Lonely Hearts 3

First Impressions

The sun had just risen above the horizon when Neji stirred in his sleep. Cracking open a gentle lavender eye, unfamiliar surroundings made a shot of panic run through his system. He was on the floor in a room he soon recognised to be Hinata's spare room.

He tried to sit up but the wooden floor had left his back as stiff as a post. Groaning, he finally managed to lean forward, his long hair tickling his bare back as he did so. He yawned, but stopped suddenly when he remembered the girl. He shot his head round; she hadn't moved an inch.

Last night, after he had taken her upstairs, Hinata had washed her as best she could and put her to bed. Neji, still cautious of the stranger, decided to make a bed on the floor.

He made a mental note never to do that again.

Careful not to strain his back too much, he stood, revealing his lean torso. Without the blanket, the cool morning air brushed his chest, chilling goose bumps starting to pounce onto his fair skin. The chills didn't affect Neji, his eyes now boring into the resting girl.

Her breathing had become stronger; the hospitality that Hinata had given her must have done her body some good.

His cousin had never been one to turn someone down. Which was exactly why he had to be so protective, her mind obviously too innocent to understand the harsh reality of life.

Now the girls' face was cleaner, he could see her true features.

Her skin was fair, slightly tanned but bore evidence of a hard life. The skin surrounding her eyes were deep and dull from the little sleep she had had. Her lips were chapped, but the colour resembled fine, pink pearls. Her hair, no longer messy or in hair ties, was chestnut brown and slightly curled, framing her oval face perfectly. Yet, however innocent she looked, Neji couldn't help but still question her.

He growled under his breath, he could feel a menacing pulse come from her, even though she was still sleeping soundly.

He sensed that she would bring nothing but trouble, and the sooner she left the better.

He quickly dressed and hurried out of the room, almost running straight into his cousin. She looked alarmed, but smiled at the cowboy.

"I-I didn't expect you up so early Neji" Ignoring the girl, Neji shut the door of the spare room, still feeling slightly embarrassed of his wandering thoughts. She too ignored his attitude, her smile still present when he looked back at her. "How is she?"

Nodding, Neji made his way past Hinata and headed downstairs. "She's…fine. She hasn't moved all night"

Watching her relative, she just shook her head and then continued down the hall.

Naruto left the office earlier than usual to make his rounds, making sure he had enough time to stop by the wine house as he'd promised. Hoping he'd bump into his deputy, he took the market road where merchants were setting up stalls, ready for the morning rush. As Naruto wandered down the famous track, his eyes spotted a flower stall, where, right in the middle, a single chicory lay. It's colour radiated in the morning sun, calling Naruto over.

He did as he was told.

He found no owner for the store, so just stood staring at the flower, not wanting to pick it up in case he damaged it. It was so delicate, he found himself gazing, almost hypnotised by it. Her eyes… Hinata's eyes; they were the exact same colour. He felt himself hypnotically drawn to the flower, the urge to take it filling up fast and furiously.

But…

He slapped the temptation away.

Why would Hinata care if he got her a flower or not? He was nothing to do with her…and sadly she was nothing to do with him. Hanging his head, he started to walk away, heading for the shade of the buildings to hide himself.

"It's a beautiful flower, you have an eye for such elegance kind sir" Jerking his head away from the ground, he found an old, broad lady standing behind the stall, preparing a dazzling array of bouquets. Taken aback by the woman's words, he shuffled awkwardly on his heels.

"Y-Yes…it really is"

"It reminds you of a girl, does it not?" Naruto turned crimson. The women only smiled, her wrinkles bunching together tightly.

"Take it, she'll love it" Naruto's mouth fell open.

"I-I can't do that…how much do you want for it?" The women showed Naruto her ancient hand, stopping him.

"I want nothing more than the thought that I have helped young love bloom" She reached down and picked up the flower gently between two large yet delicate fingers, extending her hand out once more. Holding out both his hands, the women placed the flower in his palms. "Take good care of it" And with that, she turned away from the dazed blonde and continued trimming flowers of all colours.

"T-Thank you lady!" Clasping a hand gently around the chicory, he hurried along the dirt track, taking caution with every step that he took.

It was late in the morning and Hinata had been sitting next to the grand window of her pub for hours, watching the street constantly, and eyeing each and every person that passed. Neji, intrigued by his cousins' behaviour, had been watching her for a while, figuring out what or whom she was waiting for. Giving up on the guessing game, he wandered over to her, his boots clicking at floor as he went.

The noise obviously startling her, Hinata whipped her head round and breathed a sigh of relief.

"I-It's only you Neji…" Keeping an eye on the street, she continued. "The girl still hasn't woken up…I'm getting pretty worried"

Leaning a hand on a bar table, Neji emotionlessly replied to his cousin.

"She'll be fine. Her breathing pattern has improved considerably well since last night"

"But…" Hinata persisted "She looks so tired. She must have travelled some way to get here…"

Neji sighed. "I know what you're considering, but I…we, can't just let a complete stranger stay here. I'm sure once she's rested she'll be on that horse faster than you can say howdy partner"

"Hmm…I guess you're right" Laying her elbow on the windowpane and resting her head in her palm, she pouted at Neji. "At least go check up on her for me?"

Neji smirked, a menacing look glistened in his eyes as he strolled over towards the stairs. "Sure thing…oh, do I spy Naruto heading this way?"

A pair of soft violet eyes suddenly widened, her elbow slipping from the windowpane to look intently out of the window. Neji rushed upstairs and made it just in time to avoid Hinata's growls and shouts.

I'm coming to get you…

Please…don't.

This time, I'll finish you off…

Don't touch me…I-It hurts!

Don't talk back, stupid cow! Do you need to be…taught a lesson?

No! L-let me go!

Stop squirming! Do you want her to hear?

Get off of me!

You disrespectful bitch! You'll get it now…

NO!

Tenten woke with a start, hands covering her mouth to prevent her screams escaping her throat. The darkness that had surrounded her had vanished in an instant.

She had escaped his grasp once again.

Biting her lip, she sat up, her whole body shaking uncontrollably. She was covered in her sweat, her forehead so moist her fringe stuck tightly to her head. Breathing heavily, she removed the blanket from herself…only to find a clean nightgown covered her. She stared at the garment, and finally raised her head; a questioning expression crossed her face.

She remembered…being cold…and scared.

How did she end up here?

The room was bright and fresh, rather small but cozy by Tenten's standards. The brass bed, which she was sitting on, was covered in a soft brown blanket and had luxurious feathered pillows; her head print freshly creased into the soft fabric. Apart from that, the room was pretty bare. It was simple, but after days of rough travelling, it was heaven.

Then again…why was she there?

Swinging her foot onto the cold floor, she landed on something hard. Looking down, she saw it was a hat…a cowboy hat. Her chocolate eyes widened.

"Frick!"

As if it wasn't bad enough, she then heard footsteps outside the door, gradually becoming louder and louder.

"Oh jesus in shit"

Swinging herself back under the covers, her last vision was of a long, shadowed figure outside the door. Then closing her eyes, she squirmed until she was comfortable and pretended she had never woken up, scared to death of the dark shadow lingering outside.

Still slightly smirking due to his master prank, Neji trotted into the spare room noiselessly, expecting the girl to still be in a deep slumber. She was.

But, she looked more hot and bothered than before. Her hair looked messier, various damp parts stuck to her forehead and her sheets were slightly crumpled as though she had been struggling.

Trudging over, he inspected her closer, his face just a few inches from hers.

Trapped.

She was so familiar to this situation, but it never got any easier. The repetition, the realisation, made her feel physically sick. She should have seen this coming; it was futile to run; wherever she went, he would find her.

How could she have been so stupid?

Heavy yet smooth breaths escaped from her slightly parted pink lips, showing no signs of consciousness. Yet, he was sure she had moved; he had left her looking a lot less flustered then her current state. Her eyes, yet closed, showed signs of grief as the corners of her eyes gripped together tightly; as if waiting for an impact…

His breath smothered her face. He was so close! She knew how he towered over her limp body, how his eyes would be gazing over her; she felt so gruesomely dirty, disgusted by her own being.

Her past, although horrifically dark, came into light.

She recalled the numerous times this would happen, how he would come and go, doing as he pleased. He said he loved her, said she meant the world to him, yet threw her around as if she was nothing more than garbage.

It angered her; almost drove her insane. The steady beating of her heart quickened; gained pace; gained a temper, like a storm was suddenly forming in her soul. She couldn't take it anymore, she ran away from him for a reason.

And damn it, she'd run forever, even if it meant death.

It happened so suddenly.

A once peacefully sleeping woman became a passionate, violent savage. She attacked him; her nails became claws that ripped over his hand and drew blood. It was a minor injury, but if things carried on the way it was it maybe only the start.

He moved quickly, grabbing her skinny wrists tightly so she couldn't escape and using his bare feet he skilfully tripped over his wild attacker; stopping her scrap for only a mere second. Still holding her wrists, she landed in a heap, but quickly regained posture as she lashed out once again, only this time, using her teeth. Trying desperately to pierce his skin she drove them both to the far wall where she only managed to scrape a tiny nibble from his ankle. Annoyed by the sudden fight, he flipped her onto her back and as they crashed onto the floor, pinned her down, both of them gasping helplessly for air.

As the girl valiantly struggled beneath his weight, he couldn't help but be impressed by the scrawny girls' strength; it defiantly had surprised him.

It didn't take her long though for her to become noticeably weaker. Her eyes had remained shut since she had been pinned, so when she did finally crack open an eyelid, from her expression, he guessed she was expecting a different picture altogether.

Confusion turned to further anger, her words so forceful it felt as though she was stabbing him.

"Who the fuck are you?"

So much for a good first impression…

I know…I've been away for a very very VERY long time. And I can't promise that I'll even continue this story.
I just came across it the other day, and I realised how much I've missed writing!

It's been a good 6 months since I gave up, so about 3/4 of this chapter was written back then. Maybe I've changed my writing style? And hopefully I've improved dramatically…but who knows (:

Thank You for reading!

Comments appreciated.