A Thousand Miles
Written by BokchoiBaboy
Chapter 6 – Reflex: Danger
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
A/N: Whoot! Thanks for all your wonderful support and reviews! I really appreciate it :)
Neji quietly stared at the village before him. The continuous, gentle snowfall had left little effect on the village; it was completely built upon its position, and therefore was able to stand the snow, and able to keep its streets and buildings maintained, even in the harshest blizzards. At the moment, the snow was gently falling, allowing a time of tranquility and joy for all ages. Neji's pearl orbs wandered left to right, scanning the village.
It wasn't anything out of the ordinary...
Tenten's eyes snapped open, her whole body aching, her mind swirling. Her chestnut orbs frantically searched through the darkness, feeling that there was something that wasn't there before. She didn't feel any unfamiliar chakra, or any nearby.
W...what am I doing?
Her mind frantically searched for answers as it swirled. Her eyes began to slowly droop shut, her head throbbing with pain. Her delicate fingers once again traced the words on the back of her golden locket to find strength within her diminishing power.
N...Neji?
Her fingers traced the engravings once again, and her mind instantly stopped swirling. Her head and body ached from her lack of nutrition, but she got up from her place on the cold floor nonetheless. She found her newfound strength, realization hitting her, making her body immune to her current pain.
No...damn it, no!
Her mind raced to find a way out of her prison. The shackles around her ankles and wrists had long been removed, the deep scars and dried blood still present where they had been. Her body screamed at her for making such a sudden stand, and she fell to the floor, her legs weak. Tenten paid no attention to her new injuries, forcing her legs to cooperate with her. She stood once again, and began wandering in the darkness, trying to find the way out.
Tenten...
Her eyes began shining with the salty liquid that she had become so familiar with, Neji's harsh whispers bringing back memories she had thought she'd stored away for her own protection.
Tenten...
His harsh whisper once again reverberated through her head and through her heart, making echoes and impressions all over her body. She knew that what she had tried to avoid had happened; Neji came after her. Tears began to spill down her dirty face as his whispers grew louder and louder. Her hand tightly cupped her locket, blood slowly oozing from the wound she had caused a week earlier.
Her legs continued moving automatically, her mind trapped in confusion and despair. Neji was here, to save her, so shouldn't she be happy? She shook her head painfully, her eyes still frantically searching for a source of light. Neji was going to die.
...Why...why did he have to...keep his...promise?
More tears fell from her eyes as she remembered his very words...
Tenten...
...I promise...if you ever leave me...
...I promise I'll walk a thousand miles to get you if I have to...
I love you.
Tenten froze, her senses picking up large amounts of chakra. Her body began trembling with fear and cold, her eyes wishing they could see through the endless abyss of darkness. She felt a cold hand touch her bare shoulders, sending tremors through her body.
"Who...who are you...?" She managed to spit out.
She saw a man emerge from the darkness, his own body providing a source of light in the darkness. Her eyes burned at the unfamiliar shine, and she snapped them shut to keep them from getting harmed.
"I think you'd know me...if I'd introduce myself..."
Her heart began racing faster and faster. The voice was so familiar, but she couldn't lay a finger on it. Curious, her eyes snapped open, to be faced with a familiar sight that she had forgotten long ago. The man before her smiled wickedly at her, and did a technique she was so familiar with. She began to slowly fall to the ground, her head and mind screaming in agony, tears following her falling body.
N...Neji...
Her heart cried out as her mind was met with darkness.
Neji's eyes snapped open, his Byakugan instantly activating. He carefully searched everything that his Byakugan could pick up, from chakra levels to the people that walked by. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, he returned his concentration to the new, hot, steamy ramen bowl in front of him. He continued to eat, his Byakugan still carefully activated.
While his stomach digested the incoming food, his mind began to wander, questioning his sudden reflex to activate his Byakugan. He had heard nothing out of the ordinary, nor had he sensed anything out of place. He wondered what could have made his natural and honed instincts suddenly snap up out of the blue.
Neji finished his ramen, paid, and walked out of the booth. Snow once again began to cover his body, a thin blanket forming over the newly paved streets. Children were laughing and enjoying the snow, all playing together as if nothing was wrong in the world. Neji envied them for their childhood innocence, hoping that their happiness wasn't destroyed by fate and by horrible circumstances. He smirked.
It doesn't matter about your past when you have the present to worry about...
Neji stared at the falling snow, a distant memory returning to the front of his mind...
Neji sat in the back of the classroom, his eyes piercing, his mood gloomy. It was the first day of the academy, and the unfamiliar students had already taken a disliking towards him. Well, he wouldn't really call it disliking; perhaps the real word should be 'bullying'. He thought them to be fools. They thought his eyes were scary, abnormal, and out-of-this-world. He sneered at the stupidity. Had they never heard of the Hyuuga clan? They were one of the most prestigious clans of Konoha!
"Look at him!" He heard the girls whisper.
"He looks like a girl! I bet he's weak!" He heard the boys whisper.
His eyebrow twitched in irritation. If Hiashi weren't always over his back, he would have kicked these kids right out of the room. He paid them no mind though. He was used to being made fun of, cast off, and left in a corner to rot. That was what the Main family did to the cursed Branch members.
"What's she doing?"
His eyebrow rose with interest. The girls were actually talking about someone else. He turned his head from the window, and was met with a tiny, delicate hand.
"I'm Tenten."
He blankly stared at the girl in front of him. She was that girl that had no parents, and was living alone. He wondered if she understood how he felt. After a few quick moments of hesitation, he shook her tiny hand.
"Hyuuga Neji."
He made emphasis on his last name. He knew everyone heard.
The next few days, Neji found himself growing closer to the Tenten girl. He found that she was actually very strong, regardless of all the girls picking on her. She had good aim, as he found out when they were learning how to properly throw weapons, and she was perky and friendly when someone got to know her well enough. He learned that she was a very good listener, and that she didn't know where her remaining family was.
"Neji?"
The said boy turned around to face her, his happiness long gone. He was sitting alone in a field far away from the Hyuuga estate, tears not flowing from his eyes. Instead, his heard was encompassed with bitterness. Tenten stared at him with pity and sorrow.
"What's wrong?"
He turned away from her, not wanting his only friend to seem him like this.
"Get away from me."
She complied.
The next years, Neji had forgotten all the happiness he had spent with Tenten. Tenten didn't mind, knowing that if he really wanted to speak with her, he would. But he never did.
When they were placed on the same cell, their relationship seemed to start off from the beginning, with a rocky start. Tenten couldn't innocently place a hand in front of him and expect him to shake it. Instead, she spoke to him.
"Neji."
He gave her a look, acknowledging her presence.
"You shouldn't worry about the past when you have the present to worry about."
She gave him an innocent smile, and pulled out her kunai.
"Let's spar."
Neji smirked. He remembered how hard it was for her to regain his trust.
Neji...
His Byakugan activated, her whispers reverberating through his mind. He stared around him frantically, his eyes only catching the joyous children on the streets.
Tenten?
He frowned. There it was again – that weird reflex that made his Byakugan activate. It was a reflex he had honed with so many spars with Tenten, and only snapped on when he felt Tenten was in danger. He wondered why it was reacting now – he hadn't seen, nor heard from Tenten personally, until that day two years ago.
He remembered the shattered fragments of the brilliant red leaf, and his bitter nightmare a week before. His mind began wandering through memories and places, words and phrases, hoping to find a hint of a clue to what was going on. He shook the weird feeling off, and walked to the inn, hoping to get a good night's rest.
Neji lay in a light slumber, his eyes ever watching his surroundings. He felt a peace; the snow made no noise when it was just falling down onto the Earth. He was lulled into a state of sleeping tranquility; his eyes were resting, but they were still wide-awake. It was a skill only the best ninja had perfected.
Once more, he jolted up into a sitting position, his Byakugan once again activated. His eyes searched his room frantically, and again found nothing there.
What's...what's happening?
It was then that he heard a cry of agony reverberate through his body.
He realized it to be Tenten.
Neji...please...forgive me...
A/N: Sorry I updated so late. XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Who is that mystery member of the Akatsuki? Is Tenten alright? What's Neji going to do?
Find out in the next episode of NARUTO BALL Z!Haha, just kidding! But I do hope to answer those questions in the next chapter :)
Thanks for reading!