So this is the rewritten version of chapter 8, the original ending of it was different. But I liked this one better. Originally this was going to go up Monday, aren't you all lucky?
I'm done school now! So lots more free time. Chapter 9 shouldn't be expected till about mid-july however. So everyone have an awesome summer. And enjoy chapter 8. I know it's sad...
She'd gone home to rest just as Sakura had advised. The minute she walked into her apartment she collapsed on the couch despite her dirty clothing and hair. She was too exhausted physically and emotionally to care. Her weapons needing cleaning before they started to rust, and she desperately needed a shower, but they could wait. At the moment her muscles felt like mush, no longer able to even support her.
She dozed for maybe a few hours and when she woke something didn't feel quite right. Then she realised she had fallen asleep on the couch, maybe that was it. Lethargically she walked into her bedroom and climbed into bed. She lay still and waited to drift off into sleep. Despite her fatigue she simply just couldn't fall asleep.
Giving up on the idea of resting she instead unpacked her belongings. Her clothes went into the washing machine and her weapons went in a stack to be polished. In the meantime she would have a shower.
She stood dazed under the constant pouring of hot water. She'd been standing there for a while, but in the shower there was really no way of telling how much time had passed. She'd already washed her body and hair twice in an effort to get rid of all the grime and sweat she'd collected.
As she got out of the shower she thought idly about eating but decided that she wasn't particularly hungry. She sat about polishing her weapons so they wouldn't rust from all that rain. The radio played softly filling the room with music as she sat on her floor cleaning her weapons.
There came a loud knock on her front door. "Tenten!" She heard one of her friends exclaim, most likely Ino or Sakura.
Her cheek was pressed into the carpet; she must have fallen asleep cleaning her weapons. "Coming!" Tenten yelled back at her friends. She opened the door pleased to see all her friends there.
For a minute everyone was silent, in a way that made Tenten wonder why her normally loud friends (with the exception of Hinata) were so quiet. Hinata broke the silence, "H-How are you?"
"I'm fine," she answered the question. "Well let's go, where are we eating?"
"Same place as usual," Ino replied, behaving more like she usually did. "Forehead was too lazy to look up a better place."
"Ino-pig you're just annoyed because I didn't want to take Tenten to that new club you saw…" Sakura replied.
Tenten covered a smile as the two fought; they were so close despite their rivalry. Hinata walked alongside her as they headed out to their usual lunchtime hangout. "So how were things here?" Tenten asked Hinata.
"The same… we missed you, especially Sakura and Ino," Hinata replied.
"Did not!" Ino and Sakura shouted together, joining their conversation.
Their table which had only started out with five people, Lee had joined them on the way to the restaurant, was soon crowded with friends. Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji and Naruto had joined them as time wore on. Hinata was insanely quiet, blushing whenever Naruto looked her way.
Surrounded by the loud clamour caused by her friends, Tenten truly smiled for the first time that day.
"How was your mission, Tenten-san?" Shikamaru asked.
The table grew quiet to listen to her speak. "It was okay. It was beyond easy to get the scroll. Once we left though we had some trouble we had some Mist-nin on our tail. We defeated the chuunin easily, but a nearby jounin took me down. Neji didn't see him. So Neji thought I was dead and carried me to the nearest village, where they realised I wasn't dead. So we stayed a while and then came back."
"That's right, you missed Konoha's Tanabata festival!" Sakura exclaimed. "It was beautiful! Everything was decorated and…" Sakura continued with her narration describing who had accompanied who, what they wore and how things had been decorated.
"That's nice, I didn't get to go to the festival in the town we stayed in," Tenten lied.
"Where's Neji-san?" Lee asked, suddenly realising their other teammate was not with them.
"N-Neji-niisan is currently involved in s-some family discussions," Hinata spoke before Tenten could reply, sounding like she had memorised what she said.
"Oh, will Neji-san be training with us tomorrow?" Lee asked.
"No," Tenten replied. "He said he'd be busy all week."
"I-It's late," Hinata said a few minutes later. "I should p-probably get home. Bye, everyone. B-Bye N-Naruto-kun."
"I'll go with you," Tenten offered. "You shouldn't be walking around alone." They said their goodbyes and walked off together.
Tenten dropped Hinata off at the gate to the Hyuuga compound, despite her friend's invitation to come inside. "I'm good," Tenten smiled at the offer. "Goodnight Hinata-chan."
"Night Tenten-chan," Hinata replied offering a shy smile of her own.
Tenten lay awake in her bed that night, wishing for sleep but it never came. At four-thirty in the morning she finally drifted off to sleep. As she slept she dreamed of Neji, she dreamed of his deft hands caressing her flesh. His lips grazing hers. She dreamed that he whispered, "I love you," in her ear.
She woke up at six, an hour later than normal. Giving up on sleep she got up and went to visit Sakura in search of coffee. She could have gone to Ino's but Ino's house was further away. Of her friends only Sakura and Ino drank coffee. Tenten despised coffee unless she was functioning on too little sleep, so she never kept any in her house. Sakura would just be getting ready for work now so she'd already have coffee brewing.
Sakura was slightly surprised to see Tenten at her front door. Tenten came in and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Rough night?" Sakura asked.
"This has to be the worst though, only an hour and a half of sleep," Tenten muttered past the warm mug pressed against her lips.
The first night back after a mission, be it with Team Gai or someone else, she rarely fell asleep. She had trouble sleeping by herself after going on a mission because she grew too used to the other person's presence.
Three more days had passed, when Tenten woke up that morning she couldn't help but feel horrible. She hadn't been sleeping well recently, it was usually only the first night and occasionally the second night back from a mission that she had trouble sleeping. But this was getting crazy.
"This is the fourth time you've come for coffee now," Sakura frowned as Tenten drank another cup of coffee in her kitchen. "And you're too thin. Are you eating properly?"
"I'm just not very hungry lately," Tenten shrugged, she felt absolutely awful in truth.
"Well if this keeps going, you should get checked out…" Sakura sounded really worried.
He was in her room that night when she stumbled in. He stood there, leaning casually against a wall as though he'd been waiting a while. A flood of moonlight streamed in the window, darkening his hair and illuminating his pale skin and eyes.
She said nothing because the words died on the tip of her tongue, before they could be spoken.
"Today I overheard Sakura telling Hinata-sama that you were unwell." Unconsciously, his arms reached for her. She kept back, looking as though she was torn between rushing forward, or running away.
"I'm fine!" She told him, turning around as if trying to avoid him. His hands were placed on her shoulders and she was spun around to face him. She could feel his breath on her lips, and his eyes bore into hers, giving her the impression that he could see through her, into her heart.
"You're lying," he said softly, but with conviction. She blinked in response.
"Why would I be lying?" She growled, stalking over to her closet and pulling out of his arms. Her head ached; it had been a long and tiring day. At the moment she wanted nothing more than for him to go away and at the same time to come closer.
He'd closed the distance between them once again. She stood immobile, torn between the two conflicting emotions. "You're too thin," he breathed. "And you don't sleep, there's bags under your eyes." He's so close that it would be a simple task for him to kiss her, and as wrong as that thought is, she wishes he would do so.
Her eyes enrapture him; they look so lonely… only shadows of the lively brown that they once were. "Y-You shouldn't be here…" she choked out. Her heart felt as if it were breaking in two… she wanted him so badly… but he was no longer hers, he never would be hers.
"I wanted to," His lips are just barely caressing hers. Tears are pouring down her cheeks mingling with the kiss.
Then Tenten recovered, pushing him away. "Don't…" she told him as he tried to close the distance once again. She's shaking, her body finally giving out on her. Her heart is tightening, and her throat is so closed off that even if she had the words to say, they wouldn't come out.
"Tenten," His eyes searched for hers, but she kept them firmly downcast, refusing to look up. "Don't you want me?" His eyes, though they were the marbled Hyuuga eyes, displayed his hurt.
"N-No. It's just wrong to continue this…" She admitted, the words coming out in more of a croak.
"I shouldn't have come, it was a waste of time," he shook his head and headed towards her door.
"No! Neji!" She ran after him, panicking. She'd always had a fear of being abandoned, of being left behind.
He froze when he felt two small arms wrap around him. His eyes closed momentarily. He turned to see the panicked look in her eyes, her face is tear streaked and the desperate way her arms are wrapped around him indicates that she will not let go until he breaks her arms.
"You," she began her voice hoarse. "You didn't waste your time. I—I'm glad you came, despite everything," Liquid brown eyes gaze up at him beseechingly. He can feel her heart pounding.
"Then… why?" he whispered the words floating out on a breath.
"It hurts," her head is pressed into his chest, muffling the words. "It hurts so bad…" With those few words he can feel utter despair filling him. He is the one causing her so much agony; he's the reason she's falling apart.
"I tried to stay away… I can't forget you. I still lo—," Her hands stop the words.
"Can't you see, Neji?!" She raged, her voice broken. "You can't! You're only making this worse! I can't even function without you! I-I hate you!" She could feel her heart breaking as she uttered those three hateful words.
He stood there, silent as she raged, pounding her fists into his chest.
"I still love you…" she added, the fury winding down, as she fell to the ground before his feet. Her arms are clutched across her chest, as if trying to hold herself together.
She can't help but feel childish, she'd always vowed that she wouldn't be some lovesick girl. She never planned to be one, yet here she is, craving, aching for him. She can't function without him; the proof is in front of her. She has to be with him; to live, to breathe. He's taken over her every thought.
She's so pitiful there on the floor, looking up at him with wide chocolate eyes, her body too thin and sickly to be healthy. She hasn't been eating, she's slowly becoming weak, and he can't help but hate it, hate himself for being the reason behind it all.
Emotions can only be contained for so long. Neji had once believed this wrong, but faced with this moment here and now he can't help but recall it. The emotions are flooding, bursting out, consuming. Hot breaths mingle, lips are pressed furiously together, in hopes that maybe if it lasts but one moment longer it will always be this way.
It's so wrong…It's so wrong for them to be like this. She can't help but think. He needed her, even if it was wrong. And though she'd deny it to spare them both this pain, she needed him too.