Chapter 2
The next morning…
Tenten was gasping heavily, her chest heaving rapidly up and down. She was sweating so much that her shirt was sticking to her like a second skin. She was extremely tired, but she had to go on. After all, Neji didn't seem tired in the least, and she certainly didn't want to seem like a failure in his gorgeous eyes.
"Tenten, are sure you're strong enough to continue?" Neji asked her. Was it just him, or did Tenten seem more tired and out of breath than was usual for their training?
"I'm fine Neji…let's go on, shall we?" Tenten was now starting to feel light headed, but still, she rushed on. All of a sudden, she felt like time was going in slow motion and she seemed to be falling slowly. She hit the ground and the last thing she heard before she slipped into unconsciousness was the sound of Neji's footsteps as he ran towards her, calling her name.
Tenten slowly opened her eyes, though she had to blink rapidly a few times to clear up her vision some. Slowly she surveyed the unfamiliar room. She wasn't in a hospital, of that she was certain. For one thing, the bed was quite large, though it was rather low and close to the floor; the brown and orange comforter and quilts looked like something far too exotic and expensive to ever belong to a hospital, and there were no machines or anything hospital-like in the tan-painted room.
"In case you're wondering," started Neji, his voice suddenly filling the quiet room as Tenten visibly twitched, startled, "you're at the Hyuuga Mansion. In Hinata's room, to be exact." Tenten swerved her head to the left of the room and found Neji standing there with his arms folded, his face inscrutable as always, staring out at her with those steely gray eyes.
"Oh…Neji, you startled me. I had no idea you were in here." Tenten found that her voice was quite shaky, and her heart was beating rapidly. Neji continue to stare at her for a few moments and Tenten felt as though his seemingly sightless gray eyes were boring a hole through her.
"How long have I have been here?" she asked, as she had gotten tired of waiting for him to speak.
"Approximately thirty-six hours. A day and a half. And in all that time, your parents haven't returned home. Do you know where they went last? My uncle really needs to get a hold of them." Tenten could feel her face burning and she felt her insides squirm.
"I…" Should she tell him the truth?
"Tenten?"
"Oh…um, they're…on vacation." She said, smiling and trying to look innocent. Neji let a beat pass before he spoke.
"Tenten, please do not insult my intelligence." Tenten opened her mouth to speak but closed it again. What was the point? This was Neji Hyuuga, wielder of the Byakugan. He'd know if she was lying in a nanosecond. Besides, it was probably about time she told at least one of her teammates about her parents, anyways.
"Tenten…?" he persisted, but more gently this time. She sighed.
"The truth is, Neji," she said in a low voice, "my parents are…well…dead." Tenten stole a glance at Neji and saw that he was completely shocked, with his mouth was slightly open and his eyes widened. Actually, it was the first time she had seen him show any kind of emotion except for back in the old days when he had a grudge against the main family and was constantly angry.
"Tenten…I'm sorry, I had no idea…" a silence hung over the room as both of them refused to meet the other's gaze; Tenten feeling guilty for not telling him and Neji feeling ashamed for never asking about her family, all the while she continuously listened to him rant about his all these years. He couldn't believe he'd been so selfish.
Neji walked over to Tenten's bed and sat on the edge, staring intently at her. "Tenten...why didn't you tell me this?"
"I don't know," she said, avoiding his gaze, "I guess I didn't think..." When her voice trailed off, Neji took her face in his hands and forced her to look at him. Tenten felt her stomach do a summersault at the touch of his hands.
"Didn't think what, Tenten?" Tenten paused.
"I didn't think you'd want to listen, or that you wouldn't think it was important." Neji stared incredulously at her.
"You didn't think I'd... Tenten, how could possibly believe that I would think that anything you have to say is unimportant? I feel closer to you than anyone else in this village and I value your opinion immensely. Why do you think I always came to you when I had a problem?"
"I assumed it was because you thought it was a choice between Lee and I and you just thought I'd be less annoying." she said, though she felt a warm sensation in the pit of her stomach at Neji having said that he valued her opinions immensely. Neji shook his head in disbelief.
"Tenten, you and Lee could never come close to being in the same category; there's no comparison. You have great listening skills, you're smart, confident, levelheaded, and dependable, not mention you're a really skilled fighter...you and Lee are, like, complete opposites. Not to mention you're..." Beautiful lingered on Neji's lips and he glanced away and stood up abruptly.
"Neji?" Tenten asked softly.
"I should go and tell my uncle that you're awake now, he'll have to come and ask you some questions on your medical history and stuff. Do you need anything, before I go?"
"Neji, what's wrong?" she asked.
"Nothing's wrong. Do you need anything?" he asked rather shortly.
"Oh...no...thanks." she said as she glanced away. She had no idea what was with Neji's sudden mood change or what he was about to say before he stopped short. Neji made a swift glance back at her before walking out the door.
Neji needed to find his uncle. Not just to inform him that Tenten was awake, but also to seek his advice about what to do with these feelings he was developing for her. He needed to tell him how, at the end of their conversation, he was more horrified at the thought that he had almost told her that he thought she was beautiful than the prospect that she thought she was as annoying and unbearable as Lee. Neji walked further down the long corridor and down the stairs to his uncle's small conference room. He knocked twice and then entered when his uncle gave him the ok.
"So, how's your friend Neji?" his uncle asked, not looking up from some papers that he was signing.
"She seems okay for now. Though, there is one thing that you ought to know."
"Oh?" Hiashi finally looked up from his papers.
"She's an orphan, uncle." said Neji, his gaze not quite meeting his uncle's. There was a pause.
"I assume you didn't know this, Neji." Hiashi said gently.
"No, uncle."
"Hmm. Come here, Neji." his uncle said, patting the seat next to him. Neji made his way across the room and sat down next to his uncle.
"Does it trouble you, Neji, that your friend didn't tell you that she is an orphan?"
"Of course it troubles me! We've known each other for years, we're on the same team; we risk our lives for each other time and time again yet she doesn't feel the need to tell me something as important as this... worst of all, when she never volunteered information about her family, I never asked. I was just a selfish, sorry excuse for a friend. And it doesn't help that I have these...feelings for her." At this last part, he blushed. Hiashi raised his eyebrows, willing now more than ever to meet this young girl upstairs who had managed to infatuate his nephew.
"Do you know? Have you told her this?"
"Of course not! I'm almost certain that Tenten sees me as nothing more than a friend; even if, by some miracle, she did feel the same way, we have a good thing going and I don't want to ruin it or make things weird between us."
"I see." Hiashi said thoughtfully. "Well then, what are you going to do with these feelings of yours? Just bury them?"
"I don't have much of a choice, uncle."
"Neji, I must tell you that by concealing your true feelings for this girl, you're setting yourself up to get your heart broken."
"Then what do you suggest I do?" he asked with a hint of cynicism.
"Tell her how you truly feel." Hiashi said simply. There was a small pause as Neji seemed to struggle with himself for a moment.
"With all do respect, Uncle Hiashi, that's a load of bull and you know it." Hiashi raised his eyebrows at Neji's brusque remark but then smiled.
"Oh? Do tell, Neji." he said quite jovially. Neji sighed.
"Uncle, we're on the same squad. That in itself is complicated enough, but Tenten...she's...and I'm..." Neji sighed in defeat. He never had problems trying to explain himself before, which was exactly one reason why he could not afford to have these kinds of feelings for Tenten. They messed with his mind and completely prevented him from thinking properly; if he couldn't deal with these feelings now when they were just team mates, then how could he possible hoped to manage them should he and Tenten become a couple and he needed to think clearly for a mission? It was completely ridiculous, to him. Neji glanced at his uncle. He was slightly disappointed in the older man. Honestly, to give him such obvious and idiotic advice, as if Neji hadn't considered voicing his true feelings to Tenten. Neji sighed again.
"I think I'll go check on Tenten again..." Hiashi smiled.
"Alright Neji. Seila should be finished with lunch right about now, why don't you go and take some up to Tenten while you're going there?"
"Alright, Uncle." Neji got up and bowed respectfully to his uncle before leaving the room. As Neji walked down the halls, he could not help but wonder at Lee and Gai's response should Neji and Tenten decide to become a couple.
