Echo's in the Dark

.By: Panda-chan.

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Summary: She stared at the twinkling sky with a painful gaze, "Tenten." She turned, and smiled sadly."Neji." Twilight was always her favorite part of the evening. It helped ease the inner pain she felt.

-Standard Disclaimer Applies-

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As evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars,
Invisible by day.
-9-

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"Cook it again." He instructed strictly. The woman leaning over the kitchen counter snapped her head towards her husband, a snarl beginning to form over her lips.

"No! What's wrong with it!?" She barked. A chocolate haired brunette, whom was sitting right across from her miffed father, lowered her eyes in sadness. It was starting again. Soon, their two story house will be filled with angry insults and screams.

"It's horrible that's what's wrong with it! Do you want to kill me!? The chicken isn't cook right and the rice is burned! Cook it again, dammit!" The man yelled, his hands gesturing at the meal below him. The woman slammed the spoon she had in her hand on the edge of the stove in aggravation.

"Well excuse me! But the chicken is not raw nor is the rice burned! Don't exaggerate!" She hissed, her fingers tightening over the metal utensil. The young adolescent stood, her chair scrapping upon the worn flooring.

"May I be excused?" She whispered with distress. Her mother's eyes softened upon gazing at her daughter.

"Yes you may, Tenten." The girl flashed a smile at her tired mother, another at her aggravated father before pushing her chair in and picking up her untouched plate.

Her father glanced at the plate briefly, "See?! Look at Tenten's plate! Look at it! She hasn't touched a single thing! Cook it again, it's disgusting!" He stated firmly, crossing his arms. Her mother glanced at her plate with disheartened eyes. Tenten inwardly panicked.

"No! It's not bad Mom! It really isn't! I'm just not hungry; I ate at school. I swear—it smells delicious! Father must be blind!" Tenten sputtered. Her mother smiled softly, believing her daughter's mindless sputtering in a heartbeat. Her father huffed and pushed his plate aside, his mouth turned downward in a frown.

"I hate it! I'm eating out..." Tenten dumped her plate in the sink, letting it clatter amongst the other dishes before moving away. Her mother glared at the man going towards the front door.

"Oh, no you don't! There you go again! You're going to go see that woman, aren't you!? Aren't you!?" Her mother screeched, her usually radiant hazel eye's stained with wrathful fury. Tenten's heart lurched painfully for a moment.

She saw her father hesitate, "No, I'm not! I don't even know what you're talking about, Ling-su," He glared. "You can't even cook decent meals! I'm hungry and since you can't cook, I'm eating out! Good-bye."

Her mother growled, "Liar! You're going to see her! You like her better than me, don't you!? Don't you?! You're just here because of Tenten! That's why, isn't it!? Tell me the truth Hiroki! I'm sick of pretending you want me!" Soon, they were in a fierce argument, Tenten staring at her quarreling parent's with somber eyes.

She started up the stair's, already hearing her mother and father throwing hateful words at each other with raw anger. Tenten went to her room and shut the door behind her, her heart throbbing in her ear's. She stayed there, her eyes downcast to the wine red carpet beneath her. She felt the vibrations of a door shutting with more force than necessary, then silence.

"Fine then! Leave, see if I care! But you're not welcomed back!! Stay with her you son of a bitch!!" Tenten shut her eyes, her jaw clenching. Minute's later, she could hear her mother climb up the stair's and knock on her door apprehensively.

"Tenten? Tenten, please open the door sweetie," The girl sighed sadly and slowly turned the silver knob. Her mother stood on the other side, tear's brimming in her eyes.

"Mom...?" She didn't like to see her mother in pain. It made her heart ache everytime they fought and she cried. Someone always got hurt, and it was almost always her mother who got hurt in the end.

She sniffed and blinked her eyes to rid them of tears, "Tenten, I'll be right back, okay? I'm just going out to check on something... Umm, don't go outside by yourself and if you need me just call me, okay? If someone knocks on the door, don't open it. If someone calls, don't answer it. Uhh, I'll be back soon; behave!" The girl nodded stiffly, seeing her mother flit across and into her room, only come back out with a jacket in hand. She waved at her frozen daughter hesitantly before trotting down the stair's and going out the door.

Tenten felt shocked. She had gotten so attuned to their constant fights that they didn't bother her anymore; not much at least. But this was different. She could feel it throb in her chest. Something big had happened, and they weren't going to make up this time.

Tear's sprang to her eyes, "No... They're—leaving each other?" She asked herself brokenly, her fear coming true. Tenten shook her head and slammed her door, jogging towards her window. She opened it, and flinched at the sudden gust of cold air.

She carefully climbed out and grabbed a hold of the pipe line that trailed up and over the roof top. She slowly inched her foot upward and quickly let herself fall onto the rough roof tiles before crawling upwards. She sat on the flat area of the roof top, her eye's wide with horror.

"They're—not coming back... are they?" She asked the bright, sparkling heavens sullenly. Tenten's eye's stared in wonder at all the twinkling light's that illuminated the inky black sky, her mind trying to forget all that happened that evening. She could spot the different type's of stars' that shone with all their might; some small, some big.

"Tenten," She turned and smiled despite the inner turmoil. There stood her best friend and next door neighbor, Neji Hyuuga. He was dressed in a casual white stripped black polo shirt and faded denim jeans. His long hair was tied loosely in rubber band, and his pearl-like eye's were as emotionless as ever.

"Neji..." He neared her, and sat himself next to her. He stared upward at what she was gazing at with longing eye's and frowned.

"They're at it again, I presume?" She smiled with pain and nodded, picking at the worn out tiles below her.

"Yeah..." She bit her lip anxiously. " I-I don't think they're coming back..." She whispered, trying to hide her obvious pain by tilting her head to the side.

"Ah. Is that why your father stomped out the house so furiously? I also saw your mother leave... after him I suppose." He shrugged, his voice even.

"Ooh." She swallowed, her throat feeling swollen. Tenten quickly swiped a hand under her eye, wiping the tear that threatened to fall.

"It didn't have to be this way, you know." Neji told her quietly. Tenten whipped her head to him, her mouth open with confusion. "I hate to say this, but it was partially your fault,"

Her eyes blazed, "How was it my fault?! I didn't do anything to make them so angry with each other! Tell me how it's my fault Neji!"

Neji remained unaffected by her enraged voice, only sighed. "Weren't they going to divorce last year in March? I remember you telling me that they were... And for some reason, in the end, they didn't." Tenten chewed her bottom lip in thought. "You told them not to, didn't you? You knew this was going to happen eventually; they weren't made for each other."

She was automatically silenced, her anger ebbing. Tenten looked down at her lap and breathed in deeply. He was right. As always. She had told them—begged them not to leave each other; for her sake. Her father had painstakingly complied with her, and her mother was pleased by the fact that she still had a hold of her husband.

She mostly did it for her; her mother. It hurt her badly whenever her father left and she always vented out her sullen feelings to Tenten; seeking comfort. So she knew that if they separated for good, her mother would be violently torn apart on the inside. She loved him. And for that reason Tenten could not let that happen—would not.

"Yeah... you're right." Tenten breathed, looking up at the twinkling sky. "But I did it for her. I don't want her to be sad. It hurts when she's sad..."

Neji shifted his eyes to her, "Even if you're sad?"

A vacant smile crawled up Tenten's face, "Does it matter if I'm sad?"

He straightened and looked at her with a look that vaguely mimicked disbelief. "Tenten, who told you that?"

She shook her head in response, knowing she had said to much. "No one," She threw him a shaky smile, "You know what? Forget it!"

He inclined his head in response, his milky eye's narrowed, "Tenten..."

Ignoring him, she continued. "How was you're day at school today? Are you finally going to break the news to me and tell me you've gotten yourself a girlfriend? Because, you seriously do need one. I'm beginning to think you mightbe gay, Neji..." She ranted, leaving off teasingly towards the ending.

The older man said nothing, only stared accusingly. "Tenten, why do you think that?"

She sighed. He wasn't going to drop it. "I don't know, okay? It was just a one time thing, jeez! I didn't even mean it..." She mumbled, "Gosh Neji, you take everything so seriously it's not even funny anymore..."

"Liar. Now stop evading the question with your useless babble." She flinched.

"I-I don't know..." Tenten avoided his gaze and flattened the creases of her pants. "It's nothing..." She slurred.

Neji stared, his lips in a thin line,"You're happiness is what matter's Tenten. You have your whole life a head of you and you're not going to get anywhere if you keep on ditching school and failing your exams. This sadness keeps you from focusing in what really matter's. You know that... don't you?"

She smiled pessimistically, "Ditching? Have you been stalking me again, Neji?" The man glared and grabbed her shoulder, forcing her to face him.

Surprise clogged her pensive thought's, "What are you...?"

"Tenten! Just snap out of it! I can't stand it when you're like this! Just—stop!" He snarled with fury. The woman sat frozen, staring into Neji's fierce eyes.

Her gaze dropped, "I'm sorry."

He sighed in exasperation, his gaze apologetic. "No—don't apologize. You did nothing wrong..." She flicked her eyes upward and drew in her brow's.

"Then...?"

"Nothing. Just—nothing." He smiled tensely and dropped his hand. Tenten didn't ask.

Silence ensued. And Tenten's thoughts grew more and more depressive. She felt the urge to cry, but she knew she couldn't. Not with Neji here. She just had to wait until he left, which would be soon considering he had to go to College the next day. Though she was a Senior in High school, he was already majoring in Business and Technology; going to take the place of his uncle in his corporation.

Her mother wanted her to go to College. If she did pass High school then she would be the first in their family to ever go to College; Tenten just wanted to make her proud. And in the end, she was doing the exact opposite. How was she going to pass with near-failing grades?

Graduation was just a few month's ahead... and Tenten didn't have enough credit's to pass the year. She had wasted all of her precious time mopping around. Now it was too late, she guessed. Unless she passed the CAHSEE then she wouldn't be able to go to College; and even if she did, her grade's wouldn't cover the college's expectations. She was failing her mother and father...

Not that that mattered anymore. Her father would be with that woman he had been secretly seeing over the month's. She wasn't stupid, she saw it all. The way he would sneak out in the dead of night and go to his car. Or the times when she saw him on the street's walking happily with a tall, slender blond whenever she ditched class to go lotter by the café.

And her mother knew nothing of his frequent affairs with the woman. It was almost pitiful that she was oblivious to his infidelity. Or not. Maybe she just found solace in ignorance. Tenten would know; she wished she was as ignorant as her mother pretended to be. Sometimes, the things she saw scarred her so badly that she would have nightmare's about them.

Like the time she saw her father playing with another child other than herself; whom looked exactly like his carbon copy. She certainly didn't know she had a half-brother... or sister.

Tenten gasped silently at the drop of liquid that sunk into her pants. More came afterwards. And one by one they sank into the dense material of her pants, making it moist with tear's. She saw a hand reach out to wipe them away.

She sniffed and hastily wiped away all of her falling tear's, feeling embarrassed. But no matter how much she wiped, more would away come in place. Soon, she found herself hearing something whimper in pain; gradually growing louder and louder. It took her a couple of minute's to see that it was her emitting those pain-laced sounds.

"Tenten!? Oh, Ten..." She felt someone wrap their arm's around her body and bring her closer. Tenten could hear the distant throbbing of Neji's heart as he awkwardly tried to comfort her. She almost smiled at his unsureness.

"N-Neji..." She hiccuped. He sighed and looked away, rubbing her arm in comfort while she cried on his shirt. The darkness had never felt so consoling to Tenten as it did now. She couldn't make out several figures that stood still in the dark and she felt blinded half the time, but she liked this world better than the one with light.

As she slowly ceased her sobbing, she stared at the shimmering crescent moon. It's ethereal rays' of light making the darkness hazy in her eyes.

"Are you better now? Tenten...?" She shifted her eyes up and slowly untwisted her arms from around his torso. She felt him stiffen and grab her arms, keeping them there. In realization, she felt a blush rise on her cheeks.

She leisurely wove her arms around his torso once more, resting her cheek on his chest while he patted her back slowly; his question hanging in the air.

"Yes... I'm better." She whispered hoarsely. His rigid body relaxed, and an ounce of happiness filled Tenten's dreary thoughts.

"That's good." He responded, his arm's still tight around her body. Tenten closed her eye's, knowing that her favorite part of the evening, twilight, had long-since faded and was replaced by the beautiful darkness of nightfall.

She reopened her eye's and smiled, tightening her lock around his body. She felt him do the same, and that made her heart beat unevenly for a moment. And her stomach felt so fluttery and warm... another odd feeling.

"All thanks to you..."

She left that statement to linger and bounce off the walls around her, then to echo throughout the ever darkening night...

-

I like making my shot's seriously long. It could've been shorter, but where's the fun in that? I wanna make you guys feel somewhat sad because I'm feeling sad xD I sorta liked how this one came out; it flow's... sorta, lol.

By the way, I finished this in two hours... new record for me since I usually leave these shot's adrift in my computer XD

R&R Please! And yes, Hatake-san, I know it's long and a bit weird. But I love long and weird oneshots, lol.

Panda.