Author's Notes: Wheeeeeeee! I'm on a roll here, people.
This is probably one of my favourite chapters so far, along with 13 (the First Kiss chapter) and 17, because it gives us some more insight in Neji's thoughts and feelings. Those can be summed up quite easily; he's going insane. ;) But there's so much more behind it than just that, and in this chapter I reveal his issues a bit more. I'm loving it, and I really hope you do too. ;) This was another one of those chapters that just wrote itself, all I had to do was sit with my fingers resting on the keys and the gods of fanfiction did the rest, I guess. :D
On another note; wow, chapter 20! You know, when I first started this story I never intended it to be this long, but it kind of ran off in ways I couldn't have imagined at the beginning. I'm glad it did though. ;) Anyways, if the story lets me keep it in check from now on, there should be about ten more chapters. And in about three I'll start posting Tsuneni, my SasuSaku companion piece to this story. You see, Tsuneni starts somewhere in the middle of Tawakemono, and the plots of both stories from that point on are quite entertwined. It is great fun to write that kind of structure. :D
Cake time! Extra chocolate frosting for you guys this time, 'cause you stuck with me through my little dry spell and still reviewed, even though I left you guys hanging there for a while. ;) So here goes; thanks and cake to Pyrozia, Neguru Sucashi, Flames Chaos and Wolf, SparkDazzleDuez, WinterVines, e1nav57, KNO, ayumwu and CattyGothLoli. :D Love you guys to Andromeda and back, or something like that. ;) Also, hello to the new readers; wrecked, Sinewyk and CheRfuLemOv0! Welcome aboard, mates.
Enjoy, my sweets, I hope you like it! And please leave me a review - they make my day and world and everything and mean so much to me.
Disclaimer: Bwaha. Yeah, like I would let my beloved Sasuke get the way he's gotten over the past few chapters. Psh.
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Tawakemono
o2o. 'Hyuuga Neji, terminally addicted.'
***
Neji was almost happy to find they had run into trouble. He realized it was crazy, to feel invigorated at the thought of battle, but he desperately needed to find some kind of release. And what better way to get his frustrations out of his system than a good fight?
He could think of quite a few better ways to release, of course. He could think of a lot of ways without any difficulty at all; all he had to do was close his eyes and she was there in his waking dreams, and he… He had never known greater temptation, and the worst part was that she didn't even know how captivating she really was.
If he were honest with himself, he knew that there would be no getting her out of his system anyway - no matter how much he thought he had himself under control, all he had to do was look at her and his self-imposed bounds and shackles went slipping and sliding and dissolving into the haze that wrapped around his thoughts, and the traitorous part of him that was happy to see them go only grew stronger and stronger.
He sighed. She was going to be the death of him.
Hyuuga Neji, terminally addicted - and loving it.
He had no say in things anymore, and he found that he didn't even mind as much as he should. It wasn't up to him anymore - his thoughts were no longer his. Worse than that, his body was no longer his.
He still didn't know what had possessed him to kiss her again. The one thing he remembered most from the moments where he had held her, was the strangest mix of feeling at once completely lost beyond all hope, and at the same time feeling as though he'd come home. He was lost in her, and he never wanted to be found.
He cursed himself silently. Getting lost in her wasn't something he ought to be doing - not here, of all places. He had been so preoccupied with her that he hadn't even seen the enemy coming that Lee and Gai had seen on their training laps. And he was supposed to be the one that watched out for all of them - that kept a look out even in his sleep.
By indulging her, he endangered her - where was the sense in that?
With the way they were headed, something had to give. And he'd rather it were the skull of an enemy than his composure. There was no getting her out of his head, he knew it - but he would try nonetheless.
They prepared for battle with the silent, easy efficiency of a team well-versed in the ways of battle. There was a reason they were the team most often sent out to the northeastern border, after all; no team had the mix of teamwork and experience down the way they did.
Lighting was an officially an ally, but never a friend, and the grey areas between their two countries were never completely devoid of illicit activity.
"Five minutes," he informed his teammates, receiving a cheerful 'yosh!' from the two green beasts running in circles around the clearing.
Neji kept his eyes to his own as much as he could, but the fact of the matter was that he didn't have much to gather and strap on. His weapons were his hands, first and foremost. So instead he watched Tenten as she geared up, snapping buckles and tightening fastenings like the professional she was, and he felt his heart swell dangerously in his chest.
Was there anything about her that didn't make him want to jump her bones?
She too was filled with the anticipation of the fight, he could tell by the way her fingers twitched when she snapped shut the holsters on each of her thighs. She caught him watching her, and the softest of blushes dusted her cheeks as her eyes grew distant for a fragment of a second. The smile she gifted him with spoke of faith, and it only made him love her more.
…
Neji felt his mind, body and soul grow silent at the thought, and inwardly he contemplated it.
True, yes - undeniably so. True like nothing he had ever known.
And dangerous like nothing he had ever known, too, especially now.
Impossible to entertain, especially now - impossible to allow.
He steeled himself in preparation for battle and faced the direction he knew their enemy to be in, feeling all the while as though he'd ripped his heart out.
***
Erm... Don't kill me? You'll never get to read the rest of the story if you do! *smiles nervously* And, err... Reviews, please?