Chapter 3.
After inactivating his Byakugan, Neji jumped and reached for the top of the wall. He saw the whole of Tenten's place. He had been here before. His team used to eat lunch here. From the gates, a pebble path led to the porch. Surrounding the whole place was a garden mostly of bonsais. Neji jumped down and landed on the lawn. He nearly slipped. The soil is drenched due to the heavy rain. He panted and leaned to the wall for support. He's weakening. His vision started to blur. He walked towards her window at the far side of the house. When he reached her window he saw that it was covered with curtains. He leaned at the window and started to knock.
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Tenten came out of the bathroom after having a hot shower. She cursed. The power is out. After lighting a gas lamp, she dropped the towel she was wearing. Her cream colored skin reflected the faint light of given off by the lamp. Flawless. Even if she sustained injuries in the past, she healed them immediately and meticulously to avoid forming ugly scars. Her body is lean, with toned muscles, without flabs. She put on her panty and then her short lingerie. She didn't care if it was cold outside. Her room is warm and she wants to sleep comfortably. She then sat on her bed and grabbed the lotion bottle. She squeezed an ample amount into her hand, spread it to the other hand and applied the lotion to her leg. A strange feeling came over her, a feeling of being watched. She just frowned and paid no attention to it. She continued to massage her legs and then her arms. Just as she was about to grab her book, a rattle on the window came. Someone is knocking. Puzzled, she pulled the curtains aside. There, outside her room, drenched in the rain, weak and panting, is Neji.
"Neji!" She gasped. She quickly slid the window's glass panel aside and helped Neji in. "What happened to you!" She was shocked. She was in panic. Neji could barely stand. He was shivering. He coughed. She made him sit on the bed. She stood in front of him then wrapped her arms around him. She felt like crying.
"Neji-kun what happened?" She asked him. Neji sensed concern, desperation and panic in her voice. Had she forgotten that she's still mad at him? He felt so lucky. He did an awful thing to her and yet here she is hugging him, giving him warmth. He closed his eyes and relished the warmth of her embrace, the warmth of the room, and even the sound of the heavy rain outside the window.
"Let me take you to the bathroom. You need to wash." Tenten led him across the room. She opened the bathroom door. She struggled to make him walk even for the short distance from the door to the toilet. The floor is still slippery so she had to put a little chakra under her feet to stabilize both of them. Upon reaching the toilet bowl, she closed the toilet seat cover and made Neji sit on it. She looked at him, his eyes were closed, his breathing faint but steady. He had been over fatigued. I told him before not to overdo it. She said to herself. She felt sorry for him. She never spoke to him after that last practical joke of his. All she said to him was 'take care', as if that was enough! When he left, she wasn't able to sleep. A-rank mission is so risky. Even she, a female Jounin, was rarely given one. They assign A-ranks to males these days due to the heightened activity of the Akatsuki. She was so scared the night before that Neji wouldn't come back alive. She wanted to see him badly and now here he is in front of her. Yes, she panicked when she saw him outside her window. But above that, she was so happy that he came back alive.
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"Neji-kun." She held his face. He opened his eyes and saw her clearly. She's beautiful. Her hazel eyes full of concern, full of love, no trace of hate nor anger. He gave her a weak smile and closed his eyes again.
"Neji. I need to take your clothes off. If not, you'll catch cold..." Tenten said. No response from him. "Oh, God..." she sighed. I guess i have no choice. She took off Neji's head protector and placed it on the floor. She then removed his Jounin vest. It was soaking wet. Next, she pulled his shirt off him and placed it together with his other wet clothes. She stared at him for a moment, at his body. He's not so muscular but he's lean. She caressed the arrow scar at his left shoulder. He stirred. She pulled away and turned her attention to his pants. She hesitated to remove it and instead chose to remove his sandals first. She decided that he would have to bathe in the tub with his pants on.
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Neji stirred as he felt his Jounin jacket being opened. He wanted to watch her undress him but he felt weak even to just open his eyes. He instead savored the moment of being undressed by a girl; a girl who, herself, is wearing something that could be torn off her in the blink of an eye. When she touched his scar, he felt electricity ran over him. He felt her pause for a few moments, maybe she was deciding if she should undo his pants. Inside, he smiled; how he wished she would undo them. But she didn't; she just took his sandals off. Darn.
He felt her move, but not that far from him. He heard cabinets being inspected, faucets being opened, and then he heard the sound of water running. He felt a thin layer of steam emanated from where the sound of the water came from. Together with the steam was the scent of citrus and chamomile. Herbs. She's preparing for his bath. How sweet.
"Neji." She tried waking him up. He opened his eyes and raised his eyebrows, asking. "Let's get you over the tub." She placed his arm around her shoulders to support him and led him to the tub. The scent of the bath relaxed and cleared his senses.
Tenten gathered his drenched clothes from the floor and placed them in the empty hamper. After picking it up, she went for the door. Before exiting, she looked back at him. He's sitting at the edge of the tub, looking weary with shoulders slumped. On the contrary, his face, even if he's not smiling, seemed amused and contented. His lips arched slightly, he smiled. She gave a smile too, and then went out of the bathroom.
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He can see her clearly now. He watched her gather his clothes from the floor. A strap of her lingerie fell from her shoulder. He caught a glimpse of the deeper part of her cleavage. She's so beautiful...inside and out... His face felt hot again and his breathing hastened, but still he maintained his stoic facade. He felt himself stiffen down there. He swore. His body longed for her but he can't imagine himself doing it with her, to her. He saw her proceed to the door and looked back at him. Her eyes, there's this sweetness in them that he had difficulty ignoring. He clutched the edge of the tub to restrain himself from running to her and capturing her mouth into his. He swore again. What the fuck are you thinking? Surprisingly, even if he feels weak, his sexual urges are still strong, his hormones are still raging. Self control...The way of the ninja…Goddammit! Showing up at her window drenched and fatigued was trouble enough for her and he doesn't want to give her another thing to worry about. He breathed deeply gave her a small smile, assuring her that he would be alright. She smiled back and then went out of the bathroom. After she closed the door, he activated his Byakugan. He saw her putting her silk robe on without tying it around her. She stopped for a moment then suddenly looked in his direction. She felt that? A second later, she looked away then went out her room.
He deactivated his Byakugan. He can stand up now without much difficulty. He then took his pants and underpants off. Still stiff...Damn it. He soaked his hand in the water, it's more than warm, and that's good. He then submerged himself in the water. A few minutes have passed and he can now feel the herbs doing their work. They might not fulfill his hunger for food but they can definitely clear the senses and chakra channels. He closed his eyes and relaxed.
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Ok. Another chapter finished. Thanks for the reviews Chibiaddicted and amwong88! Kinda difficult playing around with the characters' psychology. But I'll do my best! : )