He never had to be anything special to catch her attention. But it was clear now why—he was special. That striking hair color, those menacing fangs—and not to mention.. those gleaming eyes that could only be done justice if compared to pure amethyst.
Like she couldn't help but notice before, he was everything that seemed different.
Maybe it was because he insisted he was nothing extraordinary. She wondered if that was because he didn't want her becoming curious about him. It was her most educated guess. She knew so little, and her nagging conscience was getting the best of her at last.
What if he didn't want her to know because he couldn't explain?
Tenten cursed internally, hoping her stare would go unnoticed. Her eyes stray from his sword frequently, despite great attempts.
There was something nice about his aura. Or rather—unique.
It was confidence from a place dark but evident, somewhere that may have been described like a crevasse.. free of all insecurity. He doesn't ever allow himself to become unaware—his guard is constantly up. Especially when he was around others. And it was effortless.
She only wished she could be like that one day. To have enough confidence by literally one's own existence and skill. He masked everything well—as a true shinobi, obviously. His ways of coping were untold, true meanings shrouded in darkness. Suigetsu could be a very active threat in his village or their own, but his intentions were unknown. He was equally clueless about his future, so maybe that was a hint.
It was something only he kept, and it seemed to be a side that he did not show to people. Tenten had decided she was fine with that for now.
Maybe only time would tell, but she believed Suigetsu might warm up to the presence of others. She wanted him to be genuine around her, to be able to see her as a friend.. after what they had went through in a few days, she had thought there was progress.
Suigetsu was fine with taking closer looks at her weapon displays, obliged to feasting together, and even up to a few training sessions with Lee.
She tried to fairly warn him, however..
"He doesn't play around, does he?" Suigetsu panted, leaning against Kubikiribōchō for the umpteenth time that day. "I feel sorry for you, man!"
It was completely beyond him how anyone could endure a regime so rigorous—much less someone who was used to it.
Tenten forced an uneasy smile, "Oh, it isn't so bad. It sharpens your skills, though, that's for sure."
"Same place tomorrow, eh, Suigetsu?" Lee pumped his fist, a competitive spark in his eye. "what do you say?"
"I think I'm gonna pass," Suigetsu kicked himself for sounding so fatigued. "—but I'll take you up on your offer again soon, don't worry."
"Well.. when are you going to say I was right?"
"Huh?" Suigetsu had nearly but all forgotten, peeling sweaty sandals from his feet and planting them in the river. He could not help but breathe a sigh of relief when Lee finally left them alone.
"About Lee," Tenten plopped beside him on the grass. "you said he couldn't be the best at taijutsu, or did you not?"
"Oh yeah," He played off his wrongdoings with little thought. "he's definitely something, alright. Come to think of it, there was something familiar about his moves."
"What do you mean?" She had watched them for ages, sparring until she was sure they could both faint from exhaustion. Lee failed to get tired—simply evolving into a state of mind that was pure restlessness. But she could tell Suigetsu was not used to this. Or them, for that matter. And she hadn't expected him to be.. He had trouble keeping up with Lee, but his clan's secret technique appeared to benefit him with more advantages than she knew.
He pauses to drink often.
Judging from what she already knew, it was definitely a weakness. Other than that, his abilities were impressive.. he was right on par with them; honestly, it almost scares her.
Just by touching water, just by simply getting his skin wet, rehydrating by any means necessary.. She can tell it automatically refreshes him.
There was a strange obsession with swimming that Tenten didn't quite understand yet, but she wanted to know more. She wanted to know who he was and why.
Suigetsu splashed water on his face, chilling his features and allowing him to take a much-needed rest. He was so goddamn tired. He felt sleep for nine and a half days would be in order.
"It's definitely not a coincidence," He submerged his hands next. "it's Sasuke those moves remind me of. I've seen him use a style almost identical."
"He probably copied them from Lee," Tenten glances at the water. "those are original taijutsu techniques passed on by our sensei. But I suppose you could leave it to the Sharingan."
Sasuke really was a sly one. A cheat and a cheap one, if he wanted to clarify his opinion on the subject.
Lee was no amateur shinobi, and so far, he was right about Konoha Eleven being a strange bunch. However, they weren't very relatable—maybe he was expecting too much. The idea was fucking genius. He had to give credit where it was due.
"So, what were your teammates like?" Tenten is nearly uncomfortable asking as an interesting look becomes drawn onto his face. He almost seems annoyed.
"Not much to look at, as you can probably already tell."
There was an awkward silence between them. 'Here he goes being vague again...'
"You know Karin already, so I guess you know how crazy she can be. None of us are exactly teammates any more, if you even wanna call it that in the first place. Sasuke is obviously making amends now, so I guess the only one left is Jūgo."
"Is he nice?"
Suigetsu almost laughed out loud, "Nice as nice gets. He's a little on the bipolar side, though."
She waited for him to explain anything more, but he leans into the water instead. He wasn't a fan of closeness, and she was undoubtedly observant; there were questions that she wanted answers to. He just doesn't know if he's in the mood to answer them.
"About Orochimaru, then.." Tenten had finally built up the courage to ask, "you willingly worked for him?"
"Not exactly," He never wished for that to be true, "Orochimaru's experiments. That's what we were."
"Experiments?" She repeated hesitantly, "you can't possibly be an experiment."
"You're right about that one," The swordsman felt himself break into a smile. "who would want a result like me?"
She quickly backtracked, "Oh, n-no! That isn't what I meant at all.."
"Chill out, it's not personal. I would be skeptical of someone like me too."
Suigetsu didn't really feel like explaining, but he'd give it a shot. His plan was completely off the rails by now. It was everything he could do just to put it bluntly. "Jūgo and me were experimented on for years by Orochimaru. He wanted power that wasn't his—he used others for their powers and kept me prisoner so I had no chance of escape. It's not as if we were special, though. Orochimaru had thousands of prisoners, spanning across every village over time. It's my fault for walking into his traps in the first place."
Tenten could barely process, finally understanding a little of what made him work the way he did. "Then you.. were taken against your will?"
"Being uncooperative assured me a spot in that hell for quite some time." He wasn't sure if he was waiting on her to judge him or plague him with more of her questions. "but I've been free for a while now. Sasuke broke me out to help him with his mission, and me naturally being the generous type, I decided to help out a comrade."
She hardly believed he would do anything so selfless without some kind of reward. "I see." His abrupt change from serious to nonchalant is barely obvious, and there was something paining his expression.
Anger.
"How do you talk like that?" Tenten sounded harsh, and it may have triggered Suigetsu's surprise.
"Like what?"
"Like it's justifiable.. like he didn't know better."
"I couldn't stop it," He shrugged, having made peace with that fact long ago. "I was never loyal to anybody. My own village was crumbling back then. Even if I hadn't been freed by Sasuke, I would've been fine. I don't know if I should go ahead with my original plans or not.."
"No," She remained solid, immobile.. stern with determination. " That was wrong, Suigetsu. What he did to you was wrong. In every way imaginable.."
Suigetsu was struck by silence after that, because for at least a minute.. he had no idea what to say. He couldn't name it outright, but he hated the piteous feeling that came over him. No use showing anger at a time like this. He wants to talk about anything else.
"Whatever. Don't get all revved up on me now; I'm too tired for another round."
She eagerly shifted subjects, not wanting to dwell on that confession any longer. "Sure thing. I got tired just watching you two."
"What was your other teammate like?" Suigetsu asked innocently, looking up at the sky. "was he the insane type? Or is that just Lee?"
"Not at all," Tenten had a raging assurance to her voice. "Neji was.. unlike other people."
"Oh, I get it. I thought you knew better than that."
"W-What? No, no.." She blushed horrendously, "You've got the wrong idea."
"I'm not that dense, c'mon," Suigetsu guffawed, "I know girls always go weak in the knees for that loner-rebellious type. Let me guess, he was all about mystery?"
"He was the prodigy of his clan," Tenten said reluctantly, unused to discussing his memory. "Neji was.. I guess, like the captain we looked up to. The one who made Jōnin before us. He wasn't like Sasuke—or anyone, for that matter. Neji stayed loyal to the village.."
"Wow, what a hero," Suigetsu didn't think he sounded like too much of a personality. He could have survived the loss of one or two of his ex-teammates. He never particularly liked any of them in the first place. "That's a shame. Would have loved to go up against a Hyūga."
The most famous thing about Suigetsu so far seemed to be his humor; in a less appealing sense, there was something irritating about him. Shameless insensitivity. He was overly-casual, and she really wasn't sure if it was on purpose or not. While she enjoyed a laid-back presence every now and then, she did not understand how he could be so lukewarm about tragedy.
His nerve and blunt nature attracted her, and she couldn't get over his judgment. She would never admit out loud that he was the least bit accurate—even if it had some merit.
As if he felt himself being scrutinized, there was a sudden tension neither could ignore.
There were almost differences between Neji and Suigetsu that were startling at first. Complete opposites, right? Maybe it was simply her type. Both prodigies, both loyal to their villages', both driven by some sort of force that amazed her. Both Suigetsu and Neji were dissimilar, but they had something in common.. just like them. Actually, she felt more sure in Suigetsu. A feeling that gave her the impression he was just as indifferent as he was blunt—but he wasn't deceitful.
Something lost in the breeze with the way he relaxed his shoulders, ever so slowly inching deeper into the river.
They were curious about one another, but nowhere near close to a realm of comfort.
"I think I'll be going now."
"Wait a second, we were having a conversation," She insisted stubbornly, "that's kind of rude, don't you think?"
"You sure seem to like spending time around me," Suigetsu charmed harmlessly, sliding in to his waist and resting both arms on the bank. He looked up at her. "what's the reason, I wonder?"
"Probably just this sword of mine," He smirked at her reaction, "please, you might wanna give me a little credit. I wouldn't try to string a doll like you along."
"I just want us to be friends, Suigetsu." She couldn't believe what he suggested after her efforts to befriend him. "What I mean is—that you can trust us.. in the Leaf. We shouldn't be enemies any more."
He faltered under her words, but he couldn't be stunned long. "You know what, you're right. Excuse me for going off of instinct. Nothing suspicious about it."
"You know," Tenten was reasonable within her convincing, "you're the one who looks suspicious here. Your story, your past, what you helped Sasuke accomplish. I feel like you're hiding something.."
"Hey now," He hadn't meant for the atmosphere to grow so tense. "let's lose that tone. If there's anything you're suspicious about, why don't you just ask me first?"
"You mean to say you left Orochimaru by choice," She was ready to put her analytics into effect. She felt comfortable enough to voice them, anyway. She would be straightforward with him. "but I'm supposed to believe you aren't still working for him somehow—I think you know your story doesn't add up."
"Listen, if that's what you've thought about me all along," Suigetsu had a desperate hate for anything accusatory, "let's not do this whole friendship thing. I've been spared from it before and I don't care to go back. Especially from the Leaf."
Tenten clenched fistfuls of grass, "Then tell me I'm wrong! Just say you aren't up to anything and I swear I'll believe you. I just want to be careful—Look, we don't know each other well yet, but... I get the feeling you're looking for something."
He dismissed her psychic guess with a flick of the wrist. "You're overthinking it."
"Listen.. If I'm wrong, then say it." The brunette shook her head, wondering how she should word it. "if it's something you're after.. then this friendship won't work out."
"Trust me when I say that I left by choice. You might think I sound crazy, but I've never lied to you once. This isn't some cheap fate bullshit that you see in the movies. This is my life, and yeah, it's shitty. I can say you're wrong but I couldn't care less if you thought otherwise. I don't see the point in proving one of us right, anyway. And I'm not too into explaining myself, but I think you know that already. My reasons for lying are obsolete at this point. You just wouldn't get it."
"Actually, I think I do get it."
Suigetsu wasn't sure why he subjected himself to this abuse. He wanted to float downstream in a river on his back, not sit around and fucking flirt with a random Leaf kunoichi who just happened to share his love of weaponry... seriously, what were the odds he'd ever find that again? He was letting himself get bent out of shape over her!? Over a broad? 'I'm so fucking lame'.. It wasn't like him, and incredibly and so unbelievably uncool.
"If you want to know my real opinion," She must have picked up on his vibe. "I think we might want the same thing. But I don't know if.."
"Can hardly blame your fascination," He seemed to take it as situational flattery. "Impressed enough? I figured you would be by now."
Tenten did everything to hide her reddening face, sighing heavily. "You're seriously hopeless. That's not how anyone should treat a lady."
"Well, I guess you're gonna have to show me how it's done," Suigetsu pulled himself out of calm waters, making sure he didn't soak her when he stepped out. "I promise I'd make it worth your while."
Sure, what the hell, right, she thought. He made it seem so normal and happenstance. "Let's see some potential first."
Tenten had not expected him to flinch, and she ducked away from his sudden grasp. "What are you doing?"
"Alright, c'mere," Suigetsu reached for her again, "I'll show you potential."
"Excuse me, but no thank you," She giggled, jerking away playfully. "I just told you, this is no way to treat a lady. I think we should get to know each other more."
'What more was there to possibly know?', Suigetsu rolled his eyes, anticipating the mood's souring. "Are you kidding me?"
She struggled to maintain her composure as he leaned in closer, and she could barely stand the look of instant regret he gave her when she pulled away.
"I'm sorry-" Tenten felt worse immediately, shoving down grief and previous heartbreak. "I wish I could, it's just..."
Suigetsu strutted away from her as if he never made any false moves. "Lost opportunity it'd be to miss out on someone like me."
He was pushing her, but only within his no-limit zone. He had a pretty obvious explanation in front of him, but he wasn't ready to believe it. What a joke.
"I like you a lot, Suigetsu," was all she could say, hoping maybe a part of him believed her. "I can't—"
"You can't what?" He cut in impatiently, "do me a favor and forget about it. That Hyūga must have been way out of your league, huh?"
Tenten couldn't allow herself to lose her cool. He was purposely taking jabs at her; he wanted to make her furious. She could see right through his actions. "It's pretty pathetic that you can only see your point of view on things."
"It's a strength," Suigetsu spun around on his heel, no longer able to handle the feel of adorable sorry eyes burning into him. "trust me, babe. You'd be scoring a real upgrade."
He doesn't share her desire for convincing, and he sure as hell didn't feel like he lost out on anything. Rejection was just a dream to everyone, especially Suigetsu. He was wrong to believe she was any different.
There he was, wasting time again... on someone who would never be a benefit to him.
"Unless you're over it," He strapped Kubikiribōchō into his belts, "this isn't going to work out. I'll see 'ya."
Tenten refused to call after him, or give him the outburst he was looking for. She said nothing, anger boiling her insides as she fought the urge to strangle him. How dare he. After explaining her feelings, he still didn't trust her. He was the one pulling away, but she couldn't do anything to object, and maybe that was the better choice. She hated to think he lied to her about his reputation, but there was little he was actually guilty of. He would accept no blame, and she wasn't sure if this trust would ever be mutual.
Suigetsu wasn't incapable—he has to grasp on a weak scenario's flaws. He didn't understand it, and he harbored zero empathy.
Nothing had meant anything to him, after all.
Tenten stifled a cough in her throat, knowing he could no longer hear sincerity. "You really don't listen, Suigetsu."
A/N;; Hope all of you have a Happy Valentine's Day, even if this chapter wasn't the greatest addition of love. Would be interested to hear any thoughts on this chapter; I think these two mesh well together. Anyways, thanks for reading. You guys are the best.
