A/N: I promised to post the moment I finish, so here you go. Last chapter, I hope you guys like it. :) To God be the glory~
Naruto (c) Masashi Kishimoto
Chapter 3: What He Knows
"Youthful lotus of my heart! I've missed you, I've missed you!" Currently, Tenten was trapped in a bone crushing hug by none other than Rock Lee.
Still embracing her, the energetic man continued, "How are you? How are youuu?!"
"Lee must you break my bones in the process?" Tenten managed to squeak out. "And why are you repeating everything you say?"
Finally releasing his tight grip on his beloved friend, Lee gave a pingful smile and his sensei's signature 'Good Guy pose' which consisted of a thumbs up and swaying of his gorgeous locks along the breeze. "Ah but youthful flower, it is the way I express my youthful vigor! Surely, you would have gotten used to it by now!"
"Oh, I am," Tenten didn't know whether to scowl or laugh. "But we just saw each other four days ago, Lee!" She had just arrived and already, she was exasperated by Lee alone. The venue was in one of the smaller eventrooms of the Grand Senju Palace, a hotel in memoir to the founder of Konoha. The eventroom was decorated in various pieces of red, gold and white and a light melody was making its way to her ears. A lot of people had already arrived but Tenten could see only a few whom she was actually close with. Standing on the main doors, Tenten could see a bar a ways off on the left side of the door, beside the bar was a regular refreshments table. On the opposite wall of the main doors was a small stage, a red carpet leading to it from where she was standing, effectively dividing the room into two. Along the right side of the room was the buffet, four gold and red clothed tables with steel food containers placed on top. On the wall across that was another set of doors, this time made of glass. It looked to be a balcony with the view of the city and it was seemingly isolated; Tenten made a mental note to hide herself there if things were to get a little crazy. Round tables with red, white and gold cloths were scattered in between the buffet and the said glass doors into two groups. There was a large space made available between the stage and the first row of tables. Tenten guessed it was a dance floor.
Her gaze snapped back to her companion's as his voice boomed, "Doesn't mean I can't miss you, dearest flower!"
"Tsk tsk. Ever the flirt, aren't you Lee-san," a voice distinctly female, said from behind them.
"Sakura-san!" Lee all but jumped at the sight of his first love but instead of crushing her in a bear hug like he does to his best friend, the bowl-cut man merely grasped her hand in his in a caress and gave it a kiss. "But my dearest cherry blossom, you are the only one I have truly shown my affections for! Once upon a time, my heart had beat for you and only you!"
Sakura retracted her hand and daintily covered her mouth as she let escape a giggle, "You haven't changed at all, Lee-san."
Tenten let out a snort, gaining the attention of the pinkette. "He's not the only one who hasn't changed it seems," she teased.
"Tenten!" The bunhaired girl was once again enveloped in a crushing bear hug. "What is it with you people and your monstrous strength," Tenten articulated as much as she could while squeezed.
"Gee. Missed you too hon," Sakura replied, releasing the hug. Instead, she linked their arms together and said "Ino, Karin, and Hinata are over there on the table nearest the buffet. You know Ino, ever the pig she is." Both females sniggered and Lee was about to protest in defense of the youthful petunia but Sakura just shrugged him off. "Come on, it's been a while. We have a lot to talk about. Plus I don't think it was a wise idea to leave Hinata in the clutches of Ino and Karin alone."
Tenten all but grimaced, "Yeah remember Shiho-san?" Both of them shuddered.
Sakura nodded her agreement, "She stopped hanging with us after that," Sakura replied, "Whatever could have happened." They pondered for a while before they thought to just forget about it.
Turning to the only male in the group, "You want to come with us, Lee-san?"
Lee flashed another Good Guy pose and said, "Sorry dearest cherry blossom, but I'm afraid that I must find our other friends. I have terribly missed Naruto-kun and the others. However, when I find them, we'll head out and be with you shortly." Lee finished with a ninety degree bow.
"Always so formal," both females laughed lightly.
"Sure Lee. See ya!" Tenten said and turned around but before she could get three steps in Lee exclaimed something that caused her to stiffen, "I heard Neji-kun would be here later! Are you gonna welcome him home? It's been a while." She felt Sakura's worried stare directed at her.
Turning to Lee, she forced herself to relax and said, "Okay, no problem. I look forward to it Lee." With a smile, Tenten gave a light wave and walked ahead, dragging Sakura with her. Lee suspiciously heard the Haruno's light tinkle of a laugh.
("That was awfully dramatic.")
("Shut up, Sakura. Now where are they? The program is about to start.")
oOo
He was already at the lobby and he was running late. Checking his clock, it was already a quarter to nine in the evening. The party started at least two hours ago. Neji pinched the bridge of his nose as he entered the luxurious elevator. Punching the 18th floor, he began to ponder as he ascended.
He just came from the US approximately three and a half weeks before and coincidentally an invitation had been sent via email of their reunion party around the same time. He had been staring for a while at his laptop screen after that, the rest was history.
Neji didn't know what possessed him to even attend the event anyways. He wasn't one for gatherings. He was sure to be irritated by the idiots he called friends, that's why he lagged for a bit.
Complaints aside, deep down Neji knew why.
He was hoping for the slight chance that he might see her there. He had forgotten about her in a while but as soon as he had receieved the invite, everything came rushing back to him in a river of memories. Every single moment he had unknowingly kept stock of, spilled out and flooded his hippocampus. First came the actual memories. The time they became friends, everytime the two of them with Lee would hang out after class, the time they signed up for a martial arts class with Lee because "What the hell, those moves look cool." Then came his feelings. He was reminded of the times when she would sought out his hand amongst a huge crowd, the way she felt pressed against him every time they hugged, the feel of her lips in his. Dammit. That wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was the what ifs.
The 'what if he hadn't taken over the situation?'
'What if he went and talked about it instead of backing away like a cowering chicken?'
'What if she had something to say?'
"What if I told her how I felt?"
"It's a little too late to be asking yourself that, don't you think Hyuga?" a voice drawled from before him. Neji looked up to see that the elevator had stopped and opened in the 12th floor. The Hyuga smirked at the unexpected intruder as he entered the little contraption.
"Thought you'd be the last person to say that," he said in reply.
"Tch. Troublesome," nonetheless, the man gave a lopsided smile in return, "Good to have you back man." Shikamaru clapped him in the back as they continued their ascent.
"Good to be back," Neji replied.
"How are things going for you, Nara?"
"It's been a drag," Neji could almost chuckle at his response. Some things never change it seems.
Shikamaru had vaguely talked about his work in the IT business; his mom, who recently discovered the internet, persistently nagging him in social media; his occasional BBQ outings with Chouji and Ino; and lastly, his girlfriend, Temari.
"Let's not talk about me," Shikamaru said, drifting the conversation from himself. "How about you? Never thought you'd be here, don't you have your thing in the US or something like that?"
"My uncle had decided to let me inherit the family business. Needed formal training here, so I'll be staying for quite a while," Neji relayed.
"Heh." the Nara remarked.
Neji just shrugged it off. They were never one for small talk anyway.
Ding.
The doors had opened and the suit clad duo exited the elevator. Opening the door to their imminent doom, the two walked inside the venue. With a nod directed at the longhaired Hyuga, Shikamaru went ahead with a "Later Hyuga." Neji responded with a nod of his own.
Slowly turning his head to scan the place, Neji's eyes zeroed on a group of ladies crowded in a table at the three o'clock side of the room, catching up and laughing to their heart's content. Among those women was his cousin and beside her was, "Tenten."
As if there was some sort of mechanism that enabled her to hear his inaudible whisper from across the room, Tenten turned her head in his direction. And Neji had backed away, diverting his attention elsewhere and just going where his feet would lead him to. He wasn't ready for this, not yet.
Surprisingly, his feet had unknowingly led him to his group of friends. They were sitted at the bar, bottles of ice cold beer at hand. At the sight of him, somebody had jumped up and greeted him.
"Neji, oi! You're here!" A blonde had so loudly exclaimed. "Dude, it's been a while, you have to sit down and drink with us!"
Neji only acknowledged him with an "Uzumaki, get your filthy arm off of me."
"Sheesh, and here Hinata-chan said you softened up over the years." Nonetheless, Naruto had backed off and returned to his stool.
The Hyuga was then greeted with a mix of, "Neji," "'Sup bro, long time no see," "Nice to see you Neji-san," and a simple "Yo."
With the blonde was a shaggy haired brunette, Inuzuka Kiba, one of his cousin's best friends. On the right of him was Sai, who Neji got along with (on most occasions). Previously arguing with Sai and looking peeved was Hozuki Suigetsu. If Neji could strain his hearing, he could-"My dick's not fucking tiny, you retard," Neji decided he didn't want to hear.
As he gave the customary handshake-hug, Neji found himself seated in between Naruto and Kiba nursing his own bottle of beer. Someone on stage was talking but none of them seem to be bothered.
They were pointlessly talking when,
"So Neji," Kiba turned to him with a grin, "Guess who's got a girlfriend~" he asked in a sing-song voice.
"Sai," Neji said with a blank face.
Kiba frowned but he didn't let it bring him down as he smiled once more, "No, guess again~"
"Oh did Hozuki finally grew the balls to ask Karin out?" he said with a smirk.
"What did you say asshole,"
"See Suigetsu, I'm not the only one who thinks you have a small penis."
Beside Neji, Naruto guffawed as Suigetsu let it rain colorful words and it was directed to both Neji and Sai.
Kiba was trying hard not to laugh too as he tried to argue, "No you dickwad, it's m-" but before he could finish, Naruto suddenly remembered something.
"Hey have you seen teme? Jackass' being a sissy princess again," Naruto asked.
"No, I just got here," Neji answered. "I did see Nara, he was with me in the elevator," he added as an afterthought.
"That does not matter. Why? Because he just came from his cigarette break and now he is looking for some mint in the buffet table with Chouji," Neji's eyebrows drew themselves together. That wasn't Naruto.
"Aburame, I didn't see you there," behind the bar was one of his cousin's best friends, Aburame Shino.
"You should have. Why? Because I greeted you along with the others." A drepressing black aura emanated from the man as he sulked.
"Hey, hey. Would you stop that, you're depressing me," Kiba said standoffishly, waving off the bad vibes, "What the hell are you doing there anyways?"
"The bar tender had urgently needed to go to the bathroom, I offered to take his place in the mean time. Why? Because I can."
The rest of them just sweatdropped.
"What the fuck did you just say, man? I didn't get anything," Suigetsu said.
"Your language is very crass. Why? Because-" "Ugh don't even try to nag him about that, it'll only make it worse."
"See Kiba is on my si-Hey! What the fuck did you mean by that, motherfucker."
"Tiny, I think he meant-" Neji decided to leave the four them to their arguments and turned to the blonde instead.
"How about Lee, is he here?" Neji asked Naruto as he was about to join in on their bickering.
"Huh?" The Hyuga felt the familiar sense of irritation that was almost always strung together by their company. "Oh yeah, bushy brows was with us sometime ago. I think he got a call," Neji was already nodding in acknowledgement when, "No wait, I think it was him finding Shikamaru? Or was it urgently going to the bathroom?" The Hyuga can only sigh. The others were still bickering.
"Hn," spotting the empty balcony, Neji said "I need some fresh air."
"Yeah sure. But come back soon, Sakura-chan said that they'd be having drinks with us!"
oOo
Silence had never felt so good, was Neji's first thought the moment the doors had closed. From his perch eighteen floors up, Konoha looked amazing. The place was surrounded by a mass of green foliage, hence the name. Since it was dark, not uncommon when it was evening, all Neji could see was the lights. Not only the ones of the artificial kind, but also those that shine in the night sky. He kind of missed this. Senju Palace was isolated from the rest of Konoha. It stood in the far north eastern side of the town, one of it's prime tourist attractions and event center.
Faced with the breath taking scenery and the serene atmosphere, Neji unknowingly started to reminisce.
oOo
That was how Lee found him minutes ago.
After his conversation breaker, his youthful friend had started to retreat to his thoughts once again. Lee left him to it, as he started to think of the situation his two best friends had trapped themselves in. They were normally youthful people, Lee thought with a smile. Their springtime of youth is impossible not to see. The way they give every ounce of passion in everything they do, be it academic or sports; of course, one more subtle than the other; they face the challenging throes of life head on, determination burning through their fiery eyes! They were
Idiots. His friends were youthful idiots. Awfully blind idiots. Didn't they see that they feel for each other? This heart ache might have been avoided if they just open their eyes!
Lee was often mistaken for being dense. Sure he was naive at times but he wasn't blind! He was actually more observant than people claim him to be. And he was not ignorant. He saw how different Tenten's smile was when directed at his eternal rival, saw how his said rival return it when he thought no one was looking. Neji had been a complete gentleman towards the lovely lotus when he could have cared less for his lovely Sakura-chan and the other girls. He also managed to see a distinct love bite the lovely lotus tried to hide inconspicuously, added to the fact both she and his eternal rival, who were practically inseperable, were not talking anymore. Let's just say he had managed to connect the dots. See, his youthful self is very observant!
But really, all Lee wanted to do was grab them both by the back of their necks, mash their lips together and yell, "Now kiss passionately with every inch of your springtime!"
With the thought in mind, Lee was unable to trap the giggle that escaped his throat, gaining the attention of his companion. Lee faked a coughing fit to hide his actions; Neji was looking at him weirdly, eyes laced with suspicion. "Pardon me, something had been lodged on my throat," he said, rubbing his neck to enforce the thought.
"Right," he was still looking at him with narrowed eyes but he seemed to let it go, Lee merely gave him another one of his pingful smiles. Neji ignored it and focused on his thoughts once more.
He was getting bored. The silence, however comfortable, was making his burning self turn to ash. He was becoming restless and he detested that. He heard the glass doors slide open and a voice call out to him, "Hey Lee, there you are. The floor's open. D'you wanna da-" the voice trailed off.
Lo and behold, entertainment in the form of Tenten. She seemed to have stopped when she caught sight of who he was , He could feel himself becoming giddy with the embodiment of the springtime of youth!
Neji stopped his musings and was staring at her. Tenten on the other hand, has one hand placed on the sliding door, one in a fist and her mouth opened in shock. They were just there frozen, staring at each other.
And staring.
And staring.
Lee awkwardly coughed. "So, I'll give you two some privacy." Wanting to escape the tension, he bolted towards the door, still held open by Tenten, with lightning speed, took the door from her and promptly closed it behind him.
Once out, he released a "Phew," and made his way towards his friends. Maybe he could ask the lovely Sakura-san for a dance!
oOo
Her jaw had dropped open in shock. When she asked for Lee, she didn't know he had company. And Neji, of all people. Two hours into the party and still no sight of him, she thought he was a no-show and put all thoughts of him in the back of her mind. Apparently not, since he was standing there in the flesh.
He had grown, she observed. No more was the slim guy she had been friends with. In his place was a twenty-four year old who had longer hair and a built that would have her drooling if it belonged to someone else.
"Tenten," she heard it. His eyes even more intense, his voice an octave deeper, but the way he said her name was the same; like a gentle caress one would give to a new born babe.
Forgotten was the man before her, all she saw was the guy whom she spent her puberty with, the stud who helped her with her homework, the boy that had greatly injured her the moment they became friends, the genius that she had fallen for such a long time ago and the best friend who went away.
Tenten took a step towards him. And another.
And another.
And another as she closed the distance between them and-
oOo
Hugged him. She was hugging him. Her arms interwoven on his waist and her chin resting on his shoulder; and he stood there stiffly, eyes wide and frozen in shock. Faintly, so faintly, she whispered, "I missed you." It was said so soft that he thought he was imagining it, but he knew it was real because Tenten's face, once placed atop his right shoulder, was now buried at the crook of his neck and he felt her grip tighten. His arms were around her the next moment.
oOo
It felt good to be in his arms, Tenten thought as he returned her embrace. She heard his voice again, "I'm home," he whispered back. And Tenten wanted to cry because it felt so wrong.
Wasn't he the one to brush aside whatever has happened between them? Wasn't he the one who ran away because he couldn't stand the sight of her? So why is he doing this now? Holding her like he hadn't ran away from her. Saying things that's making her forget all the doubt that she had on herself because of her idiocy.
Overwhelmed by the thoughts that now invade her mind, Tenten broke contact, released her arms and went to the farthest side of the balcony on the opposite of him and buried her face in her hands, her back turned to him.
When she heard him take a step towards her, she whirled around and extended a palm out, motioning for him to stop; he did.
"Tell me why you left," she demanded, "Tell me the truth."
oOo
The truth, she said. Not for the first time, he was at a loss with what to say. "I don't know," was all he could mutter.
"No," she said, her eyes becoming angry. "You know Neji! You can't not know because it was your choice to go away! Not Hinata, not your uncle, not Lee and certainly not me!" She ended, her voice have gone a few decibels louder.
Neji's thoughts went back to that morning, when he woke up naked in a cold bed, alone. His mouth tasted bitter, "I wasn't the first one to leave, Tenten" He gave a bitter laugh, "Tell me, why did you?"
oOo
"What are you talking about?" She was confused and she was scared. This Neji before her was someone she didn't know. Gone was the gentle caress that she felt when he said her name, she only felt a chill in the air that often accompanied huge storms.
"What am I talking about?" He now looked incredulous, "Why did you leave the morning after? Were you so regretful that you couldn't even think of seeing me? How that would mean to me?"
"Meant to you?" It was her turn to laugh bitterly. "As far as I remember, you were the one who said to just forget it ever happened."
"Because you left, dammit!"
oOo
He couldn't help but yell. "You left, what was I supposed to think?" It felt like his brain was cut off from his mouth as he just kept pouring everything he had kept for so long. He was looking at the ground as he did. "I thought you regretted it, that you felt shamed because of it. You were drunk! It wasn't even supposed to happen but it did." He was panting now.
"It hurt me when you left and it hurt even more when you were okay forgetting," he spoke softly. "I loved you and it hurts to see you that's why I had to leave."
Finally, Neji looked up and rested his eyes on her face. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape, in shock of his confession. Making his way towards her, in the shadowed part of the balcony, he placed his hands on either side of her arms, holding her and asked, "Can you even imagine spending our college lives together, living together under one roof, knowing what we did?"
Her answer came as a shock to him.
oOo
"Yes," of course she did, because it felt like something was missing in her four years of college and she realized it was him. "Because I felt the same way."
oOo
Everything was silent after her admission. As she finished her sentence, his hands went back to his sides. She was staring at the ground and he was staring at her.
Running a hand down his face in frustration, he went towards the railing, placed his elbows on it and buried his face in one hand and sighed. "After all this time," he mumbled.
"I'm sorry Neji," she said from behind him, "I-I didn't know."
"Don't," he whispered. Straightening his back, he turned around and faced her. "Don't," he repeated, more firmly this time, his stoic mask returning.
"Let's just," he swallowed, "Let's just forget about it."
oOo
Tenten blinked, he was standing in front of her. She blinked again, he was walking towards the door, all his intentions set on leaving. And she was being left behind, their backs towards each other.
'No.'
oOo
She had envisioned her last school dance very differently three months ago.
She thought she would have the time of her life, smiling, laughing, having her last bout of fun with her friends. But no. Her graduation ball was spent with her alone in one corner of the room, hidden in the shadows. How could she have the time of her life when the one she wanted to spend it with was on a plane flying away from her.
She thought she'd be dancing. She thought she'd be dancing with him and end the night in his arms; but no. That did not happen.
She went home early instead.
oOo
'No,' she thought. Whirling around, she felt the skirt of her dress balloon. She opened her mouth and said, "Neji!"
oOo
As he reached for the door, he heard her call out to him. He turned to face her, a mask of stoicism on his face.
"Dance with me," she demanded more than asked.
There was a crack in his mask as he let confusion seep through, "What?"
She went towards him, took his hand that was clasping the doorn handle and led him towards the center of the balcony, still holding his hand, she repeated, "Dance with me," and gave him a smile. He couldn't help but give one of his own in return.
He placed the hand that she wasn't holding on her waist and she placed her head on the crook of his neck, inhaling his scent.
Then they danced to a tune that only they would hear, ignorant to everything else.
They were the last ones to leave.
oOo
Sitting in the bar, a glass of water at hand, a man gave a pingful smile. He bore witness to the intimate exchange, from the moment she took his hand, to the moment she gave him a smile that was meant only for him and as he gave one in return because he thought no one was watching. Ah, he witnessed it all.
Drinking the non-alcholic beverage he had in his hand he thought, 'About time.' Swirling the bar's revolving stool, he joined his friends in their conversations, feigning ignorance.
oOo
A/N: I felt like I dragged this one out. Did I? You be the judge. I'm just glad it's finally done! It's 11:50pm in my side of the world and I have to wake up early tomorrow! But gaaaah. This thing wouldn't let myself sleep unfinished. Hopefully it's worth it. This was actually inspired by the song 'Maybe This Time,' where the summary came from and the movie 'Love Rosie.' Yeah. The main problem that they had is a terrible case of misconception and miscommunication. It's funny how you can make mountains out of mole hills due to these two but it's not funny how true it is. I'm not gonna explain why.
Sooo. What do you think? Did I drag it out? Was it good? Satisfying? Disappointing? Redundant? What? Tell me in a review! And if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask. To ghost readers out there, last chance to tell me what you think! I would love to hear some feedback!
Lastly, thank you so much to those who supported this fic. It feels so good to have people actually like what you write and truly, I am grateful. Bad news tho, I won't be writing anything until June. Yeah. The second semester would be starting next week and I'll be on hiatus until vacation time. Hopefully, readers would still check out my stuff till then. Thank you again!