The Most Primitive Human Emotion
Chapter One: First Connection
The day comes to a close and the soft blue sky begins to fade into an orange sunset. Tenten watched the sunset at the horizon, spreading its largess into a grateful sky. Rich hues of red blended with oranges, purples, crimsons. It entranced her and sent a sudden sensation through her body. As she reeled her self back into reality she found Neji holding his hand out towards her, indicating for her to take it. And as she did for the brief moment that their hands were connected she felt his warmth. The same warmth that had protected her before, but she had never felt it before that moment, so why was the feeling so familiar? Yet when she looked up at him she only saw the same cold eyes that have always been there. The sadness in her heart grew.
"Okay team. Great job today!" Her Sensei's enthusiastic voice filled the heavy air surrounding her and lifted it with youthful vigour.
"Thank you Guy Sensei!" Lee stepped forward and addressed Guy with the same undying excitable innocence in his voice that never seems to fade. Loud enough that the surrounding houses could possibly hear.
"Well, I'm going to go now." The same coldness Tenten had seen in his eyes transferred into his edgeless tone, although Lee was distracted by his want to improve himself, both he and Guy could hear his voice cut the warm air like a cold knife.
Tenten froze at the sudden anguish that Neji had thrown in her direction, it shocked her, to say the least, but she shook it off as 'Neji is probably just in a bad mood'. Although Guy was not so quick to forgive Neji's words and held his gaze towards him for a few seconds longer, at this point, Neji had already walked off without allowing the others to say anything in return.
"I'm going to go as well. see you all tomorrow." Her voice was softer than usual, perhaps she still felt taken-aback by Neji's callous tone. Lee and Guy both fixating themselves on Tenten are at a loss of words for what has just happened. Tenten walked in the same direction as Neji keeping her eyes on the ground not looking up or back, and as Guy and Lee kept their eyes in her direction Guys expression turned into one of concern whilst Lee still kept up his confused persona.
"Sensei, what... just happened?" Lee's usual bounce in his voice was subdued as he tentatively questioned the situation that just unravelled and turned his head towards Guy who was now looking slightly shocked. Seeing his Sensei's face only increased his confusion and worry though.
"I.. don't know Lee."
As Tenten felt her feet leave the soft mud of the training ground she looked back up at the sky and watched as the sun sank lower, light of day draining away, giving way to the velvety dark of night, crickets chirping, dusky, colours subdued in the fading light, first buzz of mosquitoes, street lights click on, day winding down, first star in the night sky, short June darkness, air became cooler, evening landscape, twilight had fallen, the sharp shadow of the lamppost had faded into the dark of the sidewalk, fading light, only the faintest of light shone through the leaves, soon it grew dark, darkening sky, a close silence in the dim evening light.
"Hey! Tenten." thoughts of the sky were interrupted by her Sensei's bubbly voice, the intrusion was sudden but it did not shock her to see him. She felt kind of glad.
"Oh, what's up Sensei?" But her voice did not express the same emotion as she felt internally, keeping the same soft voice as she did earlier.
he creased his eyebrows slightly, concerned as to how emotionally stable she is. "Tenten do you mind going over to Neji's and giving him a message Lady Tsunade gave me?" he returned a smile not wanting her to see how his worry was unfolding.
She saw the worry flicker in his face ever so slightly, forcing her self to sound brighter. "sure, what do you want me to tell him?" though she doubts she was very convincing. Her stance changed.
He saw the change in her posture and tone, it worried him further as he believed she did this to relax his worry. "tell him to meet us at the gate at 5:00 AM. Team Guy has a mission!" but his apprehension only increased.
The facade began to slip as she remembered Neji's apathetic expression as he helped her up."oh okay…" Her discomfort increased.
"thank you, Tenten. Oh! And if you see Lee do you mind telling him as well?"
"sure…" She wasn't sure how else to reply, her Sensei's awareness of her dejected feeling didn't allow her any other response.
The silence in their conversation filled the air around them with heavy ineptitude. "well I'm off to find Kakashi. See you tomorrow Tenten." he hurried himself off letting a feeling of uneasiness wash over him as he left the hurt girl by herself.
She watched him turn his back and wave a hand behind him "okay, bye then…" She turned in the opposite direction, with each stride her mind became more ambiguous, more cloudy as if the growing physical distance between Tenten and Neji had now become an emotional chasm. As the nascent moonlight caressed her skin, she entombed her memories of him in thick-walled ice. Then, abruptly pausing to close her eyes and take in a deep breath of icy air, she steeled herself to only think of positive memories. Then with each stride after that, she felt more pessimistic, anxious within her own mind, body and soul. And Tenten reached the corner coming up to his house she took one final gulp of air before planting a square smile on her face. Turning the corner she found Neji standing outside with a broad smile and she instantly felt lighter knowing she wouldn't be engaging in a conversation doomed to fail.
"Nej-" She stopped in her tracks. She sees Hinata standing with him. They are talking. Within an instant Tenten stumbles back and hides around the corner, sinking to her feet, she places a hand on her chest and feels her heart rate steadily but suddenly increase as her chest rises and falls rapidly. Tenten hides behind the wall and listens to the conversation, sighing in relief when she realizes none of them heard or saw her.
Their voices are muffled from the distance she is at but she can hear them. "training wasn't that bad." His voice sincere and confident, not like normal.
"that's good. I prepared a bath for your arrival." Hinata's voice like always shy and compassionate.
"Thank you very much Lady Hinata." Although Tenten knew he had to call her that because of formalities, hearing him say it so sweetly kind broke her.
"by the way, Neji, are you doing anything tomorrow?"
"no not at the moment. Why? What did you want us to do?"
Tenten couldn't take it any longer and she began to weep. And as she wept she ran far and fast, 'anywhere is better than here' she thought. 'Stupid Neji. What am I getting so worked up for? Why do I care so much?' At that moment she felt her body collide with someone else and Tenten was thrown back on to the ground as was the person she ran into.
The man sharply inhaled. "oww..."
"I am so sorry. I-" Tenten frantically apologizes and stands up to go and help the person she knocked over but when she looked up she found that she had run into Lee. Shock fills her face and voice "Lee?!" She then turns around and wipes her tears away, not wanting to let Lee know about her state of heartache. Tenten then turned around and placed that exaggerated smile once again on her face.
Lee looked at her with concern, he could tell something was wrong. Her eyes were puffy and cheeks flushed as if she had just been crying. He delicately prodded at the situation. "Tenten are you okay? You seemed to be running very fast. Were you headed somewhere?" Lee tentatively awaited her response anxious as what would become of the situation.
"Sorry, I'm fine. Although Lee would you pass on a message to Neji for me? It's from Guy Sensei." Tenten averted her eyes, she could see his worry was flourishing. His eyes are so different in moments like these, softer than I knew his eyes could be. The dedicated, hyperactive, over-worker is gone and instead, it is the eyes of one who is deeply concerned.
he tried to mask the worry he could tell was building up in his face, by how Tenten reacted to his question, by cocking his head slightly to the left, opening his eyes wide like a deer in headlights and giving her his signature smile. "yes of course. What is it?"
"tell him to meet us at the gate at 5:00 AM, as we have a mission." She gave him nothing just a blank stare.
The two of them stayed in silence. Neither risking speech to jeopardize the sensitivity of the situation. Lee knew it had to be handled with care, one wrong move and he would set her off. Lee could tell she was avoiding eye contact. "Yes but Tenten, Are you sure you're fine?" He lightly touched her shoulder.
Tenten's eyes widened in disbelief and felt her emotions bubble at the surface of her skin. "I'M FINE JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" she runs off not knowing the effect she could have had on Lee. Tears streak her crestfallen face. She didn't mean to shout she just didn't know what else to do.
"WAIT! … Tenten..." he runs to Neji's house, knowing that for whatever reason Tenten had acted out involved Neji. 'Right?' He turns the corner that Tenten had observed the two cousins from. Lee sees both Neji and Hinata still standing outside their house and sprints towards them.
"NEJI!" The boy screams with all his might, feeling his friend's name stick and scratch at the back of his throat.
The prodigy looks up to find his teammate sprinting towards him."Lee? What are you doing here?"
"Has Tenten come by here?" He was panting, an expression of worry rapidly spreading across his face.
His confusion grows. 'Tenten what has she got to do with any of this?' "what do you mean? I haven't seen her since training ended."
"oh…" his worry grew, but it was overtaken by confusion. Confusion as to what Tenten was so upset about.
"wait…? But what's wrong with Tenten?" Now Neji was the one with a state of concern spreading across his face.
Lee was still slightly distracted still trying to figure Tenten's fixated subversion. "I ran into her not long ago and she seemed upset and was crying."
'Crying! Tenten was crying!' "yes but why did you assume that she was crying because of me." His voice cracked slightly, his emotions beginning to embellish. He swallowed deeply.
Lee looked up at his teammate his face solemn and concerned. "because she had been running away from the direction of your house."
Neji's face lit up with shock. Every part of him goes on pause while his thoughts catch up. 'She was crying because of me?'
The Most Primitive Human Emotion is despair...