Disclaimer: Naruto and all Naruto related stuff is (c) Masashi Kishimoto. All OCs and original storyline/plot/imagination (c) of ME!!!!!
A/N: Sorry for the delay… I was having a little problem with my plot… I actually wrote up an entire chapter for this one, but then, as much as I liked it, I realized it made no practical sense for the story other than to indulge my need to toy around with my OCs, but I figured this story is getting to far away from the main pair and spending too much time on Ijinu and Himakai, so I scrapped the old chapter and started a new one… this one I think came out much better; and it actually gave me some substance for the story XD
***NOTE: PLEASE READ IMPORTANT NOTICE AT BOTTOM!***
THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!!!
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SECRETS
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A soft, almost undetectable, sound alerted Neji to movement on his right. Immediately his entire body stiffened into ready action; but he did not move. Instead he chose to remain as he was; laid out, resting on the forest floor with his eyes closed; waiting.
Under different circumstances, perhaps he would have risen to his feet instantly and tried to fend off whoever it was that had made the noise, but these were not normal circumstance. They, a large group of eight, were on a mission in a foreign and distant land. Konoha Intelligence knew very little about the people who lived in this area, or what they were capable of. Their mission, thus, included remaining as inconspicuous as possible; which meant, at times, they had to pretend to be nothing more than civilian travelers, so as to not call needless attention to themselves. It was a role that the Hyuga never particularly enjoyed playing; especially given that his very obvious shinobi traits made it difficult for him to blend into a crowd. However, since, at the moment, he detected no threat from the figure creeping carefully over toward him and the two other shinobi sleeping at opposite sides of him, Neji decided to wait before he acted. While the figure could very well be an assassin, it could also just as easily be a theft attempting to sneak up on sleeping travelers. Neji could not run the risk of blowing their cover over a mere theft.
"Psst." A hissing sound from above his head nearly startled the Hyuga.
Of all the possibilities he'd considered, Neji hadn't imagined the shadowy figure lurking its way over towards his side of the camp might actually be someone from their team.
"Psst." The hissing came again, this time followed by a gentle movement of the shinobi resting to Neji's left. "Kiba." An almost silent whisper called out to the sleeping Inuzuka, laying no more than four feet away from the white-eyed shinobi. "Wake up already!" The familiar female voice called out to the unconscious man.
"Uh?" A groggy moan escaped the younger man's lips, as the aforementioned Inuzuka lazily tried to rouse himself to consciousness. "Tenten?" He coarsely whispered as he took in the sight of the figure crouching over him. "Un." Kiba agitatedly scratched the back of his head as he sat himself up on the thin bedding he'd been drooling on only moments earlier. "What-" He began, before suddenly being silenced.
From his position to their right, Neji could see that the kunoichi had placed her hand firmly over the Inuzuka's mouth to keep him silent. Had he not previously heard Kiba call out to her, Neji would have thought the girl was an enemy trying to suffocate the younger shinobi. That would have made Neji immediately jump to the Inuzuka's aid. However, since he did know who the figure hovering over the Inuzuka was, Neji's current impulses to jump towards the pair were far less noble, and to the opposite purpose of what they would otherwise have been.
At that moment, Neji remembered the feelings he had had the day Tenten had run into the Konoha restaurant three weeks earlier, and leapt into the Inuzuka's arms. Every nerve in his body suddenly felt like it was on fire, as Neji tried to resist the urge to rush over to the two and ripe Kiba apart, limb for limb.
"Shh." Tenten silenced the younger Inuzuka, before carefully turning to see if anyone else had woken up. "Quiet."
"Umhm." The Inuzuka mumbled from behind the girl's gloved hand.
"Just keep quiet." Tenten warned, before removing her hand, and slowly sitting herself down next to younger shinobi.
"Fine." Kiba groaned as he sat himself up so that he and Tenten were directly facing each other on his mat. "You sure you didn't mean to wake that one," He paused, for what, Neji assumed, was to gesture over towards his right. "Up, instead of me?
"Just shut up and listen, will you?" Tenten ignored his question.
"Okay fine." Kiba let out a loud yawn. "What is it?"
"Something's going on." Tenten ominously whispered.
"What do you mean?" Kiba nervously whispered back.
From his vantage point, Neji could make out that the two of them had simultaneously turned their heads toward the direction of their older siblings. Though he wasn't sure what Tenten was referring to, silently, he too agreed that there seemed to be something suspicious going on between the dark and brooding couple; something secretive going on between them.
"There's something they're not telling us." Tenten quietly whispered back to the Inuzuka; still facing Himakai and Ijinu.
"M-maybe there's a reason." Kiba tired arguing; though it was clear to Neji, from his tone that the fang-faced shinobi held some doubts about his own assertion.
"You know something!" Tenten whisperingly accused; turning her attention away from the sleeping couple, back toward the hesitant Inuzuka.
"N-no." Kiba half-heartedly denied.
"Then why are you hesitating?" Tenten retorted; turning to support herself on all fours as she slowly began inching her way closer toward the nervous-looking figure of the man seated in front of her.
Watching her crawl slowly toward the younger shinobi sent jolts of rage coursing through the Hyuga's muscles, despite the fact that he knew from experience she was not inching her way over towards Kiba in seductive manner; though from his line of sight, the shadows would have the Hyuga believe otherwise. But no; Neji knew her. He knew her movements were not those of a woman trying to seduce a man, but those similar to a wild animal ready to pounce for the kill.
"It's…" Kiba, obviously having picked up on the implicit threat in the kunoichi's movements, worriedly hesitated. "Okay." He sighed. "I know something."
"Well?" She paused; sitting back down, waiting for him to continue.
"But it's not what you think." Kiba tried to assure the kunoichi. "Well, it might be related," He hesitated. "But…"
"Spill it!" Tenten menacingly gripped the kunai Neji had seen her pull out when she first began questioning the Inuzuka. "Or would you rather I force it out of you?" She waved the sharp-bladed kunai towards Kiba's neck.
"…" Kiba cringed. "Geeze Tenten!" He pushed the kunai away. "You've been spending way too much time with my big bro."
"Ehehe." Tenten softly giggled. "Ok… Maybe." She laughingly replied; bringing the kunai back down to her side.
It was all Neji could do to not jump right out of his sleeping mat to tear the smirking Inuzuka to shreds at that moment. Inwardly, he realized it was his own fault if Tenten was enjoying the company of another man; he should have been braver and told her how he felt that day in the forest when she had told him that they should just forget about the kiss they had shared. Neji could admit it was pride, and his own cowardice, that had prevented him from coming clean at that moment and handing her that tulip hidden behind his back; but never in his wildest imagination had he believed that keeping quiet about how he really felt for her would lead her into the arms of another man.
"Agh." Neji inwardly groaned; frustrated at his own stupidity and bad fortune.
"Hey!" Tenten abruptly stopped laughing; turning quickly to face the sleeping figures to her right. "Did you hear something?" She addressed the younger shinobi.
"Huh?" Kiba groggily replied; clearly still not fully awake. "aahhhh." He yawned. "I didn't hear anything." He sleepily confessed.
"Tch." Tenten scoffed as she turned back to face the yawning man. "What kind of shinobi are you?" She reprimanded the younger man for his inability to detect Neji's silent groan.
"A tired one." Kiba replied; yawning again for emphasis. "Can I go back to sleep already?" He asked, as she let himself fall back down onto his mat.
"No!" Tenten hissed; pulling the man back up to face her. "You still didn't answer my question."
"I can't." Kiba whispered nervously.
"And why not?" She persisted.
"I…" Kiba hesitated; turning slightly to eye the sleeping figure of his older brother. "All I know, is that, if you're right, and they are hiding something… it's probably not what I know."
"And how can you be sure of that?" Tenten asked.
"Because." Kiba lowered his already whispering voice. "What I know, I'm pretty sure your sister doesn't know; which means they can't be keeping it from us."
"Just exactly what do you know?" Tenten's curiosity began to peak at the prospect of something that involved her sister, but that Himakai had no knowledge about.
"I can't tell you anymore than that." Kiba hurriedly whispered. "The demon would kill me if I did." He added; to insure that Tenten realized nothing she could say would get him to reveal what he knew.
"But-" She began a half-hearted protest.
"Oi." Kiba stopped her. "Don't worry about it." He placed his hand reassuringly over hers; giving it a gentle squeeze. "If all it is, is what I know, then you don't need to worry." He comfortingly tired to smile at the kunoichi.
"Really?" Tenten searched his eyes in the darkness for reassurance.
"Trust me." Kiba smirked. "If it's that, it's a good thing."
"A good thing…" Tenten worriedly repeated; turning her head back over to the sleeping couple. "But" She fearfully whispered, out into the night. "That's not what I'm feeling…"
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TBC
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IMPORTANT NOTICE FROM AUTHORESS (is that even a word?) : The NEXT update for this or any of my stories is probably not going to be until AFTER I return from China (In June)… I'm sorry, but with finals just around the corner (and my utter lack of preparedness for them), and then my flight to China being the very day of my last final… I'm sadly not going to be getting a chance to update any time soon… sorry… I MIGHT have one more oneshot in me before I leave, but that's probably the most I'll do.
