The kunai hit the tree viciously, sending a large crack right down the middle. All around me lay a collage of different weapons, the metal blades glinting in the pale moonlight.
The anger and hurt that surged through me felt like fire in my veins, raging and unyielding. I picked up a shruiken and hurled it at the same tree with all my strength. It missed entirely and sailed into the surrounding bushes.
And they call me the Konoha weapons mistress. What bullshit. I couldn't even hit a fat ass tree.
I grabbed another kunai and tried to ignore the film of tears covering my eyes. I'd seen Neji earlier that day. Kami, he looked even more handsome than I remembered. I hadn't run into his arms like I thought I would because that woman was there with him. And he wouldn't have been able to catch me if one of his hands was occupied by one of hers.
Her name was Mai. That's what Hinata had told me only hours ago. At first, I hadn't believed what she'd said and had to see with my own eyes. I wish I hadn't.
She was beautiful with her deep auburn tresses and icy blue eyes. I opened and closed my eyes several times in hope that she was just some illusion and would disappear any moment. She didn't.
Hinata had walked with me back to my apartment, where Ino and Sakura were already waiting. As soon as I saw them I broke down into a fit of uncontrollable sobs. They cried with me, not saying a word because they didn't have to. They all understood what heartbreak what was like.
They were still at my apartment, having decided to stay the night in case I needed them. I did. Right now I needed them to tell me that Neji was just playing, to tell me that he wasn't with that girl.
What I needed even more was Neji. My whole body was unnaturally cold and empty, and there was a dull ache in my chest.
It wasn't fair! I'd thrown my whole heart out there at him, and now it's been flung right back in my face because of a stupid misunderstanding. I was more than ready to apologize as many times as possible for him to take me back.
But that wasn't his plan. He didn't want me back. He'd been on a fucking mission for Tsunade, which I was sure wasn't to get another girlfriend. So why the hell had he come back with one?
I flung my last kunai with so much force, it sent me to my knees, and I didn't bother to get up. What was the point? Where was I supposed to go?
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Tenten!"
I turned when someone shouted my name, and smiled softly as Naruto sped in my direction. He grinned when he finally reached me, eyes bouncing with happiness.
"I need you to help me find a ring for Hinata," he stated.
I didn't understand at first, but after a couple minutes it finally hit me. "You're going to propose!" I declared loudly, feeling that excitement bubble up inside me.
He clamped a hand over my mouth and glanced about him cautiously. "Shh, no one is supposed to know."
"Sorry," I whispered back, struggling not to dance in the middle of the street.
Two days had passed since Neji returned, and I was struggling to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't mine anymore. I'd managed to catch sight of him only once, and that was when I'd passed a
restaurant he and Mai were at. I hated her. I mean, when someone you don't even know steals the love of your life you're bound to feel some resentment toward them. I was beyond resentment and at the point of wanting to pin her down with a few kunai. She wasn't a ninja. She probably wouldn't catch them.
I suddenly found myself being dragged along the busy streets and into a jewelry store. This seemed like a bad idea, an excited Naruto in a store with very delicate items. That was not a good combination.
But he simply browsed, never touching or bumping into anything. When it came to jewelry, Hinata preferred more of a simple design. Anything too extravagant or huge made her nervous and self conscious.
Naruto and I browsed the many choices, occasionally pointing out something that caught our attention. I paused, a silver ring catching my attention.
It was a thick band of silver with intricate designs carved into them, beautiful and arching and graceful. Tiny diamonds outlined the ring, gleaming ever so faintly in the light. It was perfect.
"Naruto," I breathed. "Look at this one."
Naruto scurried over to me, and we both observed the ring. "Wow," he said. "I don't know much about jewelry, but if you say it's the right one, then I know it is."
Those simple words made my eyes tear, and I turned my head to smile at him. He bought the ring, which was an agreeably price, and we exited the store. My mood had lightened considerably, and I walked alongside Naruto with a slight bounce in my step.
"So when do you plan on asking her?" I asked, and Naruto blushed.
"Tonight," he answered softly, which was way out of character for him. "Hiashi said he didn't want a "bastard child" and now there won't be one."
I smiled at the cute blush adorning his face. There was a tender look in his eye that seemed to soften his matured features, and the smile on his lips gave him a more boyish edge. Man, he was a sucker in love.
"It's great what you're doing for her, Naruto," I said, and he grinned.
"But not as great as what you've done for the both of us," he said stopping suddenly, causing me to stop as well. He turned to face me fully, a more serious look on his face. "I never got to really thank you for what you've done. I mean, you helped Hinata so much those first four months, and the way you handled the Hiashi situation was better than either of us could've done. Me and Hinata owe a lot to you."
I was seriously touched by his thank you, enough to make my eyes water again, and I nearly cried out in surprise when Naruto hugged me and lifted me off the ground.
"Naruto…I can't…breathe," I managed to say against his broad chest, and he smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry," he said, setting me back on my feet. "I guess I'd better be getting back home. Hinata's probably mad with one of her cravings by now."
I bid him good bye but stopped when he called out my name once more. "Neji's stupid for not going back to you. He's really missing out."
I wavered for a moment before responding softly. "Thanks, Naruto."
My mood immediately returned to the brooding one, and I walked home with a heavy silence on my shoulders. The heat of the summer day was nearly intolerable, and I tugged uncomfortably at my collar. Honestly, how could a town with a freezing winter be so damn cold in the summer?
I was so out of it, I almost didn't catch Neji and Mai across the street. They didn't see me because they were too wrapped up in eachother.
She leaned her head on his shoulder, and he whispered something in her ear. The whole scene made me sick. My stomach churned, and my throat got sticky.
She raised her hand to move a piece of hair out his face, and that's when I saw it. A glittering, circular cut diamond that rested on a silver band on her finger. Dear Kami.
A/N: Uh oh. I think we all know what that is. The next chapter is when Neji and Tenten finally come face to face but not under ordinary circumstances. I saw a ring on the internet that inspired Hinata's ring, and I loved it. Lol. Well, I'm out.
