Hey everyone! Chapter 12 here! Well as I've reached Chapter 12... which is a momentous event. I have decided to pose a question to my readers. What line, or thing that strikes you the most about the story (the entire story)? It's okay if there was nothing, but I'd like to know.
Example: In this chapter, the line that I remember the most is "Glue for the team and a fence for the fights." So readers! Get at it, tell me the thing you remember most.
After the challenge, here is chapter 12!!
Neji quietly climbed into Tenten's bed, he had not expected her to be asleep but a glance at the clock indicated that it was nearly four in the morning told him that he was late… later than normal. She must have thought he wasn't coming, though she hadn't closed the window.
She stirred a bit at the sudden shift of weight and the extra warmth drew her to him like a moth to light. "Alone…" she murmured in her sleep. Neji gently held her hand.
Still she slumbered on, exhausted. She turned, so just a bit of her neck was exposed from the blankets. Without thinking about it, his lips ghosted over the flesh, pausing only to smirk when she gave a half moan in her sleep.
She was still asleep, so he shifted so that his cheek was pressed just above her heart. He could hear the rhythmic beat. This was the last night that they'd have alone together for three months.
"Neji…" Tenten gasped, still asleep, when he licked just below her ear. He twisted so that he was above her, leaning on one hand. He pushed the sheets farther down, causing another set of disturbed murmurs to escape her lips.
Her eyes snapped open, only to realise it was Neji. "I thought you weren't coming…" she murmured.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he shifted so he lay beside her.
"Don't apologise," her hand went to his cheek, gently caressing his face. He lifted his hand to cup hers. Her left hand found his, their fingers linked together, holding on with every bit of strength that they had left, as if it would last forever.
"We should sleep," Neji breathed as she shifted closer to him.
"Mhm," she agreed sleepily, fighting to keep her eyes open, fearing that if she blinked he'd disappear and that she'd be left alone. Still slowly her eyes drifted closed and did not open.
"I'm sorry…" Neji said once more now that she was asleep. He gently brushed the lone tear that made its way down her cheek. He closed his eyes and joined his lover in sleep.
It was just beginning to cool off when Team Gai had planned to meet. Tenten bore a light pack and everything else she needed was contained in a couple sealing scrolls inside the bag. She was surprised to see that Lee was already waiting at the Konoha gates for her.
"Hey Lee," she greeted him easily. "Isn't Neji here?"
"No, Neji-kun isn't here yet. It's not like my youthful rival to be late," Lee sounded slightly worried. He was right, Neji was always early to meetings and it was unlike him to be late.
"He's probably just saying goodbye to Hanako-san," Tenten tried to rationalise his lateness. Lee nodded along enthusiastically, even though the comment had been directed towards herself.
Neji showed up a few minutes later, carrying his bag, and a sealing scroll. "Shall we go?" Neji asked his teammates. He gave a half-smirk when he saw them waiting patiently at the gate.
Lee responded with a good guy pose and a "Yes, Neji-kun!" Tenten simply frowned. He'd given no excuse for his lateness. Her two teammates were already walking out of the gate. With a sigh, Tenten ran to catch up to them. It was just like them to leave without her.
Lee was in front, quickly speeding through the trees followed by Neji; she was in the rear. They'd come up with this formation a few years ago. With Lee in the front he could deal with any roadblocks that appeared, with Neji to guide him. Neji in the middle with his Byakugan kept watch over the area. Tenten reading his body language could deal with anything that appeared behind her and she could still attack from a distance should Neji or Lee need her help.
The trees flew by as the shinobi went for it, this mission was not one where they had to travel at a snails pace because they were supposed to be disguised. They went until it was too dark to safely see the branches they were jumping to. It was a warm balmy night, so they elected to sleep outside.
"I'll go set up the traps," Tenten offered. Lee and Neji looked up at her.
"Aren't we going to keep watch?" Lee asked, looking at Neji for direction.
"Not till we reach the Land of Earth. There's no need to wear ourselves out before we reach the mountains."
Trip wire soon littered the area around their camping spot as well as exploding tags. She was just setting up the final trap when Neji appeared in front of her. "Neji? What's the matter?"
He looked like he was in despair, like Lee had died maybe. But no she could hear Lee talking as he rummaged through the packs trying to find some food. "Neji?" He'd said nothing.
When his arms wrapped around her, she sighed. "Neji… we shouldn't, not now," She breathed into his ear. Neji's eyes turned upward, to look at her face. She swallowed and clarified. "Not with Lee here, we don't need to drag him into this."
Neji stepped away from her, and immediately she missed his presence. She was reaching for his hand when Lee started walking towards them. "Tenten-san, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," Tenten lied, looking up at him with a bright smile on her face. "Neji, could you pass me the kunai, I need to cut this wire," Neji wordlessly handed her the knife.
Lee looked at his two teammates for a second and then said, "I made some food. Are you guys hungry?"
"Yeah I'm starving, I'll eat when I'm finished," Tenten replied. But when she finally sat down with some food she hardly touched it. Neji observed quietly but if Lee noticed that something was wrong he didn't say a word.
They set up sleeping bags, as always with Tenten in the middle. It came from when Lee and Neji had not been on such good terms. She was to keep them separate and yet together at the same time. "Glue for the team and a fence for the fights," Gai-sensei had once put it.
But she would be leaving and letting their team disintegrate if she became an ANBU. But maybe as a fence she was wearing out, she'd taken a hit one too many times and now she was broken, breaking. Tenten stared up at the starry sky as Lee's loud snores echoed through the area, Neji on her left side was already asleep and breathing lightly. Then she too joined them in slumber.
When they stopped for the night they were on the border of the Land of Fire, tonight would be their last night in relative safety. Tomorrow evening they'd be in the Land of Earth.
Neji returned from his discussion with the border guards. "They said that the weather is supposed to be getting worse up north. They say to expect blizzards and hail."
"Blizzards and hail?" Tenten asked. "That'll be pushing it. If we get holed up somewhere in the mountains with hail and blizzards, chances are we won't be getting back to Konoha until spring."
"Till spring?" Neji asked, his eyes narrowing.
"The more time we waste the sooner winter comes. When winter comes all the passes will be blocked. We wouldn't be able to get back to Konoha even if we wanted to. It's part of the reason why Iwagakure is so isolated."
"Then we need to go faster," Lee said and burst into a tirade of rash promises.
"We won't be able to go faster if we get delayed by hail or blizzards Lee," Tenten tried to remind him.
"Well there is nothing we can do about this tonight. We should all get some rest," Neji interrupted and Lee fell silent. The three of them set up their sleeping bags side by side. After tonight they'd be keeping watch in shifts.
"Goodnight," Lee said in a dramatic whisper.
"Night," Tenten murmured in reply.
"Hn," Neji said and Tenten struggled against the urge to giggle hysterically. On their first C-rank mission, ages ago, they'd said the exact same things. It was only when Lee's first snore echoed into her ear that Tenten allowed herself to lean over and place a kiss on Neji's cheek.
"I'm sorry that this is our last mission together as Team Gai," she apologised quietly to the sky, because her two teammates were asleep and she couldn't say it to their faces, not without feeling guilty.
The border guards let them out of Konoha without much trouble, the neighbouring lands were used to shinobi passing through frequently. Their counterparts in the Land of Earth were not nearly as kind.
The shinobi at the border demanded their papers and scrutinised them as if they might be forged. Then they were required to list all their weapons that they carried with them. Each of them was subjected to a pat down to make sure they weren't hiding anything.
The male shinobi's hands lingered in a few unwanted places on her body but Tenten did not say anything although she caught the glare that both her teammates were giving the man. As this happened their packs were being looked through. The papers were looked over once more before they were allowed to enter.
Almost immediately the landscape changed. Instead of rolling hills and plains, it was mountains, mountains and more mountains. "There should be a town just north of here," Neji said as he consulted the map. "We'll spend the night there."
The town's inn was much too small to be called a proper inn. It only had three rooms to rent out, and the wooden walls and floors were slowly rotting from the moisture. Still a mattress was better than the hard ground for a night.
Lee offered to take the first shift for the night. He left them and promised to be back in a few hours to switch with Neji. Through the paper-thin walls she heard Lee clump down the stairs to the common room.
With a sigh Tenten sat down on the bed, the only bed in the room, the bed she would have to share with Neji. There should have been nothing wrong with it, after all missions were missions and it had happened before that they'd had to share a bed or a sleeping bag. Still with their new… relationship, affair, what word could describe it… it seemed improper while they were on a mission.
She'd already changed into a large shirt when she noticed that Neji was still standing in the middle of the room with the bags. "Are you coming?" Tenten asked softly. He was still standing there as if frozen. Then a floorboard creaked as he made his way to the bed. He sat down on the far side of the bed, trying to keep as much space between them as possible.
Neji turned the lights out and all was silent, except for the loud laughter coming from downstairs. As she lay still and tried to sleep, Tenten felt the chill that the night had brought. She reached down to grab the extra blanket spread over the bottom of the bed. She stopped when Neji's hand grabbed her wrist firmly.
"Neji?" She breathed, afraid to move anymore. She shivered when his hand ran down her back, though not from the cold. "Neji…" She began once more, only she couldn't remember what she was trying to say.
His lips met hers and suddenly she wasn't cold anymore. Finally Neji pulled away for a breath. "Neji, stop!" she pleaded in a husky voice. "Not while we're on a mission. Not while Lee is here, not when I'm… When you're…" He turned from her, but not before she caught the look in his eyes. Then he settled into the bed, facing away from her.
"I'm sorry," she told him, though he didn't reply and she unhappily settled into her spot and tried to sleep. She must have fallen asleep, cause next thing she knew Neji was getting out of bed and Lee was climbing in beside her.
She didn't say anything to Neji as he left, even though she normally did. Once Neji was gone from the room, Lee turned to face her even though in the dark he couldn't see much of her face. "What's wrong, Tenten-san?"
What was wrong? Everything was wrong, but she couldn't tell Lee that, nor could he do anything even if she did. "Nothing," Tenten replied dully. She turned her face into the pillow in time to stop him from seeing the tears that had begun to flow uncontrollably. Lee said nothing more except for a quiet goodnight and all was silent for the remainder of the night.