Author's notes : Hey everyone! xD How are you guys doing? Hehe. I'm sorry if you find some grammatical errors or spellings here, but hey, I'm still improving. :D For this fanfic, I'm planning to make this as a multi-chapter story, but I'm not yet sure how long I'm going to make this. I'm thinking about making this as a three chapters story but I'm still thinking about it. Anyways, enjoy. :D Please review! :3
Disclaimer : I do not own Naruto.
Cranes, Misunderstandings and Silence
Chapter One - Cranes
"Hey Neji, why on earth are you making all of these?" I asked my best friend in disbelief as I held up two of his handicrafts for his eyes to see.
He didn't even look up and answered me with a soft "Hn.". I rolled my eyes at him. Here he was again, ignoring my presence.
Whenever he was so into something, he would forget anything or anyone breathing the same air as he in the same area.
Hmph. Just because he was busy it didn't mean he can forget all about me being in his territory!
I was in his house since two in the afternoon today. It was the third day of our school holidays and I was sooo bored! And believe me, if I'm bored, I'm really bored. I got nothing better to do in my frigging house so I decided to annoy my best friend Neji Hyuuga.
But for the last three hours and a half, he had completely disregarded my existence. He shoved off my hand from his face and took the two cranes that I have been holding.
Yes, the Neji Hyuuga is totally absorbed in folding and making paper cranes.
Cranes. Paper cranes.
Never expected to see the emotionless Hyuuga making paper cranes.
But I just couldn't believe it! I mean, he was the kind of guy who can appreciate paper cranes a bit, yes, just a bit if I force him to, but he wasn't the one who would actually make heaps of them.
I stared at all the paper cranes in front of him, scattered on the top of his table. I bet he had like two hundred of them now!
What's up with him today?
I was actually thinking that it might be partly my fault why he was folding them now. You see, during our final session on the last day of the term, I had been bored so I began folding a crane. I had been intrigued by them after I read from Wikipedia that if you make a thousand of them, one of your wishes will be granted. Of course, I was just going to fold one; I wasn't planning to waste my time folding a thousand cranes!
Until, Neji saw me.
He wasn't that stupid, I know, of course he knew paper cranes, and I told you he was the kind of guy who can appreciate them just a bit, but since I, his best friend, was also folding one...
He got intrigued why I was making some stupid crane and not listening to the lecture.
I looked at him then, saying that he should have known by now that I'm not a person who will listen to a boring lecture, especially on the last day of a school term.
And I smacked him on the head and told him that paper cranes are not stupid. I then explained to him what I read online.
And so that was the start of his new-found fondness of cranes.
For the first two days of the holidays, he went to many stores looking for special papers to make cranes.
And for today, he had begun to make them. Ta-dah!
Maybe he had something that he really wished for?
Well, I didn't expect him to actually believe it, really...
But it must be one wish that he desperately wanted to come true...
I snapped off my trance and heaved out a sigh. I took a glance at Neji and said, "I'm gonna go downstairs to find something to eat, okay?"
I didn't wait for an answer because I know he wouldn't, anyway. So why bother?
Neji's mother was in the living room watching some movie as I opened their cupboards to find food. Since Neji and I had been the best of friends ever since we were in kindergarten and since we're practically living next to each other, our parents didn't mind us being in each other's house or in each other's room, and they most likely didn't mind us opening fridges and cupboards without permission.
Neji and I were actually more like siblings than best friends, really.
The first day that we moved here, my overly-excited mother went to their house and made friends with Neji's mum. She invited them over for dinner and then yeah.
Oh and I was three years old back then. Neji was four. And I had been the first one to make him cry.
Hah! I beat Neji!
We had been playing back then, because 'kids were not allowed to be part of the adult's conversation', as our parents said. So we went to my little playground. All my toys included robots, trucks, Lego and that kind of stuff. I wasn't the really girly type of girl, if you have noticed.
So, me and Neji played and played, until it was time for him to go home. He didn't want to, so he stubbornly turned his back from his mum and still played with me. I looked at his mum who was embarrassed because of Neji's stubbornness, so I told him that he can come back again tomorrow to play.
He looked at me with his shining eyes (he was about to cry, by the way). And as he started to stand up, he took my oh-so-precious T-rex toy robot and said, "I'll take this as a souvenir!"
I gaped at him. He stuck out his tongue out at me, and I felt myself flaming up.
"Give me back my robot, you selfish little brat!" I stood up, took my shiny, big toy truck and hit his head with it.
No one messes with Tenten!
He then dropped the robot, clutched his head like a maniac and tears started to fall from his eyes as he wailed loudly.
"WAAAH! OUR NEIGHBOR JUST HIT ME, MUUUUUM!" He went to his mum and pointed at me.
DUH. His mum completely saw what I did.
Despite the fact that I just called Neji a selfish brat and hit him in the head with my heavy toy truck in front of his mother, she just started to laugh and patted Neji's head.
"Now, you've found yourself a playmate, haven't you?!" She cheerfully said.
Wow, a mother was supposed to comfort her son and yell at the one who made him cry, yeah?
My parents continually apologized for my behaviour, but Neji's mum just brushed it off.
"Oh, don't worry about it! This is an excellent way to start our friendship and the friendship of our children! See you tomorrow, dearies!"
And they went home but Neji stopped crying and waved to me.
I looked back at him, confused and all. Geez, he forgot that I just hit him with a toy truck... And it was supposed to hurt...
Maybe what I did damaged his head?
Good on him.
Haha, Kidding.
And so the next day, he came to my house again, but this time, we made sure no one was gonna cry.
But ever since that day, we had become inseparable. Isn't that just sweet?
Our faces were in the point of exchanging to one another because of seeing each other every day.
And so we went to kindergarten together, elementary, middle school, and even still in high school we're still stuck with each other.
Oh god, I'm getting sick of his face already. I bet we're still gonna be together when we die!
Totally kidding. I love him and his arrogant face too much to see him die.
............
......
........
Ooooops. You completely DID NOT hear anything.
SILENCE
That totally just slipped from my mouth! And I didn't mean it that way!
I mean I love him as a friend! He's my annoying-selfish-retarded-but-intelligent-caring and nice-sometimes-best friend in the whole universe! And I love him the way he is! As my BEST FRIEND, you hear me?!
....
..........
Oh okay. Whatever. I give up.
I love him more than that.
AND I'm only telling you this okay?! Neji musn't know! Since I only told you about this and if he knew about this, I will hunt you down.
Shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that part. -smiles- But seriously, HE MUST NOT KNOW.
Why do you ask?
DUH. Because I don't want him to know. Simple as that.
Or maybe there's more than that, a voice said at the back of my head.
Oh shut up, you!
Well... okay. Maybe.
Urgh! Okay I'll tell you.
It's because if he knew about this, it might just ruin our almost-fifteen years of friendship!
And I know that even if I confess my feelings to him, there's no chance of him loving me back, isn't it?
Please, it's not like I'm wishing that someday I would be his girlfriend!
...
Well okay, maybe I do.
Oh god, I'm such a horrible liar.
Whatever. I don't plan to tell him, anyway.
So I got the food and I went back to Neji's room. And he was still folding those cranes.
"Hey ice-cube. I got food." I told him as I put down the cookies and two bottles of Coke.
Yes, I just called him an ice-cube. And he calls me...
"Thanks, Panda." He said, looking up to me.
...that.
And wow, he just looked up from his work! Did he finally decide to stop and take a break?
I looked at him with hopeful eyes.
...
Uh, but apparently, he didn't. 'Cause after munching on a cookie he went straight back into folding another crane.
I sighed loudly.
"Hey Neji! Take a break, will ya? You can do this all night! And I can only stay 'til a few more hours!" I whined at him. I had been dying to play his new Guitar Hero 5 that he recently got from his uncle. That's the first reason I got why I went to his house this afternoon.
But he wouldn't want to goddamn stand from his work.
It was always fun to play with him 'cause I beat him. Hah!
"I don't have it here in my room." He said, looking up at me.
I confusedly looked back at him. "Where is it?"
"Hanabi and her friends are playing with it." He said then went back to folding.
Wow. He actually let her borrow it?
I gave up. Once Hanabi, his cousin, started playing on something whether it wasn't hers, she would never let go of that.
I plopped down at his bed instead, feeling reeeeaaaaally bored. I took his Bleach manga and started to flip through the pages. Boring.
Since he wouldn't talk to me, I wouldn't talk to him either.
After ten minutes which seemed like half an hour to me, I decided to break our silence.
Guess I can't really keep my mouth shut.
"Hey Neji, why are you making those, really?" I began. Time check: 6:35 pm. Crap, it's my turn to make dinner. But oh well, who cares. I just live next door.
He hummed at me, not his usually 'hn' for an answer.
"I want my wish to come true. You said if I make a thousand my wish will come true."
Damn. So it's my fault, then.
"Wow, you're taking it so seriously, man. Tell me your wish!" I started to bounce excitedly on his bed.
"No."
"Give me a clue?"
"Not a chance."
"You're evil!"
"I know."
"Can you just give me a hint??"
"Nope."
"Please?"
"..."
"Please?" I added a bright smile, trying to look cute.
"That won't work, Tenten."
I pouted. "Meanie."
"Why do you want to know so much?"
"Why not? I'm your best friend! We're not supposed to keep anything from each other!"
"Then it wouldn't come true if I told you."
I blinked at him. This must be a really big wish.
"Wow, you're really putting a lot of effort on this."
"It's because it's important."
And then he looked at me, almost slowly. His eyes bore into mine deeply, like something was up but I can't really explain it. He rarely did that and whenever he did, my heart would start to pound loudly inside my chest.
Okay, breathe. Don't faint.
I decided to ignore the loud thumping of my heart and turned my head to the side, making a loud 'hmph'. That's what I always do if he had the last word.
"Fine then. Don't tell me. But I'm gonna find out about it next time!" I said, beginning to stand up. Guess I need to go home now, my mum will have a fit if she came home without dinner.
Just so you know, his room is huge! He had his own walk-in closet and his own toilet and shower. And then he had this room full of his things. I'd sometimes get envious because he had his own suite. Anyway, His bed was in the corner and beside it was his worktable. And the door was ten steps away from the bed.
And so I stood up and made my way to the door, only to be stopped for he was holding my wrist.
"Wait. I have something for you." He said, while his other hand began to slip something in my own.
I swear, he is making my heart pound more than once today and it is so not for my own good! What if I get a heart attack this instant??
Stupid him.
Why does he always make me feel so... so...
Ugh. I can't even explain it.
We stood there in the middle of his room, and I ended up staring at him, confusion and surprise visible in my eyes. I remained speechless and he was the one who broke the silence.
"This is for saying thanks for staying with me the whole afternoon." And he let go of my hand.
I muttered a soft 'see ya' then dashed out of their house. I quickly went upstairs to my room, my heart still thumping loudly. I lifted up my hand and opened it, and I was shocked to see one of the cranes Neji made.
He gave me one of his cranes? But I thought he needed a thousand for his wish??
"What was that all about?" I swore under my breath and begged myself to calm down.
I swear Hyuuga Neji began to act weirdly ever since the holidays came.
~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~
author's note : so what do you guys think? :D What happened to Neji?? What's his wish?? Find out soon! :D
please review! It will make me extremely happy. :D