AN: piled on the angst here, but hopefully there are enough intervals of humor to keep you all sane and alive. I don't want anyone crying into their ice-cream again (I had a reviewer say that after the angsty section of phase two).
NejiTen was so popular, I think only 3 of my 10 reviews didn't ask for it. Polls now stand at 12 for NejiTen, 9 for KakaSaku, and 6 for ShikaIno.
Next chapter will probably be ShikaIno, though I may make it a joint chapter with half dedicated to KakaSaku. I just have to have the ShikaIno now because what I have written needs to be here in the time frame. Same actually applies for the KakaSaku.
It will go back to NejiTen though, with the second next chapter about the meeting between them.
2537 words in this chapter.
Unmasked
Chapter 4- Curse
As she sat quietly in the main room, Tenten's head was thumping with problems. She didn't know where to start and the loneliness was making matters even worse.
Ordinarily, when she was alone, she would talk to one of the serving staff or just go and start some training, but here, she couldn't do either of those things. She had woken up early in the morning from nightmares and noticed that there was still no one in the apartment.
She checked Sakura's bed and found it undisturbed. Now it was about nine in the morning and she had eaten already, so was now just waiting for her to return from wherever she was the night before.
Tenten practically ran to the door "Sakura! Why didn't you come home last night?"
"Gomen, I um… got carried away at work"
"I know you are lying."
Sakura glared sarcastically "How?"
"Well, for starters, you are wearing a jonin shirt. Then there's the grass stains on your skirt…"
She looked down and realized what she meant "Kuso"
"You really shouldn't wear white when you go fooling about. Where have you really been?"
"That's none of your business"
"Yes it is. What happened to "I'll be there for you"? I really needed to talk to you." She slumped back down on the sofa as Sakura walked into the main room.
"Gomen, but I do need a social life occasionally"
"Who was it?"
"What do you mean "who was it"? You say that so accusingly" Sakura scowled at her.
"I'm just interested to know, I'd feel bad if you felt you had to hide it from me. Are you dating someone?"
Sakura sighed and sat down next to her "Hai."
"Who is it?"
She looked worried for a little while, but then her eyes flashed like she had thought of something "Kiba"
Hey eyes went wide "Again? I thought you broke up with him years ago"
"One year ago, and technically, we weren't dating, we were just fooling around."
"So what are you doing now?"
"Fooling around, but with invitations to go to the celebration next week"
"You do realize he will only have said yes to that so he can "pick up" someone from Suna at the dance, don't you?"
"Hai, it doesn't bother me." She shrugged, then got up and headed towards the kitchen. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"
"I um… I thought the phone didn't work."
"It didn't until yesterday. I got it fixed while you were out training. Why, did someone call?"
"Hai" she lowered her voice
"Who was it?"
"Neji"
Sakura froze at the door way. "Oh" she turned slowly to face her with a wince.
Tenten put her head in her hands.
"Are you alright? What did he want?" Sakura sat back down beside her and put a hand comfortingly on her shoulder.
"What do you think? He wanted me to come home."
"How did he know you were here?"
"He didn't. Shikamaru called the number and passed the phone over once I answered. He doesn't know where I am."
"It's not that much of a problem then really. So long as he can't find you…"
"He asked to meet up. No mans land. Somewhere away from the estate"
"He asked? Not ordered?"
"Hai, it was odd. I think Shikamaru might have bound him still or something, he sounded worried."
"He couldn't just have been worried about you?"
Tenten gave Sakura a spiteful glare. "Don't make jokes. This is serious."
"Gomen, when did he say you should meet?"
"Tonight, nine o'clock, in Konoha Park"
"Are you going to go?"
"I'm not sure. It might be good to listen to what he has to say. If he just issues orders and crap again then I can always come back here at the end of the night. I'm not sure I really want to face him yet though. Tsunade might scold me if he ends up in a body cast before next week"
"Screw Tsunade, it might benefit you just to let it all out for once. I'd see it as a chance to tell him what he's done if I were you. Knowing Neji he won't have any idea, he'll be blaming it on you."
"Well that's the other thing, I'm not even sure I want to give him the chance. I don't think he'll ever change, not now."
"You'd be surprised Tenten, a lot of people change unexpectedly, you just have to see them from another angle. Maybe you leaving like this will shock Neji into change. You already said he sounded different on the phone."
"Don't get your hopes up Sakura. You said the same thing about Sasuke once."
"That was different. Please don't mention him again. I wasn't saying that he will suddenly realize he is in love with you or anything stupid like that. I just meant… you know, he's intelligent enough to realize that he is driving you away. You might at least get an apology."
"Sakura, if you were single, you would be sane again. There would be no way you would say that normally."
"Maybe you're right." She stood up and went to leave "I need a shower before I go to work again. I'll have to without uniform today."
"Sakura, don't you need breakfast?"
"I already had it at K-, um…Kiba's." she disappeared to the bathroom quickly.
Tenten sat still again and began to think over what Sakura had said. Could he have been worried? No, not Neji. He probably only noticed because he wanted to get me pregnant on Thursday. If I'd have left any earlier…
But why did he want to anyway? We never kissed before because it was unnecessary so what makes sleeping together any different. It can't really be that he is competing with Hinata. He always thought himself above her anyway, and she and Takahashi kiss all the time. If it was that, we would have too.
Could it be that he was ordered to? I know he is main branch now, but I don't think they ever removed the curse mark. I'd feel really bad if I left like that for something he had no control over.
He never had any choice… just like me… we were both cursed…
FLASHBACK
Tenten turned up to the early training session in a cheery mood. It was late March and weeks after her 17th birthday. Despite the chill in the air, the sun was shining for the first time in months.
Nothing major had happened in Konoha for a while and she was glad for a chance to train from an earlier hour with the others.
Since the end of last autumn, her team had agreed not to train as early for the risk of cold, so she had been practicing inside on her own. Now though, she could restart her early morning sparring sessions with Neji.
She was exited to test her accuracy against his Byakugan, though she was anxious in case her training during the winter months had not been sufficient. As part of the Hyuuga clan, Neji had full access to training facilities all year around, so no doubt he had also been up early training himself. It would be interesting to see the outcome.
What made her really exited today though was the news she had to tell the others.
Yesterday she had missed training with the team to apply to ANBU admissions. You had to be seventeen in order to enter and have achieved at least chunin status. She had become a chunin last year, so she didn't waste much time in applying.
Neji wouldn't be able to even apply till July, and that gave her a feeling of superiority for once, even if that was short term.
As she strode up, she found Gai and Lee doing stretches in the clearing they had set for training. She repressed the sensation of needing to throw up from an overdose of green jumpsuit and kept her positive attitude. "Ohayo"
They both stood and turned to face her. Lee surged forward and pulled her into a bear hug. "Tenten!"
"Our beautiful flower of youthfulness, we missed your youthful presence in our training yesterday." Gai grinned terrifyingly.
Tenten pried Lee off her carefully and smiled back. "Gomen Gai-sensei, I had some things to do, but I come back bearing good news. Did Neji manage alright without me to spar with?"
"I wouldn't know. Neji did not appear either."
"Hai, it was just me and Gai-sensei!" Lee beamed, turning to face his idol.
"But we didn't mind, did we Lee?" he turned in response.
"No Gai-sensei, we did not mind at all!" they both soon forgot Tenten's presence and embraced each other in a hug.
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Tenten sighed and sat up in a nearby tree, beginning to check her scrolls.
Next thing she knew, she felt a presence just above her in the tree. Without turning, she knew who it was and kept on with her checks.
He addressed her in a low voice. "You didn't go to training yesterday."
"Neither did you."
"I did, for long enough to notice you weren't there, but then I was called away for family affairs."
"Gai-sensei didn't notice."
"That's not my problem…" he sighed heavily, then dropped something to her which she caught with deadly accuracy. "This is."
Before she could look at it, he had thrown a kunai in between the twin beasts of Konoha and dropped from the tree. The sounds of their greetings came through to her deafeningly but she ignored them as she looked down at the scroll.
The edge of it showed it to be official Hyuuga documentation. Why is he giving this to me?
She simply shrugged it off and jumped down beside him, scroll in hand. I'll read it later.
"Let's start." Tenten suggested and all three men turned to stare at her.
"Tenten, our flower of youthfulness, you said you had wonderful news to tell us all." Gai interrupted.
Tenten looked curiously at the puzzled, almost fearful expression on Neji's face, and then smiled back at Gai again. "Yesterday… my application was accepted for consideration." She glanced around at the blank expressions and sighed, speaking slower so they would understand. "ANBU"
"Tenten! Congratulations!" Lee beamed at her, turning to seek approval from Gai, who was tearing up with pride.
Neji however, just looked down in thought, before walking off out of the clearing. "Hn"
Ignoring the thespian tears of their other team mates, Tenten ran off after Neji.
She found him stood a little way past the clearing, facing away from her. She stood about three meters away, her hands placed firmly on her hips. "What is wrong with you?"
He didn't move.
"Is there any particular reason why you can't be happy for me like everyone else?"
"Did you read it?"
"No. I'll read it later. We are supposed to be training, not reading."
"Just read it." He walked off again at a slow rambling pace. "If you still want to talk, find me when you're done."
She stood still, astounded by his behavior. He was almost showing emotion. She watched his back as he left, then glared at the scroll in her hand, fingering the gold edged paper.
She began slowly walking back towards the others, unraveling the scroll as she went. With every word she walked slower and slower, her expression frozen in shock.
When she had finished, she collapsed to the dirt, dropping the scroll and staring blankly at the floor.
Gai and Lee rushed forwards. "What is wrong precious Tenten?"
She gestured pathetically to the scroll. "I- I don't… understand"
Gai took it off her and read it over. "This is wonderful! The bonds of our team will be united stronger than ever for sure! What a beautiful display of youthfulness!"
"N- Nani?" she stammered
"It says you were chosen to be his wife. He must have chosen you!"
"Tenten is going to get married? How wonderful" Lee practically sang with excitement.
"Better than that Lee," Gai grinned "Tenten is going to get married to Neji!"
"Oh Gai-sensei! This is more possibly wonderful than we could imagine!"
"oh Lee!"
"Gai-sensei!"
"Lee!"
Tenten glared despairingly up at the gibbering mass of shining grins and bowl cuts and wished for the earth to open up and swallow her whole. I won't cry. I won't run after him. I have to be strong. He seemed really upset by it. Obviously he didn't choose me, and he really doesn't seem overjoyed that it is me. He called it a problem.
This is so sudden. I have to marry Neji? I don't get any say in the matter? Even worse though, he disapproved of the ANBU thing.
Does that mean that they will forbid it? Kami I need to talk to him. I don't want to, I want to run away and pretend it isn't happening, but I need to. I have so many questions… but can he answer them? What am I going to do?
"Tenten! We must tell all of Konoha so that they may share this joyous moment!" Lee exclaimed "Hai! If the youthful blossom of my heart knows of the wedding she will surely change her mind and finally recognize that she must accept my love for her. I will go and tell her right away."
Tenten finally snapped. "Lee! You will do no such thing!" she threw a series of kunai at his feet to stop his path. "We are here to train and we will do that, nothing else. Neji is not coming back, so we have to manage alone."
"But Tenten, who will tell the village of your soon to be bride-hood."
"No one. Not until I have been told more about it than a scroll of orders. I'll just talk to Hinata or one of the others and find out what is going on."
"What ever do you mean Tenten?" Gai asked her. "You know what is going on. You are to be wed to our prodigious and youthful team mate."
"No! I won't accept that. There has to be more to it." She picked up the kunai one by one and began firing them in a pattern on the largest tree in the clearing without even looking. She lifted her head up slowly to see a cross with a line of kunai at either side. It was a perfect mirror image of a Hyuuga curse mark.
It frustrated her so much to see it that she fired an accurate string of shurikan at the stuck out kunai. In a spark of metal, they were lying uselessly on the floor. She turned to the others who stood in fear of the raging weapons mistress and gave them a determined glare, producing a katana from a scroll in a flash. "Who wants to fight me first?"
END OF FLASHBACK
Hai, he had no choice. He was just the delivery boy. I'm being selfish asking him to care like that.
I have to go and meet him. Even if I end up having to apologize, this has to end.
One way or another, I can't live like this.
AN: I may cry…
Kidding.
It doesn't stay this depressing for long with NejiTen I promise you all. I'm a comedy writer by nature. The last chapter was funny so it balances out, and what I have so far of the next isn't too bad either so it won't be too boring.
Stay shiny and show the luff
XX Belizma-chan XX