A Thousand Miles
Written by BokchoiBaboy

Chapter 9 – Painful Truth

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
A/N: Thank you all for your support and reviews!

"Hyuuga Neji."

It took all of Neji's self-control to keep his voice steady. His eyes stared into her deep chestnut orbs, bewilderment and pain silently shown in his dull, pearl shine. She, in turn, stared in return, her eyes wondering why he was so familiar when they had just only met.

"W-well...you were alone back here, so I thought I'd...talk to you."

The pain in his eyes scared her. She wanted to know if she did something wrong. Usually, she wouldn't have this kind of attachment to a stranger, but...she was. Neji turned his head away, trying his hardest to keep his stoic façade. He wondered what had happened to Tenten, and why she had forgotten him.

"Hey! There's Hinata, Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke!"

Tenten smiled, and tapped on the window to get the four's attention. They turned to see the source of the noise, and their eyes widened when they saw the missing ninja next to Neji. They smiled (Sasuke smirking of course) and made their way to enter the café. Hinata loomed by the window, staring at her cousin with puzzlement in her eyes. He wasn't happy, he didn't show any signs of being happy, and a deep frown was on his face. She knew he was hiding pain. But from what?

Sakura ran and hugged Tenten, a joyous smile present on her face. They had become the best of friends over the years, always together on missions and whatnot. When she released Tenten from her hold, she stood to the side, letting the others have their turn. Her piercing emerald orbs gazed at Neji, wonder in her eyes. Sakura knew that Neji was watching her with his Byakugan, but wondered why he wasn't turned around.

"Neji?" She whispered.

He tensed at her voice, but kept his gaze to the surroundings outside. Sakura turned to Hinata, who had just finished embracing Tenten, for help. Hinata stood at her cousin's side, a soft, delicate hand on his shoulder for support. He didn't tense at her touch; instead he gave her a brotherly gaze, and soon turned away. Hinata softly smiled at him, and turned to Sakura.

I'll talk to him later.

Sakura nodded, understanding Hinata's gaze. Hinata smiled at her, and soon averted her gaze to Tenten when the girl turned around to face them.

"It's so nice to see you guys again! Oh...hey, you...know him?" Tenten asked.

Sakura and Hinata exchanged gazes, as Naruto looked at the girl flabbergasted. His mouth opened to say something, but Hinata stopped him with a sharp glance. Hinata's sudden strength caused him to close his mouth shut and turn away.

"Y-yes, Tenten. He's my cousin," Hinata said.

Tenten's eyes widened, and a small smile appeared on her rosy lips.

"Ah, I should have known. His pearl eyes gave it away."

Sasuke and Naruto stared at Hinata and Sakura silently, knowing that there was something wrong. Sakura nodded, and they all gave Tenten a smile.

"We have to go get some grocery shopping done," Sakura said.

Tenten averted her gaze from Hinata, and turned to face the blossoming kunoichi. She nodded, and smiled.

"It was nice to see you guys after two years," she said.

Naruto, Sakura, and Hinata smiled at her.

"Likewise," Naruto said.

The four began walking away, waving goodbye to their friend. When they turned away, their faces turned serious, and they all made their way to the inn for a nice, team meeting. When Neji sensed them gone, he placed money in the table, and got up. Tenten stared at him, confused.

"H-hey! Where are you going?"

Neji turned to face her, his eyes cold and piercing, showing large signs of pain. Tenten was taken aback by the strength of his piercing orbs, and just stared as he walked away.

"...It was nice meeting you," she whispered.

She saw him stop for a moment, but he soon continued on his way.

Tenten returned to the white room in the hidden headquarters of Akatsuki, her amazing photographic memory allowing her to navigate through the thick, snow-covered lands of Snow Country. Luckily, the headquarters was on the outskirts of the village, placed for easy infiltration if they were ever to wipe out the Snow.

She plopped down on her bed, thoughts racing through her mind. Luckily, that maniacal man hadn't confronted her about anything. She wondered about the new person she had met – Hyuuga Neji. She felt a strange warmth erupt through her body when she had first saw him, and she felt a part of her feel...relieved. But another part of her screamed in pain. She wondered why. He was...he was a stranger.

Why...why was she feeling this way?

Her mind screamed in confusion. She wanted to know why he had looked at her with so much...pain. Had she...done something wrong?

Hinata softly stared at her cousin, her lavender orbs emitting a warm aura. Sasuke stared outside of Neji's window, watching a new snowstorm form from the gentle snow being swayed by fierce winds. Sakura stood next to Sasuke, her emerald eyes closed in thought. Naruto's cerulean orbs were hidden from view, a deep frown on his face. Neji sat stiffly on his bed, his piercing pearl orbs seeming to break through the walls.

"What do you think happened to her?" Sakura asked.

"She remembered us, but not Neji," Naruto said.

The two Hyuuga cousins remained silent.

"A forbidden jutsu is the most reasonable explanation. The fact that only Neji was erased, though, makes it even harder."

They all turned to face the Uchiha who had just spoken. His onyx orbs still didn't leave the coming snowstorm. Sakura stared at him softly, and soon averted her gaze.

"I can look it up in the books, though Tsunade-sensei probably has the ones that I need. That means I'll have to go to Konoha."

"No."

Everyone's eyes widened at the Uchiha's piercing tone. They were used to it, but never had he used such a demanding tone with Sakura before. Sakura glared at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"I can do what I want. This is for Tenten and Neji's sake!"

"A snowstorm is coming. You can go kill yourself if you want; I'm not stopping you."

Sakura quietly gasped, and stared at the Uchiha. Never had he seemed to be concerned for her, nor had he ever ordered her in such a way.

"You're a paradox. First you stop me, and now you don't. Pick one."

The Uchiha's deep orbs averted their gaze from the window, and stared into Sakura's gentle emerald ones.

"I don't monitor you, so you pick one."

Sakura was about to retort, but Naruto's harsh voice stopped her.

"Shut up, I'm trying to think."

Sakura scowled and sat down on the cold floor, her brows furrowed in irritation.

"Feh, now you want to think, you dobe."

Sasuke smirked when he heard her mumble the nearly inaudible words.

Hinata softly smiled at Sakura to help make her feel better, and Sakura gave her a small smile before returning to her deep scowl. Naruto stared at his teammates with his lively cerulean orbs.

"We'll try to find out where she's staying. If a forbidden jutsu was used on her, if we find out where she's staying, we might find out a little background. For now, let's get some sleep."

The boy got up and left the room, leaving silence looming around him. He was becoming the figure of the ideal Hokage. Sasuke soon followed, Sakura following suite.

"Neji-nii-san..."

Neji shook his head, and gazed at his cousin. Hinata nodded, understanding his gaze. She smiled at him, and soon left his room, shutting the door softly behind her.

Neji stared at the white ceiling above him, the fierce snowstorm outside rattling his window. No matter how hard he tried, sleep would not overcome him. Tenten's image and personality today was first on his mind, and it troubled him to such an extent if a fly landed on his leg, he would kill it.

Frustration was beginning to envelop his emotions. Tenten's locket was not around her neck like it usually was, she remembered everyone but him, but she was safe. He knew he was feeling selfish, envying how he was so easily forgotten while the others were not.

She said she loved him...

He wanted her to remember him. He clenched his fists tightly, blood beginning to seep from his palm. He bit his lip in frustration, having a sudden urge to punch through the wall.

...She...forgot me so easily...

He turned to his side, taking his mind off the freedom that the window mocked him with. He closed his eyes in pain, feeling his heart shatter with every inhale and exhale he took.

She...she...

He slowly opened his eyes once more, the unfamiliar salty liquid looming at the corners. They caught an unfamiliar envelope on his dresser, and he sat up, his hand reaching to grab it. The envelope was heavy with an object, in perfect shape with no bends or creases. He was about to open it, but thought for a bit.

There was no way that this envelope could slide under his door; the object was too thick inside. There was no hole in the floor, door, or windows, for the object to have flown in somehow. It was very, very, suspicious.

What if...?

Pushing the thought of danger away, Neji opened the envelope, noticing his name neatly written on the front.

Salty liquid ran from his eyes when he pulled the object out of the perfect envelope, its shine seeming to shatter him even more. It was Tenten's locket, and his engraving of "I love you" was still there, in perfect shape.

Tenten...?

Tears dripped onto the shining surface as bitterness encompassed his heart. With a quick motion, he threw the locket at the wall, its figure still remaining in perfect shape. He lay down on his bed, his pillow becoming wet from his salty tears of pain.

A/N: So, I hope you like this chapter! Angsty-ish. :) So, since I don't have much to say...

Where did the mysterious envelope containing Tenten's locket come from? (obvious but...) ...And how did it get there in the first place? Will Sakura return to Konoha, or will Sasuke force her to use the limited resources the Snow has?

Will the gang ever find the headquarters and find the Maniac Man? D:

And of course, the question still stands: Will Neji be too full of pain and frustration and push Tenten away, or will he eventually be able to accept her memory loss and help her gain 'him' back?

Find out soon!

Thanks for reading, everyone!