Title: My Prince Charming
Summery: Neji and Sakura have been going out in secret for a while now. And everything was going great until it finally dawned on Tenten that she was in love with Neji. And what's this? Sakura and Neji had their first fight? And just who is this mystery person that listened into their conversation?
A/N: Alright, third chapter, DONE! xD Well anyways, I would like to say that I have received more reviews than I thought I was gonna be getting and thank you for all those who actually took the time and effort to review a story like mine. I really appreciate it; I really do. And also thank you for all your advices about how I write. I'll make sure to fix my ways so that everyone will enjoy my story in the long run.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto at all…
Chapter Three
Neji's POV
Walking through Konoha with Lee is the worst torture any man of nobility can have. Especially when you're someone with my ruthless and cold reputation, having to drag, --ehem-- I mean, carry around a person that shouts the most unpredictable things at the top of his lungs for the whole world to hear, even when he's been knocked out cold.
"I HAVE SQUIRRELS UNDERWEAR! HEAR THEM RAWR!"
Even without my Byakugan eyes activated, I could already tell that half of the Konoha village were enjoying themselves with this chaotic scene and I just know for a fact that a large number of them were also laughing and pointing in my and Lee's direction.
Trying my hardest to not kill Lee for the embarrassment of his words and actions, I could only glare at many unlucky innocent passerbys as I continued my miserable walk to the hospital, dragging along the body of my idiotic "rival".
Hn. Maybe if I'm persuasive enough, the Godaime will agree to give him a brain that's actually functioning normally and possibly cure those deformed eyes and eyebrows of his.
In fact, let's just kill him for the fun of it; you know, to put Lee out of his misery.
Wait, no… that wouldn't be such a good idea after all because then, whom will Gai-sensei train with?
There's no way I will become his new training buddy, let alone, allow Tenten to train with him, since she is, after all, my sparring partner and training equal. Or… close to equal.
And I'm not implying that Gai is a bad sensei either-- he's just… too special… for my tastes.
"MILK TASTES GOOD WITH KETCHUP AND ROTTEN SOCKS!"
Frowning, I decided to ignore Lee's "shout attacks" as I quietly reminded myself that our –Sakura's and mine-- five-month anniversary was coming up soon and I instantly began to think up of gifts that would satisfy my lovely pink-haired angel. That is, until my thoughts were, once again, interrupted by Lee.
"NEJI GOT ME PREGNANT LAST NIGHT!"
Laughter heard in background.
Eyebrow twitch.
How I wish I could kill Lee right now. No, not just kill, but to kill, then bring back to life, then to kill again. Yes, that would satisfy me somewhat.
Smirking, I continued walking past villagers and small shops as I purposely allowed rocks and pointy twigs to hit and ram into Lee's head as he was being dragged along the rocky road.
…Too bad I learned the hard way that rocks and twigs have bad influence on Lee's sudden outbursts.
"IT'S RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPE! AHHHHHHHH!"
More laughs.
Glare.
That… was not even funny.
As I quickened my pace, the hospital, where the Godaime and my beloved worked at, finally came into view. Hastily, I just threw Lee through the front entrance, not caring whether he broke a window, lost an arm, or slammed against the wall. It's the nurses' responsibility now, not mine.
Good riddance. If it weren't for Tenten, I would've gone mad ages ago.…Tenten…
Wow… for some odd preposterous reason, the thought of Tenten made me feel… happy, somehow. In fact, whenever I sensed her presence, I felt more at ease and less tense than when she was not around. I wonder why I never noticed it before? Hmm… I wonder what Tenten is doing right now?Looking up at the bright sun, I predicted that it must be around noontime, and knowing Tenten, she must be around her apartment, always restless and active. I bet she's furious at me for cutting training short.
Well, might as well ask her to spar again, I suggested to myself as I smirked at the thought of an angry Tenten.
Making a 180-degree turn, I slowly made my way towards Tenten's apartment.
Although I could still see the amusement and humor flaming in the local villagers' eyes, they stayed quiet, knowing that I will mercilessly use my Hakke Rokujyu Yonshou on them, now that I don't have Lee to take care of. And I congratulate them on that smart move.
Looks like I still have that effect on them.
Another smirk played on my face as I continued perambulating through Konoha, with my pride and reputation still intact.
As I passed Team 7's old training grounds, I noticed Sakura, with her back facing me.
She looks so beautiful and vulnerable, the way she's hiding behind that tree, ogling her eyes like that.
Wait a minute; something's not right. Why would she be… ogling… at something?
Instead of using the Byakugan, I decided to sneak up behind her instead. As I came up behind her, I finally realized what she's been looking at. And what I saw did not make me happy one bit.
Sakura's POV
Wow… he looks so se--
"Sakura."
When I heard my name being called, it felt like the world just ended.
Oh. Shit.
I know that voice anywhere-- and boy, did I sense the venom in his voice. Turning around as inertly as I could, I cowardly looked up and faced the person who spoke my name. Man, this could get ugly…
"H-hai, Neji?"
How could I have been so stupid to get caught by Neji? Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap…
"What… is the meaning of this?"
All the anger, jealousy, and betrayal that he tried so hard to conceal were easily portrayed in his narrowed lilac eyes. His face was as pale as ever and the tension in the air was so thick that a knife could've cut through it.
Oh boy… he must be really mad.
'Ehh… he's not worth it! Don't forget that you still got that sexyyyyyyyy Sasuke! w00t!'
"Look, Neji… I can explain--"
"Oh, you can explain, can you? Well then, please explain, my lovely Sakura."
I winced at the sneering sound of his cold mocking voice, as I continued to look up at his angry face, with so much hatred visible in his eyes. To make things worse, I could feel the sharp sting in my nose as the hot tears threatened to spill from my eyes at any given moment.
"Please explain how you deceivingly played me, making it seem as though you loved me, when really, you're still obsessed over that Uchiha bastard over there. What? Am I not good enough for your royalty and high status of narcissism? Is that it, princess?"
Wow. Those words really hurt. I did not expect that out of Neji at all. I also did not expect that his words would affect me so.
"B-b-but…"
"But what?" He snapped back.
"W-why are you making me look like the b-bad guy, huh?"
His eyes narrowed down even more when I questioned that. "Oh? And what is that suppose to mean? Are you trying to say that I should blame that tree over there for your lack of compassion and common sense instead?"
"N-n-no! T-that's not what I meant!" I cried out.
I couldn't hold the tears back anymore. His words were like daggers freshly out of the oven, still hot and burning, ready to diminish everything in its path. I could feel the tears gracefully sliding down my puffy cheeks as I desperately tried to explain to my boyfriend that I wasn't still in love with Sasuke.
But what is there to explain? I got caught red-handed. What is there left to do? I lowered my head in shame, not wanting to face him anymore.
"Well? Care to explain what I saw?"
"I-I…"
Why can't I talk to him?"I-I'm sorry!"
"Sorry doesn't cut it, Haruno."
My head instinctively snapped up when he said my last name. It's been quite awhile since the last time he addressed me as 'Haruno'. That just shows that this conversation was not going well and it's probably gonna end in disastrous results.
"B-but! I really am! I-It's just… I still love Sasuke! And I admit that I used you… but… it was because… I thought that us together would make him jealous! B-but it didn't work like I intended to, so I thought that, if I just stayed with you, maybe I'd… just end up falling in love with you instead… B-but…"
That was as far as I could manage to say. I ended up sobbing my eyes out as my knees buckled and my body helplessly hit the ground with a soft thump.
I can't face him anymore. I just… can't…Silence.
"P-please say something…" I pleaded.
More silence.
"You're fucked up, Haruno. It's over."
And with those words, he stomped away, leaving me to cry alone, with all this guilt and misery clouding my mind.
Neji's POV
I still love Sasuke! And I admit that I used you… but… it was because… I thought that us together would make him jealous!
DAMMIT! No matter what I do; no matter how hard I try not to think about it, those words keep echoing through my head, like the annoying buzz of the bloodthirsty mosquito.
The pain in my heart hurts so much it's unbearable.
So… this is what people try so hard to find-- love? BAH! The world will be so much better without it!
FORGET THIS! I need to blow off some steam! I NEED TENTEN!
/Meanwhile…/
Mystery Person's POV
"I…I…"
C'mon now. We ain't got all day here.
Heh… who would've thought that the Hyuuga heiress would be this… daring? Well, she's got some nerve, betraying Sakura like this!
Forehead girl is soooooooooo not gonna like this. No soirée.
"T-Tenten-san?"
Looking on from my hiding spot, I could see Tenten fidgeting with the hem of her old pink Chinese shirt, trying to think of what to say. And then there's the little weasel, who's trying to act all high and superior, so that she can get the information that she needs.
ARGH! Forget what Tenten's gonna say. I hafta tell Sakura right now!With that thought in mind, I quickly dashed from the area and ran to find Sakura.
Tenten's POV
"T-Tenten-san?"
Looking anywhere, but at Hinata herself, I started to play with the hem of my shirt as I tried to think up of any good reasonable explanation for my uneasiness. Who would've thought that the shyest and sweetest person you could ever meet could manage to throw off your guard like that?
Man… what are you going to say Tenten? Think, think, THINK! …Wait… something's not right…
Instinctively, I reached back into the weapon pouch near my right hip and pulled out a kunai as I finally realized that there must've been someone else who was here, watching us. Something in the back in my head was telling me that a certain blonde was probably on her daily duty of listening into and spreading gossip. Too bad I realized this too late—I was hoping to use my new kunai-throwing technique on a new dummy.
Hold on. Now, I'm sensing another chakra --an angry one at that-- coming toward us at full speed.
"Umm… Hinata? Let's talk about this later. I think Neji's on his way here and from the running speed, I'm assuming that he's not in a good mood right now."
Widening her eyes slightly, she timidly nodded her head to show that she understood.
As if right on cue, Neji jumped down from the apartment roof and landed right next to Hinata, looking out of breath, as if he just ran a ten-day marathon non-stop. But the thing that made me do a double take was that Neji actually looked hurt.
I guess Hinata was caught off guard too, as she asked quietly, "N-Neji-nii-san? W-what's wrong?"
Hearing his name being called, he shyly looked at Hinata and shook his head, as if he was reassuring that everything was okie, when rhetorically, things were not. Turning his head towards my direction, he looked at me with his cold, menacing eyes and silently demanded, "Spar. NOW!"
Before I could even grasp what was fully happening, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me from my front doorstep with a sudden jolt, as he dragged me toward our training grounds. Looking back down, I barely managed to catch a glimpse of Hinata's distraught face before neighbors' roofs and the ground itself covered her face from my view.
"WAIT! NEJI!" I cried out. This is so unexpected. What the hell happened to him?
And where's Sakura?
Before I could possibly think of any explanations, our feet soon touched the training grounds and it literally felt as if the world came crashing down. One minute, I'm in the air, getting a headache about what the hell made Neji so shaken up; the next, I'm on the ground, struggling to keep up with Neji's continuous attacks that I barely had enough time to dodge his punches and kicks.
"NEJI! WHA--"
But before I could even finish my question, he used his Hakke Rokujyu Yonshou on me as I felt myself flying through the air, immeasurable pain surging throughout my body. I finally landed against the side of the same tree where I ate my dim sum earlier that day, too numb to feel any more pain.
What the--? What is his problem?
Too tired to actually function properly, I laid there motionlessly, waiting for Neji to scold me about how weak I've become. But the most unexpected happened-- instead of criticizing about how I give up too soon; he pulled me up and hugged me so tightly that I could hardly breathe. I began to feel his hot breath at the crook of my neck and his strong arms wrapping around me, which caused me to blush at his sudden show of affection. I knew it was wrong-- plus, we could get into so much trouble if Sakura caught us like this-- but right now, I could care less about the future.
"Neji…? What's… the matter?"
Instead of an answer, I felt his shoulders begin to shake uncontrollably as I felt his tears on my very own shoulders while he clung onto me with all his might. I couldn't help, but savor the moment as I returned the hug, while closing my eyes.
This… is like a dream come true! You're in Heaven Tenten! True bliss! …ARGH! You can't be thinking things like this! STOP IT! You have more important things to do! At least give him some comfort!
"There, there Neji. It's all right. I'm here, I'm here…" I softly whispered in his ear. "Now, tell your best friend, Tenten, what's wrong?"
Finally letting go of his bear hug, he looked at me with sorrowful eyes as he began explaining the misfortunes of what has happened.
And you know what totally ate me up? How I had to just sit there and do nothing, as I watched and listened to my loved one cry over a betrayal that he didn't even deserve. It broke my heart to even look at his sad face as his soft voice echoed in my ears as he desperately tried to explain what happened through his cries and hiccups. Hard to believe, I know, but I guess… Hyuugas are just as normal as any other human being when it comes to Love. It makes them into total wrecks.
"…But the thing is…" He softly continued. "I still… love… her, Tenten. I love her so much."
Wow. That… was like a hard slap across the face. I have never, ever, ever, ever felt this much pain before. Physical pain I can take; mental pain I can handle; but physical, mental, AND emotional pain… that's a lot to take in.
As unbearable as it was, I kindly replied, "Alright. Let's go talk to her, Neji."
Hey. If I can't be his girlfriend, the next best thing I could be is his friend. And I'll make sure that I'll be the best friend he'll ever have, forever.
A/N: YAY! The chapter is complete-o! xD HAHAHA… yeah… this chapter didn't really turned out the way I wanted to (like…I didn't expect all this drama to emerge), but it's all good. LoL.
Hmmm… wonder how Tenten is gonna help her Prince Charming deal with his heartaches? And will she ever become his Cinderella? Find out in further chapters! x3
Btw, could anyone guess who the 'mystery person' was? I tried to make it un-obvious but… I think I failed. LoL. Oh well…
