This was probably like the hardest thing to write. I was lacking inspiration for most of it. And I was aiming at bitter-sweet. Which was hard. I'm absolutely positive that I made Neji too OoC but my beta Ne-0nova on DA said it was okay...
So yes, Chapter 6 is complete... after many attempts (and reattempts) and much hard effort. I'm still not sure about it... Chapter 7 probably won't be done till a few weeks later. Because I have exams coming up.
Also on DA my beta Ne-0nova is drawing me a picture for PYCK. It looks really good, but it still needs colouring. I can't wait to see the final project!!
Neji had gone downstairs to book the room for a few more nights. Tenten grabbed her belongings and went into the bathroom to take a shower. Right now she wanted to put as much distance between Neji and her and at the same moment wanted to be as close, closer than they had been last night. The hot water running down the glass doors, reminded her of the rain outside and of tears. At the moment everything was tinged with bitterness.
She washed herself free of all the blood and sweat she'd collected. She'd tried scrubbing her neck but forgotten about her injury, she winced as she washed it. It hurt. She had just finished shaving her legs when she collapsed. She'd pushed her body and herself too far, she lay there waiting till she could stand as the water grew slowly colder.
Then the bathroom door opened, Neji came in. "Tenten?" He asked.
"Yes?" She answered weakly, her cheek pressed into the glass door of the shower. He would be able to see her in her moment of weakness. Neji said nothing as he turned the water off and picked her up, wrapping her in a towel. He lay her down on the bed, the bed that just last night they'd shared.
Tenten shivered under the covers, her body felt so cold. Slowly she began to warm up and felt ready to take a nap. Neji sat on the edge of the bed. "I wanted it to last," Neji's voice startled her out of her daze.
"Don't say that, Neji," Tenten murmured although she felt the same. "I know... I know it'll have to end."
"I'll try and change it." Neji was looking at her, his hand lightly brushing some hair out of her face.
"Neji," His name was spoken harshly to remind him. "We both know it won't happen."
There was silence, the rain continued to pour outside. "I'm sorry..." Neji spoke, the first time she'd ever heard him apologise, for anything.
"What? Why?" Tenten sat up now, looking him in the eyes.
"We shouldn't have started this, I knew it would end... no matter what." Neji was looking into her eyes; they were liquid pools of brown right now.
"Don't be sorry, I would have wanted this even if I had to die for it. Neji come to bed," She patted the bed and moved to make more room for him. He climbed in next to her and she lay her body entwined with him, not caring that she was making his clothes wet. "I don't know what we'll do," Tenten admitted. "But let's just let whatever happens, happen for now."
When she woke up, Neji was still beside her, asleep. He looked a lot more relaxed as he slept, Tenten mused. He was back to wearing his civilian clothes, his bandage that covered his forehead and his hair was tied up neatly once more. Here she was clothed only in a damp towel. She let her hand trace his face, over his cheekbones, down his jaw. Neji woke up, he had caught her wrist in his hand, stilling all movement.
"That wasn't nice, Tenten," he growled lowly.
"You woke me up from my nap last time," She giggled as his hand traced her curves and his lips brushed her neck. He nipped her in the throat; pleased with the strangled moan she gave.
"They're celebrating Tanabata tonight in the village. It's supposed to stop raining," Neji told her, pressing random kisses to her skin. "Go with me," he breathed, not so much a request as a demand.
"Why not?" she answered casually, her lips brushing his. Neji looked slightly offended at her casual reply and Tenten giggled again. "Of course," she whispered. "I don't have a yukata or kimono to wear though," Tenten blushed.
"We'll have to remedy that," Neji said, his lips brushing over the spot where her heart currently resided.
"We should--" Tenten began to tell him, only to be cut off with a dizzying kiss.
Tenten climbed out of bed, despite his protests. He watched as she made her way to the packs and pulled out some clothes. She dressed quickly, taking a new strip of bandage to wrap up her chest. Her hair went up into the usual hairstyle. He watched with amusement as she began to place all her weapons in their usual places. "You're supposed to relax and recover," Neji told her, snatching the kunai out of her hands. When had he gotten out of bed? Tenten wondered.
"'A kunoichi is always prepared,'" Tenten quoted. Trying to take the kunai back, Neji kept it out of her reach.
"I'll let you take your kunai pouch but that's it," Neji said in a tone that ended this conversation.
Tenten grumbled for a moment but not before taking the chance to stick a weapons scroll underneath her wrappings. "This goes too," she told him argumentatively.
Neji watched her carefully to make sure no more weapons slipped their way into her clothing. He caught her trying to subtly sneak a few more in as he brushed off his clothing, observing her from the side; they were slightly wrinkled from the nap. "Take out the kunai from your sleeves," he told her, as they were about to exit.
"What kunai?" She asked innocently.
Instead of arguing he pinned her wrists to the wall and removed the kunai from her sleeves, showing them to her before he cast them aside, the blunt noise echoing throughout the room. She frowned, but when he pulled her out the door there was little she could do. The two of them wandered down the slightly muddy street, the scent of rain heady in the air.
"Most of the vendors are closed," Tenten said, her hand still interlocked with Neji's. For now they were pretending that Neji wasn't about to be engaged, that they were just a pair of ordinary lovers celebrating the famous lovers festival. There was a small shop on the corner of the street that sold kimono. Neji stopped there, watching as Tenten went through the clothing. "This one?" he suggested to her, holding it before her eyes. It was a white kimono, elaborately done up with the design of a branch of lavender flowers.
She took it from his hands, it was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. Made of the softest silk, it was like gold in her hands. Then she saw the price. "Neji, it's much too expensive..." she regretfully placed it back.
"Try it on," he told her. Sighing she went to do as bid, emerging from the changing stall. Blushing, as she was aware of his eyes roaming over her body. "I like it," he said as if that determined everything.
"Whatever, it's way too much Neji," Tenten tried to protest, it was worth the payment of this entire mission. Neji however took the garment from her hands the minute she had changed out of it and went to seek the vendor.
"I'll take this one," he told her, an old lady who clearly looked slightly upset at her lack of customers. Normally this would have been a busy day for her but with the rain earlier most people had chosen to stay home. Neji handed her the money, his own money, before placing the bag containing the kimono into Tenten's hands.
That evening Neji led her through the village that was decorated in bright colours. Tenten hung her tanzaku on a tree in the middle of the village. Neji hung his beside hers. Tenten watched for a moment as the two pieces of paper containing their wishes, flapped lightly in the breeze.
"What did you wish for?" A nearby group of people asked to their friends.
"A secret," one girl smiled secretively.
"I wished this could last… but it can't," Tenten told Neji wistfully, as they walked towards the highest hill in the area for the stargazing. "In a way this week is a beginning and an ending," Tenten held in her palm a sakura blossom that had been breezing past them. "It's such a delicate thing…" Neji knew she was referring to the flower in her hand as well as them.
As people gathered, there was singing. Neji was surprised when Tenten lifted her voice to join in the song. "Sasa no ha sara-sara, Nokiba ni yureru, Ohoshi-sama kira-kira, Kin Gin sunago." The bamboo leaves rustle, rustle, shaking away in the eaves. The stars go twinkle, twinkle; Gold and silver grains of sand.
The song echoed hauntingly across the hilltops, people raising their voices together to sing. However above it all Neji could hear Tenten's soprano voice, as she sang the words that belonged to both her homeland and the place where she lived.
Waiting on that hilltop in the dark, with Neji lying beside her and a song from both her homelands rolling off her tongue, she couldn't help but be glad in this moment. Somewhere within, part of her was tinged with sadness: this moment would be gone… just as one day Neji would no longer be hers.
Slowly as it grew later, people talked together in hushed voices, occasionally accompanied by loud laughter, quiet snores and soft snippets of song. Tenten was silent; it was easy to bask in this feeling of closeness and contentment."
"What was your wish?" Tenten asked, once most of the people had fallen asleep as they waited for sunrise.
"Strength," this was the only sign that Neji was not asleep, as he lay with his pale eyes closed, facing skyward. There was a long pause, "Strength to go through with what the elders want me to do."
"Oh…" Tenten rolled over and laid her head on Neji's chest, his heartbeat pounding in her ears. This was infinitely different from their normal actions as teammates but at the same time it felt so natural. As she lay there warmed by his body and lulled by his heartbeat, her body finally caught up with her mind.
As she slept she dreamed… "Once long ago… Orihime, the Weaver of the Skies lived in the heavens with her father. Her father was well pleased with her, for her cloth was beautiful. Still one day he noticed his daughter weeping.
'Why do you weep?' Tentei asked.
'I love to weave for you my father, but I fear I will never fall in love.' Orihime explained, her tears drying on her face.
Tentei concerned for his daughter arranged for her to meet with Hikoboshi, the Herder of Stars, who lived and worked on the far side of the river Amanogawa. The two fell in love and were wed.
However Tentei grew displeased when the stars strayed out of the skies, and Orihime no longer wove the skies together. He punished the two lovers by forbidding them to meet, and sorrowfully they returned to their work. Forever separated by the river.
Still Orihime grew slowly sadder and eventually her loom stilled. Tentei seeing that his daughter missed her husband gave them permission to meet once a year, on the night of Sevens, as long as they worked hard.
So when the seventh night of the seventh month came, Orihime was overjoyed to finally see her husband. However they could not meet because there was no bridge for them to cross. Orihime wept and some magpies took pity on her. 'We will make a bridge for you Princess.' They offered.
So Orihime and her lover Hikoboshi met that summer, on a bridge of magpies stretching over the river Amanogawa."
She woke up slowly, feeling too hot. Then came the swaying motion, someone was carrying her. Thirdly the village hovered in a hazy dawn, it was morning now; she'd fallen asleep. "Neji…?" Her mouth felt so dry and her voice was too soft for him to hear. She cleared her throat and tried again, "Neji?"
"Hn?" he responded. With him being so close to her, her body had overheated. She tried to get out of his arms, to put a little more distance between them and to feel the cool breeze of the morning on her sweaty skin.
"Put me down…" Tenten mumbled, as she squirmed to get out of his arms. "It's too hot."
Neji carefully placed her on her feet. They were almost at the hotel already… he'd carried her all the way back? He should have woken her. She walked purposefully towards the hotel, walking into the breeze, the cold air feeling wonderful against her still too warm skin.
Once they were back in their room, Tenten placed the wrinkled kimono in the closet. Then she climbed into bed; she was asleep before Neji climbed in a few moments later.