: Don't own Naruto or anything else except for Sasuke. Joke.
-
I could stay awake just to hear you breathing
Watch you smile while you are sleeping
While you're far away and dreaming
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender
I could stay lost in this moment forever
Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure
-Aerosmith, I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
-
"I'm looking for the room of Hyuuga Neji?"
The woman at the counter searched her files. "He's one of those who went after the Uchiha, right?"
Tenten nodded. "Hai."
"Hmm, I heard he was in a very critical state when they brought him back…"
"Really? Oh no…" Tenten looked shocked, a hand flying to her face.
The woman smiled at her. "Oh, don't worry, dear. Shizune fixed him. He's in stable condition now. Here, Intensive Care Unit 7."
The girl gasped, and the woman laughed. "The medic ninjas who took care of him were too tired to move him to another room, so they let him stay there, just for the night. You can go in now."
Tenten was relieved, muttering a quick 'arigato' to the counter woman and rushing to Intensive Care Unit 7.
-
When she arrived outside Neji's hospital room, the waiting benches were empty, the halls deserted. Only her quiet footsteps could be heard as her fingers closed over the doorknob.
Tenten took a deep breath, tucking a strand of her lengthy brown hair behind her ear. When she heard that Neji and the others were back, she was already preparing to go to sleep. Of course, she was too worried to tie her hair in the usual two buns, so she just left it down.
She started fidgeting, before she was able to get a hold of herself. Why was she so nervous anyway? She was just paying a visit to her teammate, no big deal. Why can't her heart stop beating so fast it seemed like it wanted to burst out and escape?
She shrugged the thought off, and entered the room.
The room was dimly lighted, with only the occasional beeps of the heart monitor in the dead silence.
'How could he stay in here?' She thought. 'This big, dark room all by himself.' Then she smirked. That's why she was here. To give him company.
She walked closer towards the figure on the bed, having to squint to even recognize the Hyuuga prodigy.
This Neji looked nothing like the Neji she knew. The long, silky russet hair he always tied neatly was scattered all over the space on the pillow his head rested on, and his big, piercing silver eyes were closed. If that wasn't enough, he was also shirtless, exposing his well-toned chest and more of his fair skin. And there was a peaceful and contented look on his face the real Neji wouldn't have ever had. If it wasn't for the curse seal marking his forehead, he could have been mistaken for another person altogether.
Tenten's brown eyes widened at the amount of cuts and bruises he had all over his body, evidence of how hard he had fought and how badly he got beaten.
"Neji, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" She asked softly, brushing some stray strands of hair aback.
As quickly as they widened, her eyes softened as she got a better look at his face.
They were teammates, sure, but Tenten had never had a chance to stare… no, that wasn't right… to look intently at him before, simply because he wouldn't have let her. It seemed almost criminal to do it now, but what he doesn't know won't hurt him, right?
How could she not have noticed how handsome he was? She blushed involuntarily at the thought, but she couldn't deny it now, could she? The right shape of face, the strong jaw, that tall nose, those eyes? He wasn't as striking and obvious as Uchiha Sasuke, but his features were subtler, mysterious.
Suddenly, at the thought of the Uchiha, her blood boiled. That traitor! Her eyes fell on his battered body again and nearly burst into tears.
She wondered how the other girls were reacting to the situation. Both of Ino's teammates had gone, Kiba was injured, so that was for Hinata, and Sakura had permanently lost one of her teammates, the one both she and Naruto thought was their friend.
She stifled a sob, preferring not to show him her weakness, even if he wasn't really watching.
She had always marveled at him- his genius, his strength, adored him so much she felt inferior when she was with him.
"Neji! Stop it! You're already showing inhuman power!" Tenten called out, hands on her knees to hold herself up.
"Tenten…" He panted, tired as well. "I… have… to be better!" He exclaimed, before collapsing on the ground.
"Neji!"
That had been the time she was helping him train for the finals of the Chuunin exam. She herself had not passed, defeated by Temari, but he did, and since Gai-sensei was still looking out for Rock Lee, she offered her help.
Tenten watched Neji deliver blow by blow to Naruto, eyes shining proudly.
"No one can defeat Neji," she thought, for his sake as well as hers.
She believed in him; and always would even if no one else did.
"The winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"
The crowd burst into cheers, leaving Neji lying on the ground and Tenten dumbfounded.
Even if he didn't.
She took out a chair and put it beside the bed, knowing she'll be here longer than she thought. She felt a need to… protect him, because he wouldn't be able to do it himself.
She spent several minutes just watching him sleep, the rise and fall of his chest, their breathing synchronizing with each other's.
There was a quiet knock on the door.
Tenten was snapped out of her trance as she stood up, before a nurse came in.
"No, no, dear. Sit down." Came the nurse's soothing voice. Tenten did as she was told.
"Is it time to leave?" Her voice shook at the thought of leaving the Hyuuga behind, even though she didn't know why.
The nurse shook her head. "No, you can stay as long as you like. I just came in to check in on him. He's progressing, isn't he?"
Tenten nodded. "Yes, I think so. And I'm glad."
The nurse smiled at her; a knowing, understanding kind of smile, that she was tempted to smile back.
"Here." The nurse held out a folded blanket in her direction.
She raised an eyebrow.
"In case you want to stay here all night." The nurse thrust the blanket on her lap, winking, before leaving.
In two seconds, the silence of the room was restored.
Tenten looked at the blanket and knew that the nurse was right. She draped it around her shoulders, never taking her eyes off Neji.
Why was she feeling this way, anyway? Were these the kinds of emotions teammates, no, friends were supposed to have for each other? Would she have reacted this way if Lee was the one lying right in front of her?
No; he couldn't have looked half as good as Neji did.
She was startled and appalled at herself for that thought. That covers the friend part. So Neji was definitely more than a friend to her now.
So… what exactly was he… to her?
He's Neji, she concluded, smiling wistfully at the sleeping boy.
Suddenly, his brow furrowed, a frown going over his features; a sign that his dreams were not at all pleasant.
Her hand found his, which was at his chest, and closed her fingers over it, letting the feel of his touch surge through her arm. His face slowly relaxed.
There was no more denying it; she'd fallen in love.
She glanced at his innocent-looking face again. Very madly in love.
-
The boy fought the weight on his sleeping eyes, trying to stay conscious. It had been the third time he awoke since the medic-nin were able to heal him, but on the other times, sleep had won.
Now, he was awake. But something had changed.
His pearl eyes darted across the dark room. What was so different?
His gaze rested beside him, and saw that an angel was with him.
'No; you shouldn't come to any conclusions. Not an angel. You're not yet dead. The medic-nin healed you, remember?' A voice in his head spoke.
Okay. So not an angel. But who was this girl? She was sleeping on her arm, her head barely on the bed. Her face looked familiar, but he couldn't really tell. Which of the girls he knew had such long brown hair and a pretty face…?
Something snapped inside him as he came upon a light-bulb moment: Tenten!
Yes, the girl who was sleeping beside him was none other than Tenten, who was there for him, watching over him that lonely night…
No, that wasn't right. He knew she didn't mean to fall asleep watching him here, it was just an accident that she's here right now. She probably meant to leave after a few minutes, visiting just for the sake of visiting.
Neji realized he must have looked so weak and defenseless when she came upon him; he couldn't believe she'd seen him like this!
But then, that was what Tenten was for. He could be strong in front of her, and she'd understand. And then, she could see him in hard times, in his worst state, but she wouldn't have treated him differently the next day. He could have opened up his whole heart to her, and she wouldn't tell anyone his secrets.
But he didn't, and he almost died that day.
He promised himself that he'd show himself, his real self, to her as soon as possible. Because she had a right to see him for who he really was, after being patient with him all this time since they became friends.
That way, he wouldn't have anything to regret if ever…
…if ever he might not make it back alive… someday.
He noticed something warm holding his hand. It was her own.
He smiled, laying his other hand over hers. In moments, his mind drifted to oblivion once again. Though this time, he wasn't entirely alone anymore.
-
I don't wanna close my eyes
I don't wanna fall asleep
Coz I'll miss ya babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing
Coz even when I dream of you
The sweetest dream will never do
I'll still miss ya babe
And I don't wanna miss a thing
-Aerosmith, I Don't Wanna Miss A Thing
-
Author's Note: There goes my NejiTen. What do you think? I haven't really watched the episode where Neji gets beaten up, but I did see the one where Shizune was healing him (Episode 135, The Broken Promise). I think I have a lot of errors and mistakes about everything, but I just had to write this. I know it's not my best work and such, but thanks for reading! Can I thank you for reviewing? Just please, please
REVIEW!
If you want me to write more Naruto fics, please tell me, 'cause I really need help! And if by far you think I just downright suck in this category, tell me too, and I'll stop. Anyway, once again, please
REVIEW!