A Thousand Miles
Written by BokchoiBaboy
Chapter 10 – Begin
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
A/N: Thanks for the reviews:)
Soft, rare, sunlight penetrated through Neji's windows, bringing in a calming source of warmth in the midst of winter. His pearl orbs slowly opened, stained from the flow of the salty liquids. He got up and took a warm shower, washing away all his signs of showing emotion. He knew he would disgrace Hinata and the Hyuuga name if he, the Hyuuga Neji, showed signs of doing such a weak action. After his shower, he put on his freshly cleaned clothes, the shine of the locket in the corner of the room catching his eye. He silently stared at it, and walked towards it.
Tenten.
He picked it up gently, letting it twirl on its chains, the shine seeming to bring in warmth into his empty body. The words engraved on the back gave him mixed sensations: it gave him warmth and hope, that someday, Tenten would remember him; but it also made him feel pain and sorrow, knowing that Tenten would never be able to see this again. It wasn't easy to regain Hyuuga Neji's trust back. Only few had done so – one of them being Tenten.
But could she do it again?
Neji's Byakugan instinctively activated as he heard a timid knock on his door. His eyes widened when he recognized the chakra levels and body shape. He placed the locket in the pocket of his pants, the golden shine hidden from view. He slowly opened the door, and found the object of his thoughts – Tenten, standing at his door, her eyes downcast and showing signs of fatigue.
"N-Neji? C-can I talk to you for a little?"
Staying silent, he stepped aside, letting the distraught girl step into his room. Tenten hesitated at first, but soon made up her mind when she sensed the extreme pain and strength in his eyes. He closed the door behind her and leaned against the wall, watching her silently, waiting for her to continue. Tenten remained silent at first, the strength of his eyes intimidating her.
"Uh..."
Tenten mentally killed herself. She knew she wasn't this weak, but for some reason, everything about him made her lose all her self-control. Neji stared at her, amusement hidden behind the pain. But the amusement went away when bitterness and realization hit him.
So she forgot...everything about me?
Tenten noticed the new dull shine in his eyes, and looked at his face. It was tense and showed pain, his lips formed into a deep frown. She could feel his aura warning her to back off, his chakra levels on the verge of exploding with power. Without knowing what hit her, her body moved, and her arms wrapped around his body. Neji's eyes widened, shock, confusion, and pain causing him to stay still. He knew that it was the same Tenten that he loved, but she was...different. Tenten quickly pulled away, a light blush on her cheeks.
"I-I'm sorry. I'll go now, see you later!"
Without giving Neji a chance to say anything, she ran off and gently closed the door behind her. Neji took the locket out of his pocket, his eyes narrowed in pain. However, a quick, one-second smile flashed on his lips as one thought raced through his mind.
Sometimes the body remembers what the mind doesn't.
Tenten ran towards her little white room, pain and surprise written all over her face. She wanted to know why she had such a sudden impulse.
Why...why did I run away?
Tears began to flow down her face, and her vision was blurred. Soon enough, when she reached her room, she rammed right into Maniac Man (this will be her brother's name until his actual name is revealed ;D). They both landed with an 'oof', the man breaking most of the fall. He hissed in anger and pain, shoving the girl off him.
"Watch where you're going!"
Tenten huffed in anger, standing up, and making her way to the door.
"Then stop going to my room!"
The man hissed at her in anger, his eyes menacing and piercing. She returned the deep glare, and opened the door to the extremely bright room.
"I know you're somehow watching whatever I do in this room, so either stop the stalking, or stop coming to my room!"
Tenten gave him one last scowl, and slammed the door in his face.
Maniac Man (okay, I really need to introduce his name soon...) stared at the slammed door, his malice seeming to burn holes through the thick wall. An insane smile was on his face, his eyes gleaming with sadistic pleasure.
Oh, what's this? Looks like something's happened to Tenny-chan...
Another insane laugh reverberated through the hallways as he walked towards his own room, his eyes still gleaming with sadistic pleasure.
I hope that boy got the envelope...Oh sweet Tenny-chan, the fun is just beginning.
Tenten awoke in diminishing light, her eyes adjusting to the soon-to-come darkness. She had fallen asleep when she had laid her head on her pillow, the fatigue of the previous night taking its toll on her. She slowly sat up, rubbing her chestnut eyes. Her eyes stared at the time: 7:00 PM. She still had two hours to be able to go outside. Gathering her kunai, she placed her collection in her pouch, and left the white room.
Neji quietly closed the door behind him, making sure not to awake the others. They were all sleeping in their rooms, the search of the day tiring them out. Sasuke and Sakura's argument continued for an hour, ending in silence and a quiet huff of defeat. Naruto and Hinata retired quietly, Hinata wisely knowing to leave him alone when he was in deep thought. Neji tried to drift to sleep, but the embrace that he had received earlier lingered in his mind.
Tenten...
He wandered towards a snow-covered field, the children long gone to the warmth of their homes. Trees were covered in the white snow, their branches bare and frozen. He sat beneath one, and closed his eyes, finding a tranquil state of mind.
Tenten...
He was startled when he heard rustling coming towards him. He opened his eyes, and found Tenten watching him silently, a small smile on her face. He fought back his urge to blush; her buns were messy, but he still found her beautiful.
"Neji."
He noticed her kunai pouch tied around her right leg, and let a smirk play on his pale lips. Tenten's smile grew wider as she pulled out kunai and held them between her fingers.
"Let's spar."
Neji complied.
Just like...the old days.
Tenten quietly rested on the other side of the tree, Neji meditating on his side. They had sparred for an hour, each testing their own limits. Neji smirked as Tenten still retained her grace and elegance, her aim never missing. Tenten wondered why she was able to read his movements so well, and why it was all so familiar to her.
"Neji?"
He didn't answer her, but she took the silence as acknowledgement to continue.
"I'm sorry."
He opened his eyes and stood up, walking over to her side of the tree. He found her eyes widened in surprise, and gave her a small smirk.
"You should get home."
Tenten jumped up in surprise, and nodded, letting off her playful smile in thanks.
"Thanks for reminding me! I'll see you tomorrow! Bye!"
She disappeared, snow whirling around where she had previously stood.
"Damn it, Neji! It's not even nine thirty (pm)! What's with the interruption?" Sakura asked, rubbing her temples in irritation.
Neji had woken them up when he returned to the inn, saying that it was 'important to the mission.' Sasuke and Naruto glared at him, hating how he cut down their hours of rest. Hinata softly stared at him, knowing that if he had woken them up from sleep, it must have been good. He, himself, isn't fond of being woken up when it wasn't necessary, so Hinata knew that something was up.
"We'll find where Tenten is tomorrow morning," he calmly said.
Naruto's cerulean eyes widened, as Sasuke and Sakura stared at each other in confusion and wonder. Hinata smiled.
"You tried your new jutsu?" She asked.
Neji slowly nodded. Naruto looked at the two cousins questioningly, and Hinata giggled.
"We tried this new jutsu. When we attach a small mark on an object, Nii-san can activate it with hand signs, and he'll be able to see for a short amount of time through whatever object it is."
"Though, of course, it hasn't been perfected yet, so we're not sure how long it will last," Neji calmly added.
Sakura and Hinata smiled, Sasuke and Naruto nodding approvingly.
"Get some sleep."
The four nodded, happy that they would finally be able to get some sleep.
Tenten...I'll...I'll try.
A/N: I'm not sure if I'm a huge fan of this chapter, but...eh. Ehe.
Soo, we're almost reaching the climax of the story! I hope to make it in the next three chapters or so, so be prepared for SUSPENSE! MUWAHA.
So, for the next chapter: Maniac Man's real name revealed! What connection does he have to Akatsuki?
Will the jutsu work, or will it cause complete failure and the demise of the Konoha gang?
Find out soon!
Also, I wrote a SasuSaku oneshot; you should go check it out. :D –shameless advertising-
Thanks for reading!