Augh! Math homework! Why?! Why?! Why?! (smashes head into keyboard) aasdfnfasdfjklasdfljsdfjklhjnucbhjybhju Curse my ineptitude at math!!!!! (goes into corner and cries) And, ladies and gents, is the summary of my day. R&R
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Chapter 2: Smothered- Secrets & Bitter Tears
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Birds twittered in trees as heavy panting fell into rhythm with their song. Neji wiped the bead of sweat from his forehead, his hand brushing against the skin on his forehead that bore the curse seal. As he caught his breath, he let his eyes trail to the equally tired kunoichi across from him, just minutes from collapsing. He was about to ask her if she wanted a break when Gai and Lee came gleefully over the hill.
"Neji, Tenten-chan! Ah, smell that youthful air! Isn't today a grand day for training?"
"Yes Lee, I have to agree with you. The springtime of youth is especially potent today," Gai said as he rubbed his nose. He let his jovial eyes wander to his other pupils and his jovial eyes quickly became replaced with worry. "Tenten, are you alright?"
Tenten wiped a bead of sweat from her face as she braced herself on her knees. She simply waved, too tired to respond verbally. Gai noticed this and frowned. It had been two weeks since she collapsed and she seemed to be in the same condition, if not worse. 'I'm really getting worried.'
"How about you go home today, Tenten?"
"But sensei, I can't. I—"
"Don't worry, Tenten, the youthful flower of our team! I was going to end training early today anyway. I needed to prepare for a mission later on today. Go ahead."
She nodded. "H-Hai."
Gai nodded and struck another good-guy pose. "May the power of youth be with you!" he screamed as he ran towards the village.
Neji and Tenten sweat-dropped at their over-zealous sensei while Lee stood there with sparkles in his eyes, clearly enamored with their sensei's "coolness." Even after all the years together, Lee's opinion about their sensei hadn't wavered at all.
Tenten sighed tiredly and looked to the sky. She began dislodging the kunai embedded in the tree to her right and picked up the other various weapons that littered the forest floor. She turned to her teammates and smiled tiredly. "Well, I'm gonna go now. See you two later," she said before turning and walking towards the village.
Neji and Lee watched her retreating back. Lee placed a hand on Neji's shoulder. "I'm really worried about her, Neji. What ever shall we do?" he whispered into his friend's ear.
Neji frowned, his lips drawing into a thin line. "Hn." Even if he didn't say anything, he was worried about Tenten's condition too and he was going to get to the bottom of this, no matter what.
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The sound of papers turning was heard in the small apartment room as Hatake Kakashi sat on his bed with his legs crossed as he read his infamous Icha Icha. He shifted his legs so that they were in front of him, one leg bent at the knee as he moved into a more comfortable position. He turned the page and read the first few lines when he noticed a peculiar scent in the air. 'Rain?'
He looked outside, wondering if his sharp nose was playing tricks on him. He squinted his eye, looking past the tall buildings to further in the distance. Sure enough, there was a storm on the horizon fast approaching.
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Neji ducked under the overhang of stairwell, cursing the clothes that stuck to him like a second skin. 'Maybe I can ask Tenten if I can use her dryer for a minute…'
He turned to the wooden door of the small two-story house. Its faded yellow paint was chipped in some area, but the coziness that exuded from the home was all that mattered.
Neji stood there, debating whether to knock or just enter. After weighing his options, he decided to just enter. Tenten would understand, given the circumstances. He flicked his wrist and pretty soon, he had the door unlocked. After all, he wouldn't be fit to call himself a shinobi if he couldn't do something as trivial as pick a lock.
He took a breath in, not understanding why he did and entered without a word, closing the door behind him.
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Tenten sighed as she felt the hot water beat down on her aching muscles. It was always good to take a hot shower after training. She could already feel the tension in her muscles melting away and she let out a pleasured sigh. She stared at the white tiles of her shower and the pleasured sensation was forgotten as she remembered how she was getting in these wonderful hours of training.
'I really need to thank Hinata for taking care of things while I'm training. I mean, she has a kid of her own to deal with, but then again, Naruto seems to be taking care of the kid just fine. I really owe her a lot, but how should I pay her back?' The thought slipped to the back of her mind; she would think about it later. Right now, she'd enjoy her shower.
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He couldn't remember the last time he was here. The subtle smell of vanilla was something he'd always notice when he came here along with the comforting silence the place offered.
Her living room was a simple as the house she lived in. A coffee table, a lamp, some chairs, and a television with photos lining the walls of her home. He removed the sandals from his feet and stepped inside, careful not to drip too much water onto her carpet.
He let his nostrils fill with the vanilla air he missed so much and opened his eyes to linger on the photos. He smiled, feeling nostalgia take him into its embrace as he looked at the photos, each marking a moment in their lives. The picture of their team as genin, then jounin, birthdays, Hinata's wedding, the inauguration parties of their friends, the homecoming of Sasuke, all things he'd remember until the day he died.
Something caught his eye and he let his pale orbs linger on the photo. It was of him and Tenten. From the look of it, it was when they were about fifteen or sixteen. She had her cheek pressed against his while holding a peace sign as he was rolling his eyes, his stature saying he was annoyed, but he could see the ghost of a smile on his lips.
He stared at the photo, confused. He knew that the fact he was smiling was shocking, but seeing how Tenten was with him explained that. She always managed to do that to him. Put a smile on his face and make him love life a little more, but what he couldn't understand that light in his eye. He narrowed his gaze for a closer look. What was that? Adoration? Happiness? But at what and of what kind? Their friendship? The fact that they were spending time together? Or was it more?
Neji had no time to ponder this anymore as he heard a small cooing sound coming from the back of the house. He walked cautiously into the hallway, looking around warily, listening for the location of the strange sound. From what he could tell, it was a baby, but he had never known her to care for a baby. It could've been a trap and that's why he walked into the room, Byakugan and kunai poised and ready.
He crept into the door warily, scanning the room before moving towards the small cradle beside the bed. He leaned over it, scanning the area around the crib for any foreign chakra. Finding none, he deactivated his kekkei genkai and sheathed his kunai. Bracing his hands on the lip of the cradle, he leaned his face in.
Small feet and a small, pudgy body were wrapped in a white one-piece beneath a blue blanket. Hands clenched and unclenched as its wails continued, arms spilling from the cloth cocoon.
Neji watched its hands reach up and its cries stop. He trailed his pale gaze up the baby and observed the joyous smile on the babe's face and felt the warm smile on his. He moved his gaze further, taking in the small nose and small ears, wisps of chocolate-colored hair on its head. Judging by its size, it had to only be a few months old.
He smiled and basked in the happy squeal that escaped its lips and opened his eyes to stare in the baby's to notice something about its eyes. There was nothing but a pale white, eerily similar to his own; his breath constricted in his throat.
"Neji?"
Neji turned his head to the woman in the doorway, silence standing between them. Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard the rain stop. "Tenten…how…"
She smiled sadly. "You can't recognize your own son?"
Neji's eyes widened as he felt his heart constrict as well. It was becoming harder to breathe. "Son? When did we…?" Her eyes became pained and it pained Neji as well, but the words she would utter next would hurt him all the more.
"You don't remember…do you?"
He opened his mouth to answer, but found the words lodged in his throat and breathing became a tax on his body.
She chuckled bitterly; tears dotting the edges of her umber eyes as she let a pained smile cross her face, her hands wiping the tears away. "Of course you wouldn't. Hiashi erased your memories as soon as he found out," she laughed.
Neji's head swam with the new information. 'I have…a son?'
The room became too small as he swallowed dry air, his lungs grasping for oxygen that wasn't there. The walls were smothering him; she was smothering him, suffocating him with her bitter smiles. His eyes darted around wildly, looking for an escape. He needed to get out. It was too much. He felt like his body was on fire, something was constricting his airway.
He raised his hands to his throat. He felt like clawing out his lungs, his heart, anything. He needed to get the thing out of him. He needed to get it out now. He needed to get out.
Sweat dripped from his brow, cold against his skin. He looked around desperately, the tension inside him was threatening to overwhelm him and swallow him alive when he saw it, the curtains framing the window, bright moonlight shining onto the white carpet. He glanced at Tenten, hoping she'd help him, but the haunted look in her eyes made the feeling grip him harder. With a shudder and a quick burst of speed, he unlatched the window and leapt onto the tree branch outside, then onto the rooftops of the sleeping village.
Tenten stood still; glued to the floor as she felt a spiteful laugh erupt from her throat. She threw her head back and held her sides as the bitterness and regret overtook her. She felt tears prick her eyes as she fell to her knees, her hands moving to her shoulders as the cries evolved into convulsive sobs. She doubled over, arms shielding her face as she buried her hands in her brown locks, weeping in her grief as the baby cried and the curtains bathed in moonlight billowed in the breeze.