A/N: Happy Birthday Tenten! :
Here is the 2nd part! Enjoy! :D
~~~o~~~
Tenten ran as fast as her little feet can take her. Jumping from tree to tree. The pain was too much for a girl to handle. Tenten did the only thing any coward would do. She ran away. She wanted to run away. She wanted to run away from everything. She wanted to run away from every memory of them. She wanted to run away from Neji.
The wind blew harshly across her face due to the speed she was running. It instantly dried away every tear that shed on her cheeks. Her eyes became blurry and her mouth was getting dry. Tenten speed up when she saw the shape of her building. She ran through the village without looking at anyone. People was in shocked when they saw a kunoichi running like a maniac so most of them stepped aside of the road. They didn't want to get in any trouble with the shinobi. Tenten keep running and running from the clear path that people gave to her.
Suddenly, she bumped hard at a figure opposite her. Normally, she would look up, acknowledge the person and apologize honestly to them. But at the moment, there was no more room for moral acts, so she just got up and continued to run. She felt a pair of eyes staring at her back.
Tenten opened the door of her apartment and shut it immediately. Her hand still on the doorknob. Tenten panted heavily from exhaustion. Darkness devoured the room. A nimage of a fellow shinobi suddenly flashed back in her head. His expressionless body standing in front of her. His beautiful eyes staring coldly at the kunoichi. The flawless hair of his blew softly across his face, emphasized his hard and high cheekbones. Such a perfect image.
"What was I even thinking…" Tenten chuckled bitterly. Amused at her own stupidity. She leaned against the door on her back. Who does she think she is anyway? A plain and clanless kunoichi. Who would want a girl like that? Why does she even come up with the concept of loving him? A strong and impeccable Hyuuga prodigy. What a high dream a person can have!
Tenten slid herself down to the floor. She smiled painfully behind the salty tears running on her cheeks.
"I'm not good enough for him…"
~~~o~~~
Tenten did not come to the training ground the next morning. Three Konoha shinobi are doing their usual training sections. Gai and Lee were practicing their taijustsu on the grass dummies while Neji was in the middle of his meditation.
"Gai-sensei! Do you know when will Tenten arrive?" Lee stopped punching his dummy to turned and asked his teacher.
"I don't know, Lee! But Tenten is a beautiful flower and such a beautiful flower like her need to take time to perfect her beauty!" Gai also stopped his training. He gave Lee his famous thumb up.
"And us boys also need to perfect our strength. We must become stronger in order to match our flower charm!" Gai shouted with his fist bumped in the air.
"GAI-SENSEI! YOU'RE SO RIGHT!"
"LEE!"
"GAI-SENSEI!"
"LEE!"
"GA-"
"Will YOU TWO cut that act for one freaking day, already?!" A voice yelled.
Lee and Gai would never expect the rant was coming from the stoic prodigy of them. They both turned around and saw a grumpy Neji glaring deadly at them.
"You're in a foul mood today, Neji my rival! Something bother?" Lee asked his teammate.
Neji didn't answer him. He raised a hand to massage his temple. Dark circles under his eyes were the proof of a sleepless night. The yesterday conversation with Tenten disturbed him to no end. Every time he closed his eyes, the image of his beautiful female teammate appeared in front of him. There were so many foreign feelings keep attacking his mind and making him feel weak on his feet. The Hyuuga prodigy was looking forward to meet his female teammate the today to ease his emotional pain, but she was not there. What could happen to her?
"I'm going to check Tenten." Neji rose up from his feet. Lee and Gai had no objection to his decision. They both know very well how much their flower mean to the stoic prodigy.
Just as Neji turned his back, he caught a sight of his female cousin running toward them.
"Neji-niisan!" Hinata stopped near the tree and caught her breath. She must had running all the way from the compound to the training ground "Father…father…wish to…speak to you…"
Neji raised an eyebrow at his cousin "What was it about, Hinata-sama?"
"I…I do not know, but…he wish to talk…to you, I think…it's about… the engagement…" Hinata shuttered
Neji squeezed his eyes shut. He wondered why Fate decides to screw with him today. He did not want to talk about that. It always gives him a bad headache every time he thinks about it. Neji just want to see his best friend today.
"Alright, thank you for informing me." He bowed and walked past his cousin
"You're welcome, Neji-niisan,…I didn't see Tenten-san,…was she well?"
Neji stopped and closed his eyes.
"I do not know,…" with that, he left them behind and continue his walk toward the Hyuuga compound.
"What engagement, Hinata-chan?" Lee asked
~~~o~~~
Tenten lay on her bed. She didn't want to leave the house today. Her whole body felt stiffed and tired. She spent a whole night crying over things that hurt her. She felt too dazed and painful to even stand. She knew Neji would be pissed if she was not there today.
His name once again rang in her mind. Tenten squeezed her eyes then opened them again. She leaned tiredly over the bedside table and picked up the album that she looked over last night. In the small album, there were the pictures of her and her friends, the Konoha 11. She smiled a little and flipped the next page where she put the pictures of her team only. Lee and Gai always laughing happily in every picture. The two were too energetic.
She smiled and looked at the next picture. Neji was not a fan of camera, even though the guy was so photogenic, he refused to take most of the photos. Probably his male ego. Tenten looked at the rare pictures that had him in them. He was still the usual. He did not smile or did any silly poses. In fact, he did not do anything at all. The guy even refused to look at the camera for crying out loud. Tenten giggled a little. She knew him, the boy was probably just shy. Tenten noticed she was always next to him in his pictures. In most of the photos taken with Neji, she was always smiling. Tenten looked at her smiles and think. Kunoichi were trained to hide and fake their expression in case to fooled the enemies. Tenten had become perfect of that. Her enemies and loved ones had fall for her fake acts many times. She can faked her emotions very well, just like yesterday.
I can't even see –
But in the pictures, the weapon mistress did not see her usual fake smiles. They were real. She feels real when she was with him. There was something about him that made her stayed with her true self. In the pictures, like Neji, Tenten also did not look at the camera.
Anyone when he's with me –
She only looked at him.
One, two, three teardrops on the photo of him and her. Tenten cried. She cried at her misery.
I wonder if he knows-
She blamed herself for loving him.
He's all I think about at night-
~~~o~~~
"Neji, my nephew, come."
The Hyuuga prodigy followed the order and set himself on the cushion near his uncle. Before entering the room, he saw two figures sitting opposite side with his uncle. Neji already know who were they.
A heavy-beard man in dark blue kimono with large Damiyo coat with his clan symbol on the right chest. He was talking in the lowest voice with Hiashi. And sometimes he would point at the girl sitting next to him.
Neji also know who was she.
Her name is Kikko, the man's daughter and also a princess. The girl was also wearing a heavy and complex kimono for high-class ladies. Neji did not understand fashion. Why do people want to wear such clothes that made themselves difficult in walking?
The girl was indeed pretty. Her long black hair was tied loosely on the back; left only a short bang framed her white oval face. Her eyes were small but sharp, as if they could see through the darkest in the soul and approved of it. Her eyes reminded Neji of the snake's. So beautiful but yet deadly.
Everyone said she was a beauty symbol of a princess. Neji did not like that though. Her beauty, seemed so distant and foreign. A sudden image of his sweet little teammate passed through his head. He smiled a little to himself. Neji adored his female teammate cute appearance. Tenten's hair was not as long and straight like Kikko's but the coffee waving locks always gave touching feelings to the softest side of the prodigy. He always wanted to pull the hair ties that keep the flawless waves away and ran his fingers freely through it. The urge to do that became stronger and stronger each day they spent with each other. And her eyes, oh lord, the big beautiful chocolate doe eyes took his breath every time she caught his. Her eyes, they were so warm and full of love. Neji never got tired looking at it. He wanted to looked at those beautiful eyes every seconds for the rest of his life. He missed her.
"Neji, nephew, are you listening?" Hiashi spoke suddenly.
"Hn?" Neji turned his head to face his uncle. The image of Tenten still blurring his mind.
"You have to pay more attention, nephew." His uncle told him "This would affect the rest of your life."
"I'm apologize." Neji bowed his head and apologized
"Don't be harsh on him, Hiashi-sama!" the Damiyo laughed "Neji-san there must be exhausted from his shinobi duties. I think we should wrap up the meeting quickly, then."
"Please don't mind me, my lord. I'm perfectly fine!" Neji spoke calmly to the man
"Don't be so formal, Neji-san. By the end of this month, I would be glad if you address me as 'father'." The man laughed again. The girl next to him turned her head to her father and gave him a tug on the sleeve.
"I think so, my lord…" Neji replied. He was not comfortable with this.
"Neji, nephew. We planned to celebrate the engagement ceremony in two weeks from now. I expected you will be well prepared by then." Hiashi stated.
"I'll, uncle." Neji answered. But in his head, he hell sure it won't be.
"Good! Neji, you and Kikko-chan will get married soon, so it's better if you two know more about each other." Hiashi sipped his tea. He placed the cup on the table and continued, "I arranged her room next to you. You have to took care of her when the Damiyo went back to the Lighting country."
"I understand." Neji spoke
"Very well, Neji-san! I'll be leaving tomorrow morning but be back two days before the engagement ceremony. I entrust you with my daughter, then."
"I won't let you down, my lord, uncle…" Neji bowed his head low with respect.
"What do you think, Kikko?" The damiyo turned and asked his daughter.
"It's my honor to be with Neji-sama." The girl bowed her head softly at her father while covered her smile with her sleeve.
"Good! Good! So it's settled, then!" the Damiyo spoke in satisfaction.
"Yes, my lord. Neji. You may leave now if you want." Hiashi told his nephew.
"Thank you, uncle. I'll be leaving then, my lord, Lady Kikko." Neji bowed his head at both of them and they nodded.
After he closed the door slid, Neji immediately got up his feet and walked out of the compound.
He needs to see her. Now.
A/N: Done with part 2! I myself don't know how will the story progress, so I let time decided it. I will update as soon as possible!
Review would be great so I would be glad if you left some!
Thank you!
