E2: Nothing much to say… it's been edited, etc.
Well, my computer screwed up on me, and I had to rewrite my ENITRE CHAPTER! Of course, this one had to suck entirely. It's not fair.
Chapter Eleven: She Talks To Angels
"What are you going to do next?" Emi asked Neji as he came downstairs into the kitchen.
"I… don't know any more," Neji confessed.
"What were you doing down at the beach?" Emi asked.
"I… went to get some air."
"You went for a walk with that dress?" Emi raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. I wanted to…" Neji glanced away, and Emi felt her temper burning up again.
"You're never going to fully trust me, are you?" Emi demanded.
"I have a reason."
"What is it, then?"
"Tenten."
"What about Tenten?"
"She… changed me. I can't let myself get attached to anyone now, not ever- not even in marriage."
"But… a relationship is based on trust- if I can't trust you to trust me, then where are we headed in this? We're going to be married in twelve months… what can I expect from you? What can our children expect from you, Neji? Will you always be dreaming of what could have been with Tenten? Will they have to compete with her? Will they have to wonder why their father is never home, and why he'd always be training with another beautiful woman?" Emi demanded, slamming her hand on the wooden bench top.
Neji stared at her hand.
"It's only... because we have to. Sometimes, we have to lie to ourselves," he said, and walked away.
Emi blinked and was startled to find tears on her cheeks.
----x----
Tenten had heard the exchange between the couple and knew she had to leave. She had to go back to Konoha, get her things together, and then… what? Go back to her apartment and …? Go find the Hokage and tell her what had been happening? Talk to Lee and Gai-sensei? Find Sakura?
The kunoichi had a vague plan lined up in her mind. She resolved to leave as soon as possible- which would probably be in a few hours after she'd had a nap or woken up from it. Tenten marvelled at this new sensation of her mind being able to consciously think while her body rested, while still being completely and totally aware of what was going on around her. Maybe this was what it felt like to be a cat- they slept for so long everyday, but seemed to just jump into action in an instant. She'd never experienced anything like this on the island. Maybe Hiroshi had suppressed that. Tenten mentally cursed. Her mind just kept spiralling back to Hiroshi and then what he'd done to Hiashi. Well, that and that awesome mind blowing kiss.
Just the memory of it brought an ache to her fingers and numbness to her lips- she ached to have Neji here with her. Her senses went into hypersensitivity and every thing around her just… amplified. Tenten smiled, deliriously happy despite her situation.
After a while, the kunoichi stopped thinking and her mind napped along with her body while still managing to keep track of time around her. Exactly three hours later, Tenten regained her awareness of where she was and she knew that someone else was in the room, standing a few metres away from her- and it wasn't Neji.
"It's rude to stare you know," she said clearly.
Emi blushed. Both she and Neji had that annoying knack of knowing when someone else was in the room.
"It helps to keep us alive, you see," Tenten said as she sat up, stretched and yawned. "What can I do for you?" she asked pleasantly, rubbing her sleep tousled hair.
"Um… I came to ask you… something," Emi mumbled, sitting on the bed opposite her.
"About what?"
"Um… Neji. And you. "
"Aren't you guys married yet?" Tenten acted surprised, remembering that she hadn't meant to be hearing their conversation earlier.
"No- but we will be in a few months."
"Ah… I see. So what was it that you wanted to know about Neji and me?" Tenten asked warmly, sensing no harmful intent about the younger woman.
"Um… how long have you known him?"
"Hm… let's see. I knew him from the academy- so that was from the age of… 5? So I guess it's been 17 years now."
"Seventeen?" Emi echoed. That made no sense.
"Oh- actually, since I am … twenty four as of a few months ago, I have known Neji for nineteen years actually. I only became… friends with him, if you can call it that, when we were assigned to the same genin cell. If you count from then, it's been twelve years I guess."
"Oh… okay- and how long did you know him before you knew that he liked you?"
"We were… nineteen. Or something close to it. But I think he told me once he was sixteen when he realized he liked me; nineteen, and it was love," Tenten said, struggling to remember slightly. Being close to Neji had helped to regain some memories- but there were still other ones missing, including some concerning their relationship.
"Three years…" Emi muttered.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," Emi said quickly, looking away.
"You waited… three years," Tenten said, wonder present in her voice. "You waited three years because you wanted Neji to fall in love with you, didn't you?" Tenten asked, and Emi knew that she wasn't accusing her of anything.
"I did. I guess it was all just a dream, I guess. A dream about being in love."
"Why?"
"Because he still loves you- he'll never stop."
"Never stop what?" Neji asked, leaning in the doorway. Emi jumped and Tenten raised an eyebrow.
"Don't play the innocent one, Neji. It doesn't suit you," Tenten said arrogantly. Neji shrugged, smirked, and Tenten rolled her eyes. "You never change," she muttered under her breath.
"And neither will you," Neji retorted.
"I've changed more than you'll ever know," Tenten growled. Neji rolled his eyes and looked at Emi, who had been feeling forgotten in the entire exchange.
"Fine then. Emi, I have to talk to you," Neji said, walking downstairs. Emi bit her lip and followed the Hyuuga back down to the living room. Tenten quickly left the bed, changing in a blink.
"It's time to go home…" she murmured to herself.
"Why?" Neji asked, beside her ear.
"Still keeping up that habit?" Tenten turned around. "You scare Emi every time you do that, you know," she said, changing her clothes.
"Well, a leopard can't change its spots," Neji quoted and Tenten rolled her eyes.
"This one did," she muttered, holding up her palm. A small ball of fire began to glow merrily before winking out of existence, just to demonstrate her point. Neji gaped. She had changed in the past three years- and Neji wondered if it was for the better- or worse.
"Don't worry," Tenten smiled. "There are two of us to deal with now," she tapped her temple. "But I'm working on it."
Neji frowned. Who had she become?
"We need to talk, later," she whispered. Not now, she meant. Not here, with keen ears.
"I think…" Tenten said slowly as she and Neji stood at the front door of the house. "I think… it would be better for us… not to…" Tenten looked down, and Neji grabbed her hands.
"Tenten- you were my friend before we fell in love- and I will always be your friend, okay? So there's no reason to stop talking to you, to stop training with you, to stop doing missions with you," Neji replied firmly.
"I just think Emi would sleep a lot easier," Tenten did not look him in the eyes. Neji gently cupped her chin in his hand and raised her face. Two tears had escaped from her eyes and were trickling down her cheeks.
"I know I wouldn't. Take care, Tenten. I expect to see you back in Konoha when I return in three weeks- don't disappear on us again," Neji said gruffly, and hugged Tenten gently.
"Don't worry. I don't plan on going anywhere but home," Tenten smiled and waved as she walked down the steps of the house.
----x----
Tenten walked down the main road that led to the main district of Konoha. She didn't plan on leaving it for some time- especially since it took her to the Hokage Tower. She passed so many familiar faces- Ayame, at the Ichiraku Ramen store, asked her where she had been for the past three years; Narikio Lee asked her how she was, and how things were going- had she heard from Neji? Tenten only smiled and nodded, saying that she was busy at the moment but promised to talk later.
Tenten was suddenly at a loss- should she go to the tower or should she go back home, pick up a few things, change, and then go report to Tsunade? Tenten was pondering what to do next when something collided with her leg.
She looked down. A dark haired girl with blue eyes stared defiantly back up at her with four ponytails in her hair, sticking out at strange angles. She looked around the age of three.
There were other children playing with her, apparently around her age also- a blonde boy with white eyes with a foxy grin on his face and a second girl with jet black hair that was short and spiky with a strangely hued pair of jade green eyes that were clear, but also mysteriously unknowable.
"Hey!" yelled the first girl she had tripped over. "Watch where you're going!"
"Hey!" Tenten mimicked. "That's my line!"
She looked at the small boy with the white eyes- eyes of a Hyuuga.
"I have a question to ask you. I want to know where someone lives," Tenten said, crouching down to their level.
The boy snickered in response and grinned slyly.
"Who is it- Sasuke? Are you a fan girl? I have bad news- he's already married…" he sneered.
Tenten rolled her eyes.
"For your information, I went to their wedding," the kunoichi sighed. "There is a reason I am asking you, my friend, is because he is most likely a relative that you know."
The child nodded, with pride evident on his face.
"I'm looking for Hyuuga Neji- have any of you heard of him?"
The three laughed loudly.
"Hyuuga Neji? You're asking us if we know Hyuuga Neji? He's like an uncle to all of us!" the blue eyed girl said.
"Well, he actually is my uncle," muttered the young Hyuuga.
"Anyway, he is our 'uncle'- although we think he's downright stupid to be all depressed about getting ma-" the young girl who had collided with Tenten's leg was silenced by her other female companion.
Tenten noticed the red and white fan insignia on her sleeve. It was Sakura and Sasuke's first born daughter. Sakura must have been happy. So would have Ino and Hinata of course.
"Who are you?" the young Uchiha asked politely.
"I'm Tenten," Tenten replied, smiling.
"Tenten? You're Aunty Tenten?" Shikamaru's daughter asked.
"Yes," Tenten said defensively. "Why?"
"Because Tenten was beautiful and she had beautiful long brown hair. Your hair is short- almost as short as my mother's used to be."
"Hinata-chan grew out her hair?" Tenten asked, surprised.
The blonde nodded.
"And why do you style your hair like Temari? Does your mother mind?" Tenten asked, grinning.
"Yes. She tells me to take it out but I don't."
"Why do you style it like that?"
"Because Temari-san is my most favourite kunoichi in the world!" she declared.
"Even better than your own mother?" Tenten asked, smiling. She knew that this one would become even more of a handful when she hit puberty. The kunoichi turned back to the Uzumaki.
"Can you show me where Neji lives?" she asked directly. The three nodded and scampered away. Tenten followed and they arrived at Neji's door. Tenten felt like it had also belonged to her- she had lived there, too, she remembered suddenly.
The kunoichi placed her hand on the lock, manipulating the metal within it in an instant.
"Nee-chan! That was so cool!" declared the blonde and Tenten whirled on her heel to face the children.
"Before I let you into my… Neji's house, I have to ask you what your names are," Tenten said, smiling. It felt good to smile.
"Uzumaki Daiki." Tenten nodded.
"Uchiha Chikako." The young girl's green eyes shone with pride.
"Nara Oki." Tenten patted her hair.
The kunoichi could see all of the children's parentage immediately- they all had their mother's eyes, but their father's hair, and a mixture of facial features.
The quartet entered Neji's apartment and, for a minute, Tenten felt like she was seeing double.
The room as it had been the last time she had been in it flashed into her mind- on top of the royal blue paint on the wall, covering the warm colours that had been enhanced in summer; the classic style black leather couches stood in the place of her comfortable chocolate coloured suede chaise. Sitting on that chaise, in her memory, was herself- on Neji's lap as he tickled her ruthlessly and Sakura listened in, puzzled, on the other end of the phone.
The kunoichi blinked, banishing the image from her head. She didn't need them- not here.
"Tenten-nee-chan?" Chikako's voice broke Tenten out of her thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"What's behind this door?" Oki asked, pulling on Tenten's hand. "Daiki said he can't see through it, and Chikako said she can't pick the lock."
"I think… it's something special there," Tenten said. "I'll look in the bedroom."
Tenten walked further down the corridor and went over to the left side of the bed- she instinctively knew that Neji had slept there. She quickly opened the bottom, thicker drawer and removed the false bottom, grabbing one of two elaborate and ornate silver keys, and a silver photo album and frame that she carefully placed into her bag. The kunoichi placed everything back into the drawer, exactly as she had found it and left the bedroom.
She quickly inserted the key and it turned in the lock smoothly.
"What's in there?" Daiki asked.
"Weapons," Tenten stepped into the room and hidden lights turned on, illuminating the red panels on the walls.
"There's nothing in here!" Oki exclaimed.
"That's only because you don't know how to look," Tenten pressed one of the panels and some other panels on the other side of the room opened up, revealing a wicked collection of several different katana.
"Have you used each of these?" Chikako asked, fingering the blade.
"Yes- I made them all," Tenten's eyes clouded reminiscently. "And fought with each one."
"Why are we here again? You can't just carry around thousands of weapons." Daiki scratched his head.
"I can," Tenten pressed another panel and a set of apple green scrolls on a block came up from the ground.
"This is so cool!" Oki said, doing a cartwheel down the room.
"Stand back at the door please," Tenten instructed and they obeyed.
Tenten unravelled the entire length of the scroll and spun it delicately around her like a gymnast, with the same effortless grace and ease. All of the weapons in the revealed panel disappeared as did all of the other weapons in the room. Several symbols appeared on the scroll. The scroll ravelled itself tightly once more with a snap and Tenten snatched it out of the air.
"We're done here," Tenten said lightly, stepping out of the room- causing the lights to turn off. She left the door open in the 'study' and scribbled a note on the phone pad by the kitchen.
"I dropped by and took my weapons and a few other things. Sorry Neji. Don't worry about my clothes- I don't need them (I'll buy new ones!). Tenten?" Oki read out. "That's a bad sounding note!" she laughed and Tenten shrugged.
"I don't care. I have nothing to do with this place anymore," Tenten popped the lock's catch behind her. "Come on, time to leave."
The three children filed out of the room and Tenten snuck one glance back at the apartment- the one that she had been so proud to buy so many years ago. It had been her home, but it was no longer hers; it was Emi's. Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes and she blinked, shutting the door, making sure that none of the three saw.
"Where to next?" Chikako asked curiously.
"I want to go and see your mother. Could you please take me there?" Tenten asked, a smile on her face once more.
----x----
Tenten slid out of her shoes and placed her bag by the door. Sakura was standing just on the side of the door frame, her hair and eyes still as bright as ever.
"Tenten… I- I'm sorry," Sakura murmured.
Tenten's smile was now sad.
"You don't have to be," she said gently, and Sasuke thought from the shadows as he watched the two kunoichi hug each other in a sisterly fashion.
"I have so much to tell you," Tenten whispered. "It's about… where I've been," she sniffed.
"And I have things to tell you, too," Sakura said just as quietly, then said brightly, "Why don't you go and have a shower, and I'll make you something to eat. You can stay here for as long as you need."
Tenten nodded and followed the other kunoichi to the bathing area of the house, a servant trailing behind them, carrying Tenten's bag. Sasuke stepped out of the room, relieved the maid of the pack, and followed the women, taking Sakura's hand without a word.
Aww… Sasuke's nice! Anyhow… what did we all think? Review please, and it'll be the best birthday present ever