AN: If you really like this story so far, PLEASE recommend it to your friends : )
I'd really appreciate it. And if you'd like to give me some advice or anything, I'm all eyes :D. Oh, and please tell me if I'm putting a different personality in the characters. I really hate it when that happens. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!
Sunday
Oh my god. Just pass already!
It was the end of the world. Something just wasn't right. Was the world spinning clockwise?
Tenten was completely delirium:
She couldn't wait for Monday.
The whole day she spent collapsing herself onto her bed followed by a sigh. She did this routinely without ever noticing.
A sweet smile was plastered onto her face and a pink flush across her cheeks.
The flash-back of her "conversation" with Neji played over and over again in her head, like a broken T.V.
She never handed a fellow so much worship. Guys came and went. A lot had crushes on Tenten. Strangers would hit on her. Her guy friends dropped little crushes on her. But she always brushed it off. Sure the guys were good looking and awesome to be with, but she just didn't see anything good coming out of it, except memories.
Neji was a boy, he was handsome, and had somewhat of a personality. If he lacked something the other boys had (which would die to be Tenten boyfriend), then why did she feel so giddy around him?
Probably his eyes.
We secretly made a promise
We were to address each other on monday
He knows I will soon be one of his friends
Even though I know he'll think of me as a nuisance
He doesn't want to hurt my feelings
I'm so desperate; buying a friend out of pity
Not like you Tenten
But he made a promise
Even if he didn't say.
…I just want to know him soo badly.
Even if I'm being selfish.
Why can't I be greedy just once?
Tenten closed her eyes and buried her face in a pillow and started to lightly pound her head. "stop it, stop it, stop it!"
she dragged herself up and looked at her clock.
8pm
yupp, time for Sunday jog.
From her closet, she picked out black, polyester basket ball shorts and a tight sports bra
(she was wearing another bra under).
She dug for her running shoes and was all set.
She started stretching on her front porch.
I have so much energy to exert.
This time I'll run a mile and a half.
Hmm if Choji's house is about half a mile, I'd probably reach Shino's place as another quarter of a mile, and then I'll run back.
Time ran by so quickly for Tenten. She was just a little restless and already, she found herself gratefully taking the cup of orange juice which Choji's father offered at his front porch.
Finally, a little sweat trickled down her chest as she reached Shino's house.
Shino was up on a tree.
"Hey Shino" she greeted him.
"Bye Shino" she laughed as she turned around and ran back.
Shino merely nodded.
No, this won't do, I'm barely breaking a sweat!
K, I'll take the long way to my house then. If I remember how it goes.
Nah, I'll be fine. Lee's house is somewhere along the path.
While running, turned right, her back facing Choji's house.
She felt safe seeing familiar faces such as Kabuto Yakushi as she ran by an unfamiliar area. As she waved to Ino, she accidentally bumped into a figure that felt like dry cement. Please be Neji was all that ran across her mind as she fell to the floor.
She put on her cute, hurt face and started to rub her head even though it wasn't the contact area.
Finally she looked up. And it was…
"Tenten!" Lee shouted "Forgive my ungraceful reflex. I did not see you!"
Lee helped her up. Tenten was glowing, hearing Ino hysteric laughs in the back ground.
"HA- W-what Aha are y-you talking about?" Ino gashed another series of laughs, "How-how could you have seen her if-if your back was facing her? Lee it wasn't your fault. You guys were walking in the same direction. Tenten was just too blinded, probably, by my beauty to see what was in front of her, HAH! Though…ehehe… I don't blame her"
"SHUT UP INO!" Tenten jokingly spayed, "you distracted me because I swear I saw a pig walking instead of you"
"sh-shut up!" they all laughed.
"Well, since the solution is out and open, and all the youths are happy, I must continue my event" lee turned back to his original direction and started walking.
Tenten and Ino made faces at each other then said there good-byes. Tenten jogged beside Lee and asked;
"So where are you heading to, coconut head?"
" to play basketball"
"cool, with who?"
"Neji"
"Oh, and do you play basketball with him every Sunday?"
"No…mostly everyday"
"Well, just yesterday, I was at Hinata's house, and there was a basketball court in their yard, why don't you and Neji hang there?"
"He doesn't like his house much, Tenten. He doesn't like Hiashi Hyuga, who is Hinata's father.sadly, Neji would do anything to get away from him."
"Oh…I see. I didn't know you guys were close"
"Neji and I are very… competitive. Actually, I'm competitive. Neji seems to be good in everything, when we spar, basket ball, school…so effortless, though I know he works furiously. He's always one step above me. He appreciates my determination to beat him and agrees to help me improve by letting me play against him in such events"
"Oh, he's um…generous…?"
Lee nodded.
"Uhm… Lee, honestly, I have nothing to do, so … could I join you and Neji"
"Of course! But please understand Tenten, when it gets intense, please stay aside"
"hahah, yeah sure, thanks lee!"
Tenten forgot she was walking now.
They finally arrived to a basketball court.
And there he was, standing in the middle of the court, gracefully shooting the basketball in, missing just once. He was wearing an oversized crimson T-shirt and navy blue basketball shorts with black sneakers.
Tenten slowly walked down the cement steps looking before her making sure not to lose balance, while Lee, on the other hand, quickly ran, and stumbling down the steps.
Then, he quickly ran toward Neji who was now occupied wiping the sweat off his neck with his shirt, giving a certain someone a good glimpse of his abs. Lee jumped into the air, grabbed the ball out of Neji's hand, landed, threw the ball towards the net…and missed.
Lee did his famous struck face: a swollen mouth shaped like a trapezoid, nose flaring with smoke rising and widening his extremely round eyes.
Tenten, sitting on the bleachers, broke out a storm of laughter. Tears ran down her eyes. She couldn't control it. Lee's face was stuck in her head.
She looked down and saw Neji staring at her…with a smirk.
Tenten quickly looked away, biting a corner of her bottom lip.
OH MY GOD!
Neji looked back at Lee, shook his head, grabbed the basketball, jumped in a perfect position, threw the ball and scored.
Lee came up to Tenten, "I thought you were going to play".
"ahah, yeah but, Lee, from the minute you walked in the court, you just about made it as intense as it could be…so like your warning, I'm staying aside" she giggled.
Lee made a hesitant smile, and then looked back at Neji, holding his hands out in the air.
Neji threw him the ball and Lee threw it to Tenten.
"c'mon, I know you have great aiming, shoot Tenten!"
Tenten stood up in the bleachers, trying to forget the moon eyes on her.
She stuck a sample of her tongue out to one side, eyed the net, shot it and scored.
Tenten sweetly smiled, and looked down at Neji, wondering what his beautiful face would show. He looked amused; eyebrows lifted a tad bit and a sneer.
So handsome!
"Well, Tenten, I expected you to go down to the court but, you've always managed to impress me" Lee gave her a cocky grin and sent her a "thumbs up".
Tenten was shocked. She really thought Lee wanted her to score then and there… not to over do it! And she did. She listlessly sat back down and looked at her shoes.
Then she realized her emotions were a little over the top and unexplainable to the boys, so she quickly grinned.
"Sorry" she said.
For half an hour she watched them inventively, taking down notes, not to mention, detailing Neji's movements. Noting down when he would have a certain expression and at what point. They played hard, so creatively, using moves at unexpected times:
The crossover step, the drive, the spider, the jab step, sometimes a combination…
Her daydream was altered when Gai came and screamed in her ear, "Lee, we must go! Your school study has tainted your youth and training! We must start our class early and double the time! Now hurry!"
"Yes Gai sensei!" Lee replied as if he expected Gai to appear.
Without even a wave or farewell, Lee disappeared.
Tenten tried to look careless that she was left alone with Neji. She tried to figure out ways to casually leave, even though she didn't want to. But wouldn't Neji think she was weird, just watching him play?
He'd obviously feel uncomfortable—
Abruptly, Neji sat on the bleachers wiping the sweat off his face with his T-shirt, but he didn't sit by Tenten. She was four seats above.
She swallowed her fear and scampered down next to him.
"Um…"she wavered as she slowly held out her small towel, "I-I haven't used it, so…"
"Thanks" he said quietly and took the towel.
"y-you can keep it, if you'd like"
No reply.
She didn't know what else to say nor do. She looked at the basketball on the floor, gently tapped on Neji's ankle. Without asking, she grabbed it, and walked to the court. She knew he was studying her.
She stood just 3 meters away from the hoop. Score. She smiled. She took two large steps back and threw the ball. Score. Then she took three large steps back, about 7 meters away from the net and scored yet again. Impressive.
This time she took four large steps back, a bit over the equator of the small court. She shot the ball and scored. Then she ran all the way to the other side of the court, realized her absurdness and exaggeration, she took six large steps forward. It was quiet a long distance about, 10 meter from the net she intended to score in.
She knew the proper basketball position had its limits and she did not have the physical strength to get the ball in the net using that strategy.
Instead she stretched her legs double-shoulder width apart, bent her back, and held the basket ball low, almost at the same level of her knees. She looked at the net, estimating the probable best location to hold the ball and the amount of strength and push factor she would need. Tongue sticking out of one corner of her mouth, she pushed the ball up like throwing a rag doll into the air. And the ball, elegantly, went in the net. She laughed.
She glanced at him, he snickered. She smiled at him and didn't mind him noticing.
For once, she was completely confident with him around.
She retrieved the ball and sat next to him.
"K, minus my last shot, when I'm about to shoot a basketball, I make sure my elbow, that's supporting the ball is facing the net exactly. You're really good at aiming, but I'm sure it would help if your elbow faced the direction you want your basketball to go to. It might seem a little uncomfortable at first, but you'll get use to it"
Neji simply sighed and leaned his head back on the bleacher above and closed his eyes.
Okay…
Me and my big i-know-everything mouth!
"It's dark, I'll walk you home." he said, not bothering to open his eyes.
"thanks…" she whispered. She could not believe her ears. And she wanted Sunday to pass. Now, she was wanted it to last forever. As they exited, they decided to continue "Tenten's long way" to her house, since now, it was the shortest way.
Further along the path, they found themselves in a waste. The area was filthy and unreliable. There was quick scampered of rats here and there. Houses small and resentful.
They walked through the cold dank air in complete mute.
He didn't care, he probably preferred it. Tenten couldn't stand it.
"Second semester's going to start next Monday, can't wait"
No reply.
"I really appreciate you walking my home—"
"Tenten, do not turn around. There is someone following us"
She did as she was told and made a casual movement to reassure Neji.
"How do you know?"
"I just know. Stay close"
No problem there buddy.
But then Tenten sensed it too. The milliseconds between Neji's and her footsteps were quietly filled by someone else's.
Tenten could hardly breathe. Her throat was dry it hurt to swallow. She sensed the stalker moving closer. As a result, she moved closer to Neji.
The stranger was just behind them.
She forgot she was supposed to act causal, but it didn't seem Neji cared anymore.
The stalker rushed. Tenten crawled to a fatal position and closed her eyes. She heard Neji groan. She final bottled up enough courage to open her eyes. But there was nothing to fear.
Neji defended himself by furiously holding the stalker's wrist, which was followed by a hand gripping a knife, at a safe distance. Then he forced the wrist around and on owners back, pushing it above the comfort limit, pursued by cries of agony. The strangers back was facing Neji, so the identity was unclear, the darkness did not help either, but the cries sounded young.
"I'm-I'm sorry! Pleas! I-I wasn't going to hurt anyone, I swear!" the stalker squealed.
"The knife" Neji said sarcastically.
"I-It was just a threat, man, I swear, I wasn't going to hurt nobody, I just needed some change. You know how it is…please man…."
"Leave".
With that, Neji released him. The boy threw a dirty glance at Neji and smirked at Tenten. He shook his head as if amused, but scampered off when Neji lost his patience and took a step toward him.
Tenten ran to Neji with concerned eyes.
"Neji are you OK?"
"Let's go."
"Why did you let him go, we should have called the cops"
"He was just a kid."
"What!? So what? That gives him no right to—"
"You think he had much?"
"Don't pity him! He almost kill—"
"Do you think he would do such uncivilized actions if he had a decent roof over him?
Education? …respectable parents? If he was raised like a rat, he'll live like a rat".
"…Neji…"
Neji took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"We're almost there" He concluded, unlocking his eyes.
Approximately ten minutes they'd reached Tenten's block. She stood a safe distance from her house.
"Um, thank you so much for walking me home. It's the second time you've—you know…
"You don't need to escort me any further…" she hesitantly laughed. They both knew that she didn't let Neji go any further because her parents would freak.
He revealed his renowned smirk and quickly tilted his head up in farewell then walked away.
"Wait, Neji, you've gone through so much trouble. I don't care if my parents scream my ear off, let them give you a ride home…"
He shook his head, "I like to walk."
This time he didn't smirk. He smiled.
I guess he doesn't mind me around…right?