Artheph's Note: Ah, it's more crack-ish Neji/Tenten. Actually, I had this story/chapter up for like a month...I just kinda forgot to upload it. Heh. Anyway, this was going to start out as some really deep (or as deep as I can get) drabble, but then it sorta just evolved into this...humor thing. So...here we have a deep beginning, humor middle, and deep ending. Good stuff. Or at least, I hope you think so. Enjoy! Oh, and I know Crysthur and I have never mentioned this...but we REALLY DO appreciate your reviews. And yeah, we actually never review ourselves, but we REALLY DO APPRECIATE all the hard work you guys take to send in a review. Cheers!
They unconsciously agreed to take a breather from their training. She was kneeling on the ground having landed in that position after her attack. He had his hands on his knees to support his fatigued body. They both glanced up at the same time, and their eyes caught each other.
She was unconfined like the breeze swimming in the air. She was carefree like the birds lazily soaring in the sky.
She was everything he couldn't be, he thought.
He had strength like a chivalrous knight leading the company to battle. He had pride like a lion cub scaring its first prey.
He had everything she couldn't have, she thought.
But enough with all this sentimental jazz. We shall now zoom in on the tree to the right of their training ground. Particularly, the back of the tree.
"Lee, don't drop the recorder!" Gai fiercely whispered to his beloved favorite.
"Sorry, Gai-sensei! Should I play it now?" Lee was about to press the button.
"No, no!" Gai quickly slapped away Lee's hand. "Remember, when one of them leaves! Stick to the game plan!"
"Sorry, Gai-sensei! I will do my best!"
Tenten suspiciously glanced at the whispering tree. Both she and Neji knew Lee and Gai had been hiding behind the tree for the past fifteen minutes, but they chose to ignore the duo's newest strange habit. However, maybe now was the time to find out just what the flamboyant sensei and aspiring student had in mind.
"Lee, Gai-sensei, you can come out now."
Lee ogled. "She knew?"
Gai, pretending he had known that they really had no chance of going unnoticed, jumped from behind the tree, "Of course she knew! She was taught by ME after all!"
"What are you doing?" Neji asked.
"Oh no! Our brilliant plot!" Lee gasped.
"Hurry, change of plans! Follow my lead," Gai told Lee, as if Neji and Tenten weren't standing in front of them, listening to their every word.
He cleared his throat. "We have something very, very important for you young blossoming youths. Ready, Lee?"
"Roger!" Lee pushed the play button.
"Oh Tenten! If only thou knewest the love that blossomeths from the deep well that is my heart! Thy overwhelming beauty is just heavenly!" a voice that sounded like it was supposed to be masculine but turned out raspy and scratched instead came from the recorder.
"Who is that?" Tenten asked, distrustfully.
"Why, it's NEJI!" Gai and Lee cheered.
"WHAT?" Neji burst out, astounded. They must have been on crack. Old, molding crack. That was SO not him. In fact, if you cocked your head to the left and cupped your ear, it sounded almost like Gai.
"There's more!"
"Oh Tenten! I lamenteth the state that I dwellest. Thou, thou art so free, free like a fish in the vast ocean. So freeth, unlike me. Alas, I am cagedest. Would thoust unbind me from my prison?" again the faux voice spoke.
Strangely enough, that was rather close to Neji's sentiment. He narrowed his eyes. How the heck could the feather-brained, to put it lightly, Gai and Lee ever know what he was actually thinking? They were so going down.
"Ah, never fear, Neji. Your feelings are reciprocal!"
"Oh Neji! I dreamest of thou dayeth and nighteth! The sight of everything bringeths thy name to my mind, and I cherish it dearlyest!" a poorly imitated high-pitched voice screeched out.
Holding her hands to her ears in an attempt to block out the sound, Tenten exclaimed, "What the hell is that?"
"It's you, Tenten! Proclaiming your love to the bright skies!"
She blanched. Neji wasn't so stupid as to fall for Gai and Lee's little scheme, right? That was totally Lee trying to sound like a girl! And she was positive that the first voice had been Gai, though a tiny, tiny part of her heart distractedly thought that, well, it would be comforting if Neji felt that way … just not in that exact wording.
"Oh dearest Neji! Thy strength I envy, but admirest even more so! I knowest thou can alwayst protect me; thus, I feel secureth and warmth whenever around thou."
The color was rapidly coming back to Tenten's cheeks. Though she never spoke in dramatic Shakespearean, that was more or less her thoughts. How did they know? She never told anyone; she never wrote it down in some lame, girly diary. Gai and Lee were so going down.
Neji and Tenten briefly looked at each and then went into action.
As Neji ran at the green-flanked pair, Tenten threw her trusty set of various kunai, shuriken, and senbon. Gai and Lee were forced to duck, leaving their tape recorder vulnerable. Summoning chakra to his palm, Neji jyuuken-ed the tape recorder to a pitiful demise. Oh, but even though the evidence was obliterated, there was still more to come. As Tenten started up her soushouryu, Neji used his kaiten, forcing Tenten's weapons to fly around even more haphazardly. Gai was only able to think to himself, "So this is what they've been practicing during their training," before he and Lee had to frantically run off for cover.
Neji smirked as he surveyed the damage. Tree branches were hewn off, sharp metal covered the ground, and two distinct trails, made by his sensei and teammate, led towards the village.
Then, holding out his hand to Tenten, he asked, "Want some ramen?"
"Sure," she grinned as their fingers touched.
She was everything he couldn't be, he thought.
He had everything she couldn't have, she thought.
So, they molded into one.
