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Tenten's Bad Luck Chapter 9

"Wait for me, Neji." Tenten whispered softly. She was falling…falling off a black hole, slowly as the eerily silence droned out her thoughts. "Wait…"

But Neji didn't look at her. he was standing at the top of the black hole, smirking as Tenten fell down further and further, each inch some part of her disappeared.

"Do you really think I'm gonna listen to you?" Neji smirked, at the top of the hole with everyone else laughing along with him. Gai, Lee, Naruto and the entire village of Konoha.

They hollered with laughter. Tenten's eyes drooped as she fell further…

"In this village, you'll never be recognized." Neji told her, swinging her arms around Hinata, who was standing next to him. "Never, never never."

A tear escaped her. "I thought you…loved me…Neji."

"Who are you kidding?" Neji laughed with everyone. "This is the woman I love." He said, referring to Hinata who was happily waving goodbye to Tenten as she disappeared into the darkness.

Tenten's eyes slowly opened. She was lying in her bed.

That was a dream…a horrible dream. Tenten slowly reached up to her forehead and felt a cold, damp towel there. A fever?

She sat up, immediately, remembering what happened with Neji. He was here a moment ago? Wasn't he? She panicked, completely scared of what he was going to say to her.

"Stop hurting yourself." That was the last thing Tenten has heard him say. She looked down and closed her eyes.

A moment later, Neji entered the room, carrying a bottle of prescription pills. He saw Tenten, sitting on the bed, eyes closed and froze.

"Tenten?" he whispered? "You okay?"

Tenten's eyes snapped open and she raised her head, staring at Neji. What is he still doing here? She wondered. Was he here all along, taking care of me?

Her head spun towards her nightstand. The clock there read "7:30 pm"…Neji was here for more than 4 hours?

Tenten grabbed her blanket closer to her body. "Yea…I'm fine." She said, horrified to find that her voice was scratched and croaked. Her entire body was shaking with fever and her head was about to explode.

Neji smiled awkwardly. "That's good. I was afraid that you'd be asleep till next morning." He walked over to the cupboard in the bathroom and rinsed out a cup. He then filled it with water and brought it to Tenten.

Tenten didn't move at all. Neji placed the water on the nightstand.

"Go." Tenten croaked softly at Neji. "Go home."

Neji's eyes widened and he looked down. "Tenten…I'm sorry…" he didn't know how to nicely bring up the bathrobe poster subject without flaring some sparks.

"Just leave…" Tenten whispered softly. "…Like everyone else."

Neji didn't move. He sat down slowly on the edge of Tenten's bed and cleared his throat. "What was going on with you, 4 hours before?" he asked. "You were hysterical, rolling on the floor and crying."

Tenten snickered softly, her eyes closed. "Were you laughing at me?"

Neji stared. "No, no I wasn't. Why would I be laughing?"

Tenten shook her head. "It was fun to watch me suffer…wasn't it?"

Neji looked away. That sad expression on her face was too much. "No! I never wanted you to get hurt!"

"THEN GO AWAY!" Tenten cried, throwing a pillow straight into Neji's face. Her face was scrunched up, in a I'm-about-to-cry expression. Tears threatened to spill over. "LEAVE!"

Neji stepped back, stunned. Tenten covered her face and began to cry.

He stood there, watching her lose it.

She cried and tears spilled onto the carpet. Neji slowly stepped next to her, bent down and took her shaking hands. "Tenten, I love you." He whispered softly, his face getting closer to hers as she continued to weep. "I don't want to lose you."

Tenten shook him away. "Stop with the pity." She said. "No one in this world understands what pain I endured."

Neji looked at her. "But I'm telling the truth." He said softly. "I want to be with you."

Tenten laughed softly. "I'm not taking the risk."

"Why would I ever hurt you?" Neji asked.

"Because in the end, humans are all the same." Tenten whispered, burrowing her face into her knees. "We learn to love. We learn to care for each other. And in the end, we grow tired and reject each other."

Neji sat down, at the edge of her bed and hugged her.

Tenten's eyes widened slowly and she slowly closed her eyes, a single tear escaping. She cried softly. Neji held her tighter and she hugged back. She wanted to stay like this forever.

"I...want…to be with…you." Tenten finally croaked, her voice quivering. "And no one else!"

Neji smiled. "Me too."

They didn't let go, for awhile, both of them thought in their minds.

I never thought anyone in this world would understand me…Tenten thought in her mind. I thought it was stupid…

But you were the only one…who I learned to cry to…She thought.

Why would you cry for me?…laugh for me?…and weep for me?...Tenten thought. Why?

Why?...

(Back at the Restaurant)

Gai glanced outside, the rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through some clouds, ready to shine once more. He smiled.

"Yes, Lee…" Gai said. "Everything is alright."

Lee ran up to the window and saw that the sun was shining once more. "You're right, Gai-sensei! The sun is shining in honor of Tenten and Neji!"

They both stood there, happily glancing at all the people who stepped out of their homes and pointed at the sun, marveling how that rainstorm can make things so beautiful once they end.

"Well, we still have work to do, Lee!" Gai said, stepping back into the restaurant. "The food isn't gonna clean up itself, you know!"

Lee groaned. "That's right."

Gai smiled. Lee, there's still so much you don't understand.

He stared back outside, in the direction of Tenten's apartment. We're still taking little steps. But to look at today's tears and today's scars…is still something we need to do. Say goodbye and thank you.

Good luck trying to find your true self…

And the place where you belong most.

The end.

I hope you enjoyed reading this story. It puts a tear into my eye to know that it's over. There's really nothing else for me to continue writing this story (Not much to write about, anyway…)

But, maybe I'll type an epilogue.

Sayonara.

Rin Owayo