Neji and TenTen make their return in this chapter, as does Gai, Lee, and those three boys who everyone seems to want to kill
Chapter Seven
For the first time in over two weeks TenTen was well enough to practice with the boys. Gai and Lee were ecstatic over the prospect of seeing their team as a whole for the first time in months. Neji, on the other hand was indifferent. He couldn't care less about the team, but he was weary of being together, since he and TenTen hadn't spoken since they'd both wound up in the hospital a few days ago.
Neji was not looking forward to being reunited with his teammates and was taking the longest possible route to their usual meeting place. He was surprised instead to find an older ninja in place of Gai and the other two. "Who the hell are you?"
The blonde boy shook his head. "That's not important. What's important is that I know who raped your friend."
"Keep talking."
The boy looked around twice. "I don't have that much time, but if you and the girl meet me here at six I'll give them to you."
Neji was not convinced. "What's in it for you?"
"The joy of seeing justice served." The boy took off and TenTen emerged from behind a tree.
"Did you recognize him?"
"His voice sounded familiar."
"Are you coming with me?"
"Yes." She replied firmly. Neji wouldn't scare her into not going.
"Don't get in my way."
"I won't." She met his glare with a fierce one of her own. She was getting better at portraying her anger through her eyes alone, though Neji was still the grandmaster.
"Good."
The ground in front of them exploded and when the dust cleared Gai was standing in front of them with Lee just off to his right. "Greetings lady and gentlemen. It truly is a wonderful feeling to see the three of you together for the first time since the last Chuunin exam." He flexed his biceps in front of the three kids. "And I am confident that a month is enough time for us to once again be the top genin team."
Neji crossed his arms over his chest. "Don't fool yourself sensei. We're not ready and you know we won't be."
Lee jumped to his idol's defense, shaking his fist in the boy's face. "How dare you doubt Gai-sensei? If he says we're ready, then we're ready."
His rival scoffed at him. "Don't be naïve. The four of us know deep down that we don't have a snowball's chance in hell. Only one genin passed last time, so all the surviving competitors from last exam will be back, including the Sand genin." He glared at Lee and TenTen. "Or have you two forgotten what happened to you the last time you fought them?"
"It's been five months." Lee countered. "We've gotten better."
"And so have they. Only they weren't injured all five months."
TenTen grabbed Neji's wrist and jerked him towards her. "What the hell is wrong with you? How could you say such horrible things to Lee?"
"They're true."
Gai rested a hand on Neji's shoulders. "Just because they're true doesn't give you the right to be cruel. We've all been through a lot the past five months and it's a miracle that we're even able to compete."
"What's the point of competing if we're only going to lose?"
"Have you given up Neji?" Lee questioned. "Are you too chicken to go on? You try to say we're weak, but the truth is, you're more scared than any of us."
"Shut up!" Neji charged his teammate, but the boy disappeared just before he could grab him around the neck.
Lee materialized behind him and gripped him in a chokehold. "Did I strike a chord Neji-kun?"
Neji growled and spun out of the hold, thrusting Lee several feet away.
Gai jumped in between the two combatants. "There's no need for fighting amongst ourselves so close to the Chuunin exam."
"Gai-sensei?"
He turned in TenTen's direction. "Yes?"
"Please let them fight. Lee wants the chance to beat Neji more than anything."
"They can save it for the exam."
Lee turned puppy dog eyes on his teacher. "Please sensei?"
He sighed. "Very well then." Gai leapt out of the way. "Just try not to injure each other."
Lee smiled widely. He'd been waiting for the chance to defeat Neji ever since they met. "Ready Neji-kun?"
Neji growled at him and waited for the boy to start the fight.
Lee had studied Neji's techniques from the very beginning and knew firsthand how debilitating his fighting style could be. It would be hard for him to avoid close contact with Neji as that was how he took the offensive. "Let's go!" He charged and watched as Neji ran towards him as well. He slid onto the ground, locked onto one of Neji's ankles with both feet and threw the boy onto the ground. Lee backflipped and several paces away and taunted the other boy. "Are you hurt Neji-kun?"
The long-haired boy did not respond. He had no problem with letting Lee think he was winning until he figured out how to use his new powers.
"I'm impressed that Lee actually managed to hit Neji." TenTen remarked.
Gai folded his arms across his chest. "Lee has trained extremely hard to overcome his injuries, but I still don't think he's quite up to Neji's level."
"Konoha Whirlwind." Lee aimed the kick directly at Neji's face, but the white-eyed boy threw up a fist to block his attack just in time to save himself from a direct hit. Lee smirked. "Good to see you're not completely out of it."
For some reason TenTen was growing increasingly uncomfortable. Her vision was spinning and she had a strange tightness in her chest that was preventing her from breathing freely. She glanced over at Neji to see if he was experiencing the same discomfort.
The boy didn't appear to be having any breathing difficulty, but she did notice the fire dancing in his eyes. However, what scared her was that these flames weren't ones of anger, pride or passion, what she was seeing was real fire, capable of causing serious damage. "Lee! Get down now!"
Without asking any questions the green-clad boy dropped flat onto the ground as a wave of fire rolled over his head.
Gai grabbed Neji's hands and pinned them behind his back. "This fight has been postponed. Are you okay Lee?"
He got up and dusted off his green shirt and pants. "Yes sir." He looked at Neji with wonder in his big eyes. "How did you do that?"
Neji glanced at TenTen briefly. "I'm not sure."
The tightness in her chest subsided and she was able to breathe easier.
"When did you learn that technique?" Lee looked dejected. Even without him using Byakugan once, he was still far from his rival's level.
Neji didn't take his eyes off TenTen. "Just a few days ago."
"Once again you have developed an amazing technique on your own. Congratulations Neji." Gai released the boy and smiled warmly at him. "You two boys have given me even more confidence in our chances."
"See." Lee held his index and middle fingers up in a V. "We can make Chuunin easily. It'll just take hard work."
"I think you've had enough exercise for the morning. Meet me at sundown for some top secret training."
At the man's words Neji left the three of them behind. Several questions burning in the back of her mind, TenTen chased after the younger boy and caught up to him a few meters later. "Were you waiting for me?"
"I could hear you coming."
"And I knew you would wait."
"Feh."
"How did you learn to use the phoenix's powers so quickly, and why did I know in advance when you were going to attack?"
He turned his back on her. "Don't ask questions you already know the answers to."
Realization dawned on her. "If we're close enough to each other the phoenix lets me see into your mind."
"You're smarter than I thought."
"Why did you show Gai and Lee? You know Kotetsu is looking for any chance he can find to get rid of us?"
"That's not my concern."
"Then what it is your concern?"
"Becoming stronger than the others. Nothing else."
"I see." TenTen had no problem reading his thoughts. He really didn't think about anything other than regaining his lost respect.
Neji could tell the girl was probing his mind. She was so predictable when it came to her ridiculous overprotectiveness. He couldn't understand why she felt she had to defend him when she was barely capable of protecting herself. He sighed. Having your thoughts read while reading another's thoughts was so annoying. "Don't you have anything better to do?"
She cocked her head to the side and looked at him inquisitively. "I don't understand you Neji. You don't want me around you, but you don't want me to leave your side. Make up your mind."
The boy flushed red. "Stay out of my head." He stared at a tree. "I just don't want you to get hurt before the chuunin exam starts."
"Can't you care about someone just once?" She sounded frustrated.
"What's the point in caring when the people you care about only get killed anyway?"
"Because otherwise you just live an empty life where you seek power and become a killing machine." TenTen shuddered as she remembered Gaara and the brief glimpse she'd caught of Sasuke's brother Itachi.
"I don't see your point."
TenTen rolled her eyes. "I'm going home." She began to storm off, but stopped in her tracks.
"What are you waiting on?"
"Walk me home."
He didn't feel like doing it, but he couldn't risk someone attacking her on the way there. Neji sighed and tailed the girl to her house. Fortunately, Kotetsu wasn't there waiting for them. "I'll come back for you at quarter to six."
"Yeah." She opened the door. "Neji?"
He grunted in response.
"Try not to use the phoenix. If my parents didn't trust it, there's no reason for us to."
"Let me be the judge of that."
"Neji."
"Quarter to six TenTen. Be ready or I'll leave you behind."
~~~
Kotetsu stood in the doorway, preventing her from leaving her bedroom. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Gai-sensei's having a late night training session and Neji's probably already outside waiting for me."
"It's not night yet. Are you and Neji planning on going anywhere first?"
"Yes Kotetsu, we're going back to his house to screw each other senseless." TenTen rolled her eyes at the angry look on her brother's face. "It's a joke. Neji and I aren't serious and we won't ever be so you might as well stop worrying about us spending time together."
Kotetsu embraced his sister awkwardly. "Sis, you know I want you to be happy, but why don't you wait 'til you grow up before you start getting serious about boys?"
"I'm thirteen and I'm a ninja. I may never grow up."
"I think about that all the time TenTen. I don't ever want you to get hurt again."
"Don't worry about me. I'm quitting after the chuunin exam."
"Then why even take it?" Kotetsu was looking for any opportunity for her not to use the phoenix.
"I'm giving Neji the chance to redeem himself. It's all he cares about." She shrugged. "Might as well make someone happy."
"You better get going." He released her.
"Yeah." The girl slipped past her brother and unlocked the front door to find Neji glaring at her.
"You're late."
"Kotetsu has problems."
The pair walked across town to their training grounds in silence. There was no need for speech between them when their thoughts were easily accessible.
They were met in the clearing by three older genin, one of them the kid who'd approached them. "Congratulations Honda. You did something right for once."
From the blonde hair poking out under Honda's headband, Neji and TenTen recognized him as the one who'd spoken to them. "I told you I'd bring the boy and the girl to you."
"You did good."
"What's going on here?" TenTen questioned.
"Well whadda yah know boys? She doesn't remember us at all."
Honda seemed to get cold feet. "Guys come on, this isn't right."
Both of his teammates punched him in the stomach and then one of them kicked him to the ground. "You'll have to excuse our brother. He's a bit of a wuss." The more quiet one of the two stopped in front of TenTen and seized her lips in an overpowering kiss, biting down hard on her lower lip. He stepped back from the surprised teen. "Remember me now?"
Neji answered the question for her. "You were the ones who raped her."
The leader clapped sarcastically. "Give the boy a cookie."
Neji grabbed TenTen's hand and pulled her out of their reach. "Leave us alone or pay the consequences."
The two older teens smirked at him. "Don't worry kid. We'll leave plenty of her behind for you to screw when you're man enough."
"You're making a mistake by doing this." Neji warned. "Touch her again and you're dead."
He scoffed. "No kid. You're the one who'll be dead."
"I don't think you understand." Neji's fist burst into flames. He was about to attack when he felt a hand push him aside.
TenTen stepped forward. "Let me do this." She put her hands together and performed one of the seals she'd just learned. "Phoenix flame no Jutsu." A giant fiery bird exploded out of her chest towards the three genin. She didn't even wait to see if they were hit, she just grabbed Neji's hand and began running.
