A/N~ Ok. I'm sorry if I took too long.. I hardly get enough sleep, and.. well, now that it's the weekend, I'm planning on updating both my stories, so be ready for that.. if it doesn't happen though, I'm sorry. I'll try my hardest though!
Neji's POV.
"Neji, how much further?" Gai asked me.
I activated my Byakugan. "We're not there yet, as far as I can see." I said slowly.
Tenten sighed quietly. I looked at her. She seemed deep in though again. She looked at the sky with a small smile.
She turned to look at me. She smiled brightly, and then raised an eyebrow. I shrugged.
After a few hours of the endless forest, the sky darkened. The tress made dark shadows on the ground. The wind was a bit chillier.
"Hey, Gai-Sensei?" Tenten suddenly asked.
"Yes, Tenten?" Gai replied, not looking back to look at her.
"It's getting dark, and I'm pretty tired.. Do you think we could take a break?" she asked him.
He thought about it for a second, then nodded. "Yes, of course! We do need our rest! We wouldn't want our youthful energy to suddenly vanish!" he grinned, and gave Tenten a thumbs up. She rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless.
We stopped to get a night's rest in a small clearing. The trees weren't as packed as they would be in a normal part of the forest.
Tenten and I were sitting next to each other, as were Gai and Lee.
She sat down, and sighed happily. I looked at her in amusement, and smirked. She turned to look at me with a questioning look.
"What?" she asked.
"Nothing.." I turned my gaze towards the sky, and she did too.
Gai and Lee were talking muttering random shit about youth in the background. We weren't really listening, as we were absorbed in our own thoughts.
"..It's pretty out tonight, isn't it?" she asked suddenly. A smile on her face.
"It sure is." I said, noticing the starry night sky. It really was.. but it wasn't the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.. not like her..
Wait, what? Why am I thinking this? What's the matter with me?
Still oblivious as ever, huh?
...What do you want?
Again, nothing really.
Then why are you even talking to me?
Well, I'm not technically talking to you. This is all a product of your imagination.
...really?
Yup. But you can't get rid of me. No matter what you do!
...Dammit.
So, you planin' on telling her anytime soon?
...Tell who what?
… -_-' C'mon, stop playin' dumb. You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
..No I don't.
Yes you do! Just think about it. You and Tenten have shared a lot of things, have you not?
..Well, yeah.
You guys enjoy each others company, don't you?
...well, it's a yes on my side, but I don't know about her..
You're being too modest. She loves spending time with you. Anyway, you guys have fun together, right?
Yeah..?
And you guys get along GREAT, don't you?
Yes, of course.
So then WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR!
…? And you mean that as in..?
As in MAKE YOUR DAMN MOVE!
...What move?
… -_-' maybe you really ARE dumb..
You just insulted yourself, I hope you realize..
.. shuddup.
"Hey, Neji, you okay?" Tenten asked me. I looked at her, and nodded once.
"Yeah.. I was just.. thinking.." I replied stupidly.
What did my inner mean, make my move? A move relating a jutsu, maybe?
Idiot..
..Hn.
I looked at Gai and Lee. They were sleeping already. They had their green sleeping bags out. Both of them snoring peacefully.
Tenten seemed wide awake.
"Weren't you tired, Tenten?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hmm? Oh, I am." she said, looking at me seriously. She then smiled slightly. "What about you?" she tilted her head a little. Her voice was so soft.
I shrugged. "Not that tired, really." I answered truthfully. She smiled a little, and turned her head towards the starry night before us.
"Well, I'm going to catch up on my sleep." she muttered, taking out her sleeping bag, and spreading it on the ground beside me.
I smiled slightly as I saw her getting ready for some sleep. She looked.. different.. hmm.. NO. She looked like a woman. A real, full-grown woman, And I was a helpless man with a little too many hormones..
YES! YES! YOU ARE! :D NOW MAKE YOUR MOVE!
…? What the hell are you talking about?
Oh Kami.. please help him..
She turned to look at me with an amused expression. I realized I was still staring at her.
I blushed and looked away. She laughed slightly, and got up. She crouched down in front of me, and kissed my cheek.
My eyes widened, my heart skipped a beat, and my throat went dry. I tried to swallow, but it was nearly impossible. I could feel my face burning up. I was wondering how her lips weren't getting burned with such heat.
Her lips curved into a smile. She pulled away, and chocolate brown met lavender white.
"Goodnight, Neji." she said softly, and then sat down on her sleeping bag, opening it, and getting inside it.
"Goodnight, Tenten." I said, a small, but bright smile on my face.
She looked at me one last time, before sighing and closing her eyes for the remainder of the night.
I looked at her, and smiled again. Her face was so calm. Innocent, and it was like she was a child again. In fact, I felt the same way. Looking at her face, and thinking over the past 4 years, I remembered when Team Gai came to be. One would think back and say, 'those were the days.' but I frankly didn't feel so.
Yes, those days were in fact, amazing, excluding my behavior and attitude. Everything was much easier to deal with back then. No crazy emotions, no crazy missions.. sigh.. hmm.. maybe those days were missed..
But You don't miss them that much.. just a little..?
Yeah. Just a little. I'm glad I had an attitude change.
..You have no idea how grateful I am to Naruto and Hiashi for that..
It wasn't just them. It was my dad's scroll as well.
Well, yes. That too.
I looked at Tenten again. She wasn't snoring, but I could hear her quiet breathing.
I saw her hand hanging out of her red sleeping bag, and I couldn't stop myself.
I put my hand over hers carefully -as she is a light sleeper- , and squeezed it slightly. It was like a perfect fit. Her hand was just the right size, and fit with mine perfectly. It was like our hands were meant to be linked together.
Gettin' cheesy there, are we now?
..shut up.
You know you do..
To the point, if you don't mind..
OH C'MON! STOP IGNORING YOUR FEELINGS, AND ADMIT IT!
ADMIT WHAT?
THAT YOU LOVE TENTEN!
…
…
O.O..!
-SIGH- Yeah. Act all surprised now..
l-love Tenten?
Yes, genius. You love her.
My eyes were wide. I looked at our linked hands. I remembered a thought I had just had..
It was like a perfect fit. Her hand was just the right size, and fit with mine perfectly. It was like our hands were meant to be linked together.
Love? That was the explanation behind all of my unexplainable emotions? Was it really? At first, the explanation I had deduced, was that my hormones were getting the better of me. But.. love?
YES! Now, ask her to be your girlfriend before someone else does.
I suddenly got angry. Tenten with someone else? There was NO WAY in hell that was happening.
Someone like who?
Ohh, I don't know.. like, oh,well, maybe, someone like, KANKURO?
...Kankuro? As in Sabaku No Kankuro? Kankuro, the puppeteer? Kankuro the-
YES, THAT KANKURO!
..How do you know he likes her?
I just do. I mean, if you pay enough attention, it's OBVIOUS.
I gritted my teeth.
Is it, now..
Yupp. So, you better MANNN up!
I sighed, and looked at her. Realizing that I loved her, well, it was something different. Loving someone isn't something to laugh at. It's something completely serious. It's not just a crush, oh no. It's far more complicated than that.
And what I felt for Tenten, was love.
I smiled to myself.
Now that I knew it, everything was so obvious. The smiles, the hugs, the blushing, the worrying..
But the question remained.
Why hadn't I noticed before?
Because you're too much a wuss to have admitted to something such as loving someone.
..I am NOT a wuss..
Just as I pondered over the whole mess that were my feelings, I heard a twig snapping in the distance.
Alarmed, I activated my Byakugan in a second.
At first, there was nothing, but endless trees.
But then suddenly, a new chakra network appeared. Out of thin air, it seemed.
I hissed inwardly as I saw that it had spotted us. I turned to look at Tenten. She had been the one who had the scrolls at the time being.
I noticed she had tucked them inside the sleeping bag, so that if someone tried to grab the rug sack, she would wake up immediately.
I smirked. Genius.
With my Byakugan still activated, I let go of Tenten's hand, and laid it carefully down, so she wouldn't wake up alarmed, and stood up.
The person walked closer and closer.
I got impatient. Why were they taking so long? I was sure they would see me awake now, and they knew I could see them, so why hesitate?
"Come out!" I hissed.
I heard a low chuckle. "So, the rumors were true. Neji Hyuga is incredibly impatient when it comes to battling." the voice said. It was a male, there was no doubt.
I tensed.
"Don't worry, Neji Hyuga. I won't hurt you, or your friends. I just want the scrolls your girlfriend carries with her." he said. He stepped into the clearing. Though there wasn't much light, I could see his features. He had messy brown hair, and a Hidden Stone village headband. He was smiling crookedly.
Another ninja from the Village Hidden in the Rocks? But why? What was with them and the scrolls?
I suddenly got really angry. I couldn't contain my anger. I wasn't about to let him get anywhere close to Tenten, or the scrolls.
I slipped into my battling pose. A frown on my face.
"Now, now.. there's no reason for you to get all defensive, now is there?" he asked, and looked at Tenten. "You're very lucky.. She's very good looking.. Ripe, just right for-"
That did it.
"SHUT. THE FUCK. UP. Don't EVER talk about her like that, you dirty bastard!" I yelled.
Probably not the smartest thing to do..
"N-Neji? What's the matter?" Tenten woke up, rubbing her eyes, looking around. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw the guy standing in front of me.
She stood up in one swift, fluid movement.
"What's going on?" she asked me in a hushed voice.
I sighed. "Well, we have a slight problem.."
A/N~ Ooo! I can't wait to see what happens.. :D bahahaha. I'm so weird.
Anyways, I hope you liked the extra fluff I put there. Yes, Neji now realizes his feelings, but no, Tenten does not. (: hope that clears up a few doubts you might have. It was kinda rushed and cheesy, yeah, but that's what you get when you write while listening to Maroon 5. Oh yeah(: love that band..
anyways, I'd like to thank Chichi11101! Because I love you, and for all the inspiration you give me! O: love you tons girl! Like, tons! ^-^
and to all of my reviewers, because you are awesome people! Even those of you who don't review, but still take time to read through it, and all! You. Guys. Rock! LOVE YOU TO DEATH!
Mmk. I'm done! Drop in a review.. pretty please? :D Until next time,
~AliceOtaku
