I wanted this to be shorter, but my ending was off, so I had to fix it. XD
neji's goddess: Lol indeed. ;)
C.A.M.E.O.1. and Only: You sneeze on them? :P Ew! ;)
Drea1284: Hahaha. Yeah, it's disgusting.
StrawberrySmoothie99: Hopefully you've caught up on your work by now, hm? :D And I'm glad I didn't have Swine Flu, though the news is saying a new strain will be here in winter. Yikes!
Shubhs: Hehehe. That is scary. :O
e1nav57: Hehehe. He was just unsure, not being mean! :)
?: No one's actually sneezed on me, but they've sneezed near enough to me. . . Yeah.
Disclaimer: Yo no tengo propiedad de esta historia. Todo pertenece a Masashi Kishimoto.
White As Snow.
She screamed, the sound carrying over the low hills, cutting through the trees.
The cry stifled in her throat, dying stiffly.
Her uneven breathing made her chest fall and rise again in rapid movements.
Her brown eyes moved, flitting over the faces of the dead staring at her.
Blood seeped into her vision; her head felt fuzzy, distant.
From what seemed like miles away, a voice called her name.
Slowly, her head swivelled towards where she'd heard the voice.
The land was stained white and red, black and flesh tones dotted sporadically in-between.
The face was familiar, but she couldn't place it; her head hurt too much.
The person arrived at her side, his presence radiating warmth.
TenTen realized she was cold.
He touched her, skin brushing skin.
TenTen flinched and shifted away from him, shivering.
She felt sick.
"TenTen, let me see," Neji ordered sternly.
TenTen controlled her feeling to vomit at his slight touch.
She gripped the snow at her sides, crushing the wet, cold clump of white and brown and red.
She turned to look at Neji.
He had deep, dark circles under his eyes, though they weren't as dark as the bruises on his face.
His nose looked broken, and there was a cut across the underside of his jaw.
Briefly, he met her eyes.
"I need to get you to Sakura's outpost."
Her body felt lighter as he swept her up into his arms, her broken leg dangling uselessly over Neji's elbow.
TenTen slipped in and out of consciousness as they traveled, her vision dim and blurry.
She vaguely heard Neji speaking to her, but TenTen was unable to make out the words.
She didn't think it mattered much anyway.
-
When they reached Sakura's outpost, miles and miles later, TenTen was asleep.
She woke up again in an itchy hospital bed, wires and needles stuck into her arms.
Her dreams had been laced with crawling, formless creatures with looming faces and dead eyes, leaving trails of crimson red in their wake.
The weight of TenTen's head made her feel top-heavy and dense.
She glanced down. Her broken leg felt intriguingly numb, a cast encircling the lower part of her thigh and the mid-section of her calf.
Her kneecap had been cracked in the fight, and broken further during the final fight she'd completed.
Silently, TenTen drew the sheets of her bed closer around her, noting the still visible stitches along the length of her forearm.
She waited, impatient and exhausted for someone to visit her.
-
Before she fell asleep again, her hospital door finally opened, a figure slowly emerging.
It was Neji, limping.
His eyes shone in the dim light, searching and expectant.
When he saw that she was awake, he warily moved to her side, leaning against the hospital mattress.
He stared down at her, almost looking as if he had a loss of what to say.
Awkwardly, he began, "I wasn't sure if we were going to make it."
TenTen blinked.
"We did."
Neji nodded quickly, analyzing.
"Why did you pull away from me when I came for you?"
He sounded slightly indifferent, but TenTen had known him too long to not realize the hurt tone in his voice.
"I was half-delirious, Neji. I didn't mean it."
Neji looked less than convinced.
With her stitched arm, TenTen reached for him.
Neji obliged, hands weaving through her hair.
TenTen grasped his face, her fingertips grazing his cheekbones.
She inclined his head until his mouth was on hers.
Warmth spread through her veins, overwhelming heat emanating.
Neji went deeper, hovering over her.
TenTen pushed him off slightly, sucking in air.
She swallowed, feeling the need to laugh for some strange reason.
TenTen considered Neji's face.
His face was flushed, as if he'd been running for a long time and had only just stopped, the effects not yet faded.
"What was the outcome?" TenTen inquired roughly, lips burning.
"We won. . . but barely. We had so many losses."
TenTen nodded, recalling the field of ice and bodies.
Her voice shook, "So it's over?"
"Maybe," Neji muttered. "There are still reports of battles coming in. It might take a little while to die off, but Naruto has sent forces out."
TenTen's skin pricked, her hands feeling clammy.
She blinked, her movements lethargic.
Neji pecked her mouth again, but TenTen was already asleep, growing still.
-
Neji watched her rest, clutching her fingers.
She had scared him half to death when he found her in that field, silent and wide-eyed in shock.
At least now she seemed more herself.
Neji sighed, his eyes floating to her broken knee.
It would set her back completely.
Even with the war almost over, there were still battles to be won and shinobi needed.
But TenTen wouldn't be going anywhere outside the outpost, especially if Neji had anything to say about it.
Perhaps Sakura would let them return to Konoha once TenTen was healed enough, but Neji doubted it.
Neji was positive that tomorrow he would receive another summons to another battle.
TenTen would throw a fit, demand he not go, but he would, because it was his job.
And his job tied his hands together.
Neji leaned down, necking her face affectionately.
TenTen twitched below him.
Neji drew back, not wanting to disturb her further.
Slowly, Neji stood up, retreating to the hallway.
He didn't stop and visit anyone else as he went to the nurse's station at the front.
Sakura was there, looking harried and exhausted.
She glanced up when he appeared.
"Neji, Naruto wants to see you as soon as possible."
Neji's fists clenched at his sides.
"I won't be able to speak with him today. I'll see him in the morning."
Sakura stared at him in disbelief.
"But he said—!"
"Sakura. I'll see him in the morning."
And before she could say anything else, Neji turned away and began walking down the hall.
He reached TenTen's door again and sighed, before going inside.
Lame.
I know.
XD
Review.
Have a wonderful Sunday!