Full Moon, Half Moon
So cold and distant, yet at the same time, the warmest thing in the universe.
Thinking
"Yelling"
On with the story!
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Nighttimes in Konoha fell quickly, subtly changing the blue, wispy skies, into an endless, deep black ocean, speckled with the tiny lights of the faraway hopes and dreams of wishing stars. Tonight, the quarter moon glowed with a brilliance that rivaled the sun itself. Rivaling not in brightness, the sun would outclass the moon by far, but in beauty. The moon was far more humble than the sun. It never tried to outshine the stars, nor blind anyone with its light. It did naught but shine in the heavens, casting shadows in the otherwise contrast-less landscape.
Mito Gai, sensei of Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee, and Ten-ten, had worked his students extra hard today, leaving them exhausted on the training field. Neji and Lee had been able to drag themselves home, but Ten-ten remained on the ground, content to stay until she felt willing to rise.
Now, the sun had set, leaving her to admire the dark, tranquil landscape. There really was no need to rush; she had no one waiting at her apartment, having been orphaned at a young age. Slivers of moonlight shone through the canopy of leaves, casting a pattern of white and black on her wearied body.
A slight rustling in the bushes alerted her to somebody's nearby presence, and she quietly slid a kunai out of her holster. With baited breath, Ten-ten waited for the being to show themselves.
"You're still here?" Ten-ten pushed her kunai back into her holster, relieved when she recognized Neji's voice. Neji melted out of the darkness, pushing a small branch out of his face.
"Yeah…" Ten-ten sighed, leaning back against the tree she was sitting by. "It's a nice night. Why not stay out and enjoy it?"
"Don't you have to go home?" Neji stood at her side, his hands in his pockets.
"Well, I don't have to…" Ten-ten changed subjects quickly and turned to look at him. She hadn't told him she was an orphan, and didn't plan on telling him any time soon. "Why are you here?" Neji shrugged.
"I saw you from my room, so I got worried a bit. I thought something might be wrong." Neji said to her, turning his head up to the sky.
"You? Worried about me? Neji, I'm touched." Ten-ten mocked flattery. Neji didn't respond, his expressionless gaze locked onto the quarter moon. "I love looking at the moon, even if it's only half full." Ten-ten said quietly.
"Technically, it's a quarter moon." Neji corrected.
"I don't go by that logic." Ten-ten replied. "That logic would make the full moon, only a half."
"True." Neji admitted, his own pearly eyes matching the moon perfectly. Ten-ten smiled slightly.
"Neji, your eyes, sort of remind me of the moon." Neji sadly shook his head.
"The moon is pure, I, on the other hand, am not. I'm tainted with an irremovable mark. I am not like the moon at all." His hand brushed his forehead slightly. "And never will be…" Ten-ten sighed, placing her head in her hands.
"You don't understand, do you?"
"What?" Neji asked, turning down to look at her.
"The moon isn't perfect either, nor is it unscarred. That's what makes it beautiful." She tugged on his arm, making him sit down next to her. "Look up there." She pointed up at the moon. "See that there? There are thousands upon thousands of craters, making the surface rough and blemished."
"So? What does that have to do with me?"
"Even though it has scars that can never be removed, even though it is not the strongest or biggest, it shines out, and makes the night all the more beautiful. Now you…" Ten-ten leaned on one arm, looking Neji straight in the eyes. "You are exactly the same." She took off his forehead protector, and Neji didn't stop her, confused at what she was trying to get at. She laid the headband on the ground, placing her finger on the cursed seal emblazoned upon his forehead. "You have a scar that can never be removed as well, be it curse or no. And your eyes…" She looked deep into them. "Just as pure as the moon itself, and they always say the eyes are the window to the soul…" Ten-ten slid her finger down the side of his face. "You shine out, even though your fate says you shouldn't." Ten-ten returned his forehead protector back to him. "Think about that."
Neji took back his forehead protector, but didn't put it back on. He watched Ten-ten as she silently lay back against the tree once more.
"So…" Neji toyed with the strap coming off the left side of his forehead protector. "I'm the moon, you say?" Ten-ten nodded. "Then what does that make you?"
"Make… me?" Ten-ten turned towards Neji and found that his eyes were staring through her. "Well… I don't know… Just another far off star, I guess."
"I beg to differ." Neji leaned in close, just like she had. "The moon has no light of its own; it borrows light from the sun. Without the sun and its radiance," Neji's hand closed around hers, shocking her. "The moon would be dark, unable to shine at all." His other hand reached up and cupped her cheek. "The sun gives the moon the courage it needs to shine out, to defy the fate it was condemned to. Without the sun," Neji brought her closer to him. "The moon would be nothing. If I am the moon," Neji whispered softly. "Then you are my sun, Ten-ten."
"N-Neji!" Ten-ten desperately fought down the blush creeping onto her face. "Th-that's ridiculous!"
"For a sun, you sure are cold." Neji grinned mischievously. "Mind if I warm you up?" Despite Ten-ten's nervous stuttering, Neji moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, pulling her even closer to him. Neji sighed slightly and began to nuzzle her neck affectionately.
Ten-ten was going absolutely insane with such close contact. His rough, work-worn hands were surprising gentle against her skin, setting her nerves aflame. Ten-ten quickly turned around and pinned him to the tree they were leaning against. Neji's eyes widened in surprise as she crushed her mouth against his, kissing him passionately. Gasping for breath, Ten-ten pulled away and met his eyes.
"Whoever thought astronomy would have brought us this close?" She said, her face reddened under the moonlight. Neji shrugged.
"Who knew?" He laughed slightly and lightly caressed her face. "I think we both knew all along… We just didn't take the time to look hard enough."
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Tee hee! I had a bit of time on my hands, not quite enough to write a full fledged chapter, so I made a one shot about my most favoritest pairing in the world! Tell me what you think; is it good, bad, or downright corny? Please read my other stories: Windows, Ten-ten's New Hair Color, Snake Lords, and Right Out of a Hat. Till then!