This is a bit of a spoiler, if you haven't read the latest chapter of Naruto. Which, by the way, you all should read. The last few chapters have been ah-mazing. :D
C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: Thank you! :)
Calise: Thank you very much.
neji's goddess: Thanks!
Krizzie: Ow? :)
Drea1284: Thank you.
ChasingProse: Thanks! I love that song.
e1nav57: :D Thanks.
Kygolie: I favor vagueness over detail, because it's a little bit easier to be introspective or thought-provoking. At least for me, that's how it is. :) Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed them all, and will enjoy this one as well. :D
Disclaimer: Eleven chapters and counting before Naruto ends. And then I can buy it off Ebay. :D
Chapter 489.
TenTen was waiting for Neji when he strolled up to Guy's house.
She looked up, curious, once she heard his familiar footsteps on the ground.
"What was the council's decision?" she asked when he was in earshot.
Neji hesitated in telling her, unsure of what her reaction would be.
He studied her for a moment, taking in her loose posture as she sat on the banister of Guy's porch, her feet swinging out over the grass.
"They're mobilizing for war," Neji sighed, stepping up onto the porch and leaning on the banister beside her.
Neji heard TenTen exhale deeply, her shoulders sagging some.
She was quiet for several minutes.
Neji waited for her thoughts, not wanting to rush her.
"Well," TenTen finally murmured after a while, "I guess it's something that had to come sooner or later."
She sighed again, a sound so despairing it made Neji's heart ache.
He straightened and quietly slipped his hands over her shoulders.
Neji slowly rubbed her shoulders, loosening the tense muscles in her neck, careful to avoid hitting her sensitive Chakra points.
"Thanks, Neji," TenTen mumbled when he finally released her. "You have the best hands in the world."
Neji snorted at her foolish exclamation, but smiled a little anyway.
They were silent for several more moments, cicadas droning away into the night.
"Neji?" TenTen said.
She craned her head to look at him, where he still stood behind her.
Neji noticed her eyes held that worried determination she got sometimes during missions. It was a feeling he himself was oriented with. It was fear of unknown results, but willingness to go forward no matter what.
It was something that Neji knew made him completely compatible to her.
"I don't want you to die," TenTen finished seriously, staring him straight in the eye.
Neji respired, studying her brown eyes.
"I don't want you to die either," he responded eventually, ignoring the lightness in his head and chest.
TenTen released a half-smile. Neji could tell her heart wasn't in it.
She sadly shook her head, glancing around Guy's front yard.
"It just seems so unbelievable. Knowing all of this will happen. Knowing we can't do anything to stop it."
Neji considered this, covering her hand with one of his own.
"Don't say that," Neji said. "I learned a long time ago that Fate isn't something that rules our lives. We all have choices to make. Decisions to think over. Lives to live."
TenTen watched him, her expression brightening with each of his words.
She shook her head again, smiling broader now.
"Neji, I can't believe how much you've changed. You used to be such a brooder, and now . . ." She shrugged, not finishing the thought.
Neji narrowed his eyes a little and leaned closer to her.
"A brooder?" he posed, raising a dark eyebrow.
TenTen grinned and nodded.
Neji brushed his mouth against hers, his hand cupping her cheek.
"Neji? TenTen?"
Neji jolted away from TenTen, looking down the porch to see Lee, peering through the darkness.
"Are you two coming in or not? Neji, what did the council say?"
TenTen hopped off the banister and trotted into the house, pushing past Lee.
Neji followed, slightly unwilling.
With war on their doorstep, it would be difficult to do anything else but fight, eat, and sleep in the next few weeks.
It made Neji feel sorrowful, and pressed for time with the people he cared most about. He hoped he wouldn't be stupid enough to neglect the little borrowed time he had.
I don't like the ending too much, but this isn't for me, is it? ;D
Review please.