Stage 4: Testing Boundaries

Tsuki panted, out of breath momentarily, allowing time to evaluate her tactics: dodge left, throw right, left round house, centre block, and right skip kick. Neji assaulted her from every angle, proving himself a worthy opponent for her advanced defences.

His stance gave himself away, he was about to enter the familiar trigrams formation. Tsuki knew that once he started his eight trigrams sixty four palms, the match was over, and she'd need medical attention. She had to stop him, at all costs.

She lunged at him, not particularly looking to land a hit, but to break his stance. He side stepped, open hand thrusting her back ten feet. She hit the ground on her back and rolled backwards, and sprung to her feet. She prepared to attack again. Neji anticipated this, and was already running toward her. She jumped over him, throwing kunai under her as she arched.

Neji leaped backward, to gather his own breath. Without pause, she leapt forward at his throat. She gripped his shoulders as she stood upright on her hands. The added weight caused his knees to buckle, and she slid down his back just in time to bring him down to the ground.

He rolled to the side, throwing her off of him. He emitted a low growl, pushing himself off the ground in a handspring.

She pushed herself up, albeit less gracefully. He relentlessly attacked her again, not letting her get the upper hand. In a lucky hit, she knocked the wind out of him. A kick to the knees brought him to the ground. She unsheathed her sword, and placed the tip of the blade at his throat. "I win this one," she gloated, mildly out of breath.

He looked up at her from the ground, his Byakugan still activated. "Best two out of three?" he offered. He sat up and winced. "I think you cracked something."

She shook off his complaining. "I think I'm done for the day," she panted. She reached a hand toward him, helping him to his feet.

"I'll get you tomorrow," he challenged, clutching a stitch in his side. "What's our time?"

She checked the stopwatch lying in the grass. "We're at three hours, forty two minutes for me to take you down," she answered. Their first sparing match took her forty minutes to ground him; once she figured out she could beat him if she broke his Eight Trigrams. Their second spar took nearly an hour for him to have her confined. They were equally matched, and quickly led each other to improve. He could see her weak points, and she had the vision to see his attacks, despite their speed.

"Tomorrow, you will taste defeat," he vowed. He began to walk back to the village. They took their sessions to the surrounding forests to two reasons; privacy and improvisation. Their need to change their surroundings plays up their ability to use any environment to their advantage. Some days it was a meadow in a clearing in the forest; others, it was a waterfront. Each day they wandered farther and farther from home, seeking new obstacles to face.

She always watched him closely after their sparring bouts. Sweat was dripping down his face, gathering at his neck, and his breathing remained hitched. She observed him until it returned to normal before he asked about what was bothering her.

"Nothing is bothering me," she answered, keeping pace with him.

"Do you have to monitor me every time we finish training?" He rubbed his forehead at the temples, wiping away excess sweat. It stirred the scent of his pheromones.

"I'm a trained medical shinobi," she reminded him. "Sometimes I can get carried away and harm my opponent more than necessary."

"I'm fine," he assured her with a smirk. "You worry too much." He closed his eyes as they continued walking.

"Be satisfied I'm concerned at all. Most people I couldn't care less about," she teased. She playfully pushed him off their path and into a tree.

His eyes snapped open as soon as he was rendered off balance. He purposely over corrected and toppled into her, knocking her into another tree, pinning her underneath his weight.

Their eyes locked for a moment. In the momentum of the fall, his hand brushed hers. Her heart skipped a beat. Neji's breath caught in his chest. He stared into her violet eyes with a fire she couldn't comprehend. She looked at him with expectation and caution.

He hesitated. He slowly stepped back, his touch lingering on her fingertips before releasing her completely. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

They continued walking back, and crossed the gates into the village. The sun had risen, and people were bustling about their daily business.

As jounin, Neji and Tsuki were never short of things to do. Tsuki spent most of her time in the hospital's pharmacy, where her work was closely supervised. Neji was among an elite squad of shinobi in consideration for the ANBU Black Ops, which was the main reason he and Tsuki trained so hard, so long, and so often.

They entered a small tea house together that they frequented, where they were received with hot peppermint tea, lightly sweetened with honey. Lavender hung in the air, mingled with jasmine. The aroma tickled Tsuki's nose. Their table was in a back corner, screened off with a painted rice paper partition. It gave them the privacy they wanted. Tsuki collapsed on a cushion, Neji pulled his closer to her.

"You seem tired," he observed as he sat down with her. "Would you like to go home for a nap?"

She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "That's tempting, but not yet. I'm supposed to stop by the hospital to sign over an experiment to one of Tsunade's drones."

"Surely that can wait," he protested. "You shouldn't do medical work while drowsy."

"The work is already done," she explained. "They just need me to sign it to them so they can run their tests on it." She picked up her cup, but instead of drinking, her head dropped back, resting against the wall.

He took a sip from his steaming cup. "Why do they want to conduct their own tests?"

She sighed, placing her cup back down on the table. "They want to make sure it does what I say it does, and only that. Tsunade doesn't trust that I won't leave things as they should be; she sees Orochimaru when she looks at me. I'm being watched closely for his crimes, to see if I'll commit to them myself."

Neji snorted out of annoyance. "Isn't it enough that I trust you? I'm risking my entire clan's reputation on you. Surely that amounts for something?"

"I'm afraid it isn't," she stated. "Worse still, I'm afraid you'll suffer more for it. People resist change, and you're the one who brought me here to stay. Without you, Tsunade would have arranged for my execution. You were there when she hinted at it." She picked up the tea and sipped at it.

He sighed at the memory. "Sure, sure; but now we have information on our top two enemies that we wouldn't have had before. That speaks for you in its own right."

"To most, I'm enemy number three," she reminded him. "I'm not against it, either."

"Why are you so accepting of being an outcast?" he asked in annoyance.

She drained the last dregs of her tea before continuing. "I don't like people, Neji. It's easier for me if they don't like me." He had refilled her cup as she spoke, and was now filling his own. "Some people I can stand, like you. Others, I can't stay five minutes in their presence without anger. I was moulded to be a loner."

"I'm guessing you're okay with that," he stated, adding honey to his tea while it cooled.

She shrugged as she stirred her own tea with a small spoon. "The less people I get attached to, the less pain ensues."

He eyed her from across the table. "It would be less painful for who; them, or you?"

"Both," she answered softly, after a moment's hesitation. "I'm very capable of hurting people."

"I am fully aware," he answered softly, internalizing his emotional surge.

Her eyes clouded over as she attempted to hide herself behind her tea cup.

He looked at her, almost quizzically, reading her actions as though she vocalized her irritation. She was stubborn, and stuck in her ways. Orochimaru's lessons would be next to impossible to get out of her mind.

She shook her head. Perhaps it would be best, for both of them, if she tried to see it his way. Then again, it would go against her very core nature to put that much faith in one person. She could never let herself be vulnerable again, not even to the one person she trusted the most. She was already doing everything she could to keep him as safe from her inner demons as possible; it was inevitable that he be put in danger from the external forces that hunted her. He knew full well when he signed on to be her comrade, and guard dog, what dangers would hunt her down.

"I should go," she stated softly. She tossed a handful of Ryo on the table, more than enough to cover both of them, and left the tea house, immersed in her own thoughts.

Neji watched her go, powerless to stop her. "Well, that was short," he quietly sighed to himself. He walked out after her, only to stop himself partway down the street.

Tenten walked out of a shop a short ways in front of him, laden with parcels tucked under her arm. He walked toward her. "Hey," he smiled.

She looked up at him with surprise. "Neji; I didn't expect to see you."

"Do you want help with that?" he offered, matching his pace with hers.

"No, I think I've got it," she answered. "Are you looking for Tsuki?" There was a tone of bitterness to her voice. "I think she went the other way."

"No," he answered flatly.

She looked at him, puzzled. Her eyes asked for more information, but she knew she wouldn't get it if she asked. "Oh," was all she could muster.

"Where are you headed?" he asked, quickly changing the subject before Tenten could further inquire to his comrade's absence.

"I'm going home," she replied. "I just needed to pick up a few things for my father. He would enjoy seeing you again."

Neji looked back at the hospital a moment, thinking of Tsuki. "I suppose I could make a short visit; what has it been, four months?"

Tenten glared at him. "It's been almost two years, Neji." She didn't need to draw the connection between his hiatus from her life to the appearance of his new comrade for him to pick up the snub.

"It can't have been that long." He brushed off her distaste so easily. "I remember being there."

She shook her head. "No, it's really been that long. Too long," she paused as she gave him a weak smile. "I've missed you."

"I suppose it has been a while," he sighed. Her hints of affection annoyed him. Tagging along with her for a moment wouldn't kill him, so he persisted.

Tenten stopped in front of her house. "Why did you stay away for so long? Does she not want you to have other friends?"

Neji stopped beside her, looking her dead in the eye as he did so. "It has nothing to do with that. Our relationship is strictly professional. She's a comrade and a friend, nothing more. I've been busy. I'm training to become a black ops shinobi."

"Congratulations, Neji," she smiled dully. She wasn't quite convinced, he could tell, but she was forced to accept his answer. He knew that she would inquire later, but didn't want to disrupt his time with her so early. She slid open the front door to the entrance hall, where they removed their shoes and entered the house.

XxX

Tsuki handed the appropriate documents to Andoku, a medical shinobi specializing in chakra networks. "Everything is in order," she informed him.

His sharp, green eyes shifted to her. "We shall see about that, Miss Dentsu." His medium length, blonde hair was dishevelled around his face. "We will return the product if we deem it safe. It will be destroyed otherwise, as well as all of your case work. You shall know our findings soon enough. Good day." He walked out of her lab without another word.

She quickly ducked out of her lab behind him. "Hold on a minute, Andoku," she called after him.

He stalled in the corridor, but did not turn around to see what it was she wanted. "No, you may not partake in the testing procedures," he stated before hearing her question.

"That's good to know," she replied, "But that's not my question. She came parallel to him, barely able to look him in the eyes through his hair.

He sighed, forced to give in to her inquiry. "All right, what is your request?" His eyes shifted once more away from her.

It bothered her deeply that he never had the courtesy to face her. "I simply wish to observe the testing."

"That is out of the question," he answered abruptly. "Anything you wish to know you can find out in a few short days." He continued to walk down the corridor.

"There should be no reason why I can not witness the proceedings," she rebuked. "I won't be contaminating the results in any way. I jut wish to observe."

He closed his eyes and tilted his head back in annoyance. "You already have my answer. However, I will ask Lady Tsunade what she thinks. I will have her answer to you by tomorrow."

She followed him for another five minutes, weaving her way through the network of hallways and corridors. When he turned around to ask her to leave, she had already disappeared. She was off to find Neji, and maybe cash in that nap.

Tsuki had looked for Neji for at least an hour. He hadn't been home yet, nor was he at any of their frequent hang outs. He wasn't at the training grounds, and the gate keepers hadn't seen him leave the village. He wasn't scheduled for Ops training until after dark. She was exasperated.

She went back to her apartment. The sun was setting when she had just walked through the door. She didn't get the nap she needed. She put the tea kettle on to boil before collapsing on the sofa. She unfurled a scroll of medical notes on the product Andoku had taken from her earlier in the afternoon. The paperwork had taken hours on both parts. They had to oversee each other, so she had to wait for him to arrive, as she was always early. Andoku was always right on time.

She focused on every detail she could before the kettle started to scream for her attention. She poured the boiling water over a chamomile tea bag and let it steep. The aroma relaxed her mind's furious frenzy, but only slightly.

The outcome of this project worried her. It was the first major thesis Tsunade allowed her to work on alone. Her credibility rested upon its shoulders; either she would pass, and the village would see her as an asset, or she would fail, and forever be dishonoured in Konohagakure.

When Neji walked in she was already fast asleep on the couch, her medical journal had fallen to the floor and her tea was untouched. It was cold when he picked up the mug. He had gotten wind of her search for him after he had left training and hurried to her apartment. He didn't expect to find her asleep, but there she lay.

He tried to rouse her, careful not to wake her sleeping form, but as soon as his arm was under her, her eyes flew open.

"What time is it," she asked; her voice was still groggy.

"Shortly after ten," he answered, his arm still cradling her head. "You really should go to bed if you're tired."

She sat up. "I'm not tired," she lied. "It was the chamomile."

He picked the discarded journal off the floor. "I thought you were done working on this project; what good is reading it now?"

"It goes up for review tomorrow," she explained. "I was trying to look at it through biased eyes, to see what they might see."

He was about to say something before he was interrupted abruptly by a knock on the door, which startled them both. "Who could that be?" he inquired.

"Andoku, I hope," she answered. She rose to her feet as another series of staccato raps were heard beyond the door, growing impatient with every moment the knocker had to wait. She opened the door to see that it was in fact Andoku, standing there, no longer wearing his medical garb.

"I have your answer," he stated blatantly, without waiting for her to inquire his business. He held out the scroll to her, emblazoned with the Hokage's insignia. It was sealed closed, ensuring to Tsuki that he hadn't the pleasure of knowing its contents. "Your orders are written."

She accepted the document, it feeling much heavier in her hands than it should. "Thank you," she stated politely, "Would you like to come inside?" The offer was strictly out of propriety; she knew he would decline.

"No," he answered, looking away from her. "I must be going. It's late." With that having been said, he disappeared from her doorstep and was gone.

Neji appeared behind her once their visitor had departed. He rested his hand on the door frame, surrounding her. "That was brief," he concluded. His voice hinted at his distaste for Andoku's rudeness.

She closed the door behind her, finding herself trapped by him. "That's how he usually is, toward me anyway. He's not much for company."

"I could tell," Neji replied impatiently, releasing her. "Now, will you go to bed?"

She was busy unfurling Tsunade's answer. Inside were an affirmative, date, time and location of her testing, as well as a thorough list of restrictions to keep her from tampering with the results. Relief washed over Tsuki as the night's worry slipped away from her. She couldn't prevent the small smile from becoming etched across her face. "You just got here, Neji; are you trying to be rid of me so quickly?" she accused playfully. "I can go much longer without sleep than you can, and you're not even tired."

He smiled at the jest, even though it was at his expense. He could see the energy come back to her, and knew that she had gotten her way. It was a small victory, but a victory all the same to her. He headed her off to the kitchen and placed the kettle back on the stove; not for tea, but for hot chocolate. It was a favourite of hers that she rarely indulged in, but tonight, they had something to celebrate. "I'll give in to you this once," he smirked.

She sat down at the table, placing the scroll in front of her. It was rolled up again, so he couldn't read it. He turned to face her, resting both hands on the counter behind him. "Are you going to tell me what we're celebrating?" he inquired.

She turned her head to look at him with eagerness in her eyes. "I've been allowed to watch the proceedings."

The kettle whistled, to which Neji attended. "That's wonderful," he replied, pouring water into the cups. He walked over to her, handing her a perfectly brewed, foamy cup of chocolate.

She smiled softly. "Thank you. How did training go?" She accepted the mug, gently blowing on the drink, careful to not disturb the foam.

He sat down across from her. "It went well." His tone was tired, almost exasperated, though there was a hint of satisfaction behind it. "Night training doesn't seem different to me."

She laughed softly, "Of course it doesn't."

She took a sip, and he watched her tension melt away. She slid a few centimetres down the chair, relaxing as she lowered her cup. He felt her foot graze lightly against his thigh as she crossed her legs. He brought his own drink to his lips, allowing the warmth of the cocoa fill him. He looked up at her through his eyelashes. "Tell me about your day," he requested.

She took another small sip before explaining her annoyances with Andoku, how he always treated her like she was beneath him. She wished she could put him in his place. Her confidence resonated through her words, she was positive she could overpower him in a fight. She explained the whole process they endured to make sure there were no misrepresentations on either side. The whole situation made Neji's head hurt; he could only imagine what Tsuki was feeling.

She turned the question back to him, "How did your day go?" she sipped at the cocoa some more, without taking her eyes off him.

He sighed. "It was long," he answered truthfully. "There's really not much to tell." He decided against telling Tsuki about Tenten. It was common knowledge Tsuki couldn't stand her as much as Tenten hated Tsuki. She claimed Tenten was harbouring feelings for him, and would attempt to drive a wedge between their camaraderie. Apparently, she had seen it done before. Truthfully, when she explained her foreshadowing feelings, Neji thought of Sasuke's and Sakura's reactions whenever Ino got into their heads.

She looked at him, almost knowingly. It was as though she were warning him that she knew he was hiding something for her. "I'm guessing you meditated until you had to attend with the squadron."

He shrugged and sipped his chocolate. He hated lying to her, even though he had technically said nothing false.

Tsuki complained about being hungry. She poured a bowl of sweet arare, small rice crackers with various flavours, and returned to the table. She set the bowl between them, and began snacking on the confections. Neji followed suit after a moment.

Their hands brushed over the arare, and they both lingered. Tsuki looked directly into his eyes, challenging him. He stared back at her, debating. She did not move away from him, nor flinch at his touch. He decided; it was now or never. His fingers curled under hers, brushing against her palms softly, from her wrist to her fingertips. Her fingers flexed in reaction, but otherwise she remained motionless. She glanced down at their hands, now intertwined. His eyes never left her.

After a hesitant moment, she began to retract. Neji gave her fingers a gentle squeeze before releasing her. He would not hold her against her will. She yawned again, reminding him of her tiresome state. She glanced at a clock on the wall.

"It's getting late," he stated. "I should be going if we're going to be up again tomorrow. You owe me a rematch."

She smiled at him. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."

He breathed a sigh of relief; the warmth had returned to her voice. He gathered their empty mugs and rinsed them in the sink. When he turned to face her again, she was already standing. "Care to walk me out," he requested.

She nodded. They made their way to her front door by walking through the living room. When she opened it for him, he stopped prior to crossing the threshold. He knew it was bold. He knew she'd make him pay for it in the morning when he faced her again in their battle. He pulled her hand in his one more time. She tensed, but he refused to let her go just yet. He looked her in the eyes, and without a word, brought her hand to his lips.

He released her, but not immediately. "Sleep well, Tsuki," he whispered softly. Before she could retaliate, he turned and walked away, leaving her to stew in her own thoughts. "There will be hell to pay for this," he said to himself. "I hope it was worth it."