Chapter 17:
"Aw, I think it's cute!" Tenten giggled.
"It's not, and stop laughing at us!"
"I'm not! I'm not! I'm laughing at the situation. I think the idea of you two being cats is so cute."
"It's not cute! It's a nightmare!" Sasuke screamed. He was still hiding in the kitchen. He hadn't left that room after he had calmed down from his catnip intoxication. "You try living your life as a cat! It's horrible!"
"But you're clear about this, right?" Naruto asked the only girl in the room. "No one is supposed to know about this. Got it?"
"I got it, I got it. Don't worry, you guys. I know to keep it a secret. Give me some credit, ok?"
"This is wonderful!" Lee bounced. "Now the team knows about Neji's sad, pathetic condition. The only thing that would make this complete is Gai-sensei's knowledge of this! But do not worry, I will not tell him. I will do my best to not embarrass Neji any further."
The only thing that kept Neji from rebutting against being called sad and pathetic was the five-inch wall between him and the next room where Lee stood. After being dragged back to Naruto's apartment, he had taken to hiding from the others. Mostly Tenten, though. He found the whole thing so embarrassing. The way he had acted in front of her, the parts he remembered anyway, were so humiliating. He couldn't believe himself. How could he ever show his face to his team again?
"Neji?"
He flinched. He peered around the corner at Tenten. She patted the spot on the couch next to her, silently asking him to sit with her.
"Quit hiding. Come over here."
He slowly slid his body further behind the wall until only the right side of his face was showing.
"Don't be shy. Come on."
He gulped and pulled back behind the wall, hiding his red face from view. He could hear her laughing.
"This is kind of fun," she laughed. "What can I do?"
"How about keep your mouth shut?" Sasuke barked from under the table.
"No, no, that's not what I meant. What I meant was, what kind of things do you guys like to do?"
"Be left alone." Sasuke hid his face behind his raised knees.
"What about cat games?"
"No way! Forget it!" Sasuke crawled further under the table away from her. He didn't want to give her the satisfaction. It was far too embarrassing. There was no way he was going to play like a cat. No way. Not in front of her.
"Oh, come on. If Naruto and Lee can have their fun so can I." She picked up a ball of yarn and rolled it under the table. "Here, kitty-kitty-kitty…"
"No!" Sasuke shut his eyes and covered his ears. "Stop it! Don't make me...!"
"Kitty-kitty-kitty…" She clicked her tongue in an attempt to coax him out.
Curious, Sasuke opened his eyes and looked down at the yarn ball.
Tenten clicked her tongue again.
Sasuke lowered his head and sniffed the fuzzy yarn ball. He gave it a little push with his fingertips. He watched it roll across the floor and bump into a chair leg. Now overwhelmed by a strong desire to play, Sasuke chased after the yarn and started to tangle his arms up in the thin yellow strands. Tenten grabbed an end and lifted it off the floor with Sasuke's hands still attached to it. His arm went up and down as she moved the yarn in the same motion.
Neji's pale face peered around the corner for a look. He was curious to see what was making Tenten laugh so much. She was playing with Sasuke. He was lying on the floor on his side, one arms raised, tangled in the yarn she was pulling up and down. When she tried to shake it free, his other hand came up to pull the yarn back down. She laughed and tugged even harder, trying to shake him loose.
He watched them in absolute silence with curious eyes. He wanted to play, too. But that wasn't why he was staring. Yes, the movement of the yarn enticed him to play, but it was her laugh that brought him out of hiding. He had never heard her laugh so much before. He liked her laugh. It was pleasant and reassuring. It tempted him to come closer.
But he couldn't allow himself to do that. He had gone through enough embarrassment for one day. But he still couldn't take his eyes off them. He leaned against the doorframe and watched.
Sasuke gave a playful growl and swatted at the yarn. He wrapped his hands around the yellow string and gave it a tug. Tenten's arm went down, but she pulled back up, making Sasuke purr and kick the air with his legs. Next, he tried to nibble at the yarn with his open mouth, wanting to capture the last strand before she had a chance to pull it away from him. She laughed, watching him with amusement. Sasuke was much more playful as a cat. He was a lot more pleasant to be around, that was for sure.
Neji watched them with a look of longing. They looked like they were having fun. What he wouldn't give to be the one on her lap right there instead of Sasuke.
"Neji?"
He jumped and scurried back behind the wall. He peered out at her, allowing only his right eye and forehead to show.
Tenten called him over. "Come on. You can play, too. There's plenty of string to go around."
He slid slowly behind the wall until only his shoulder was visible. He could hear her giggling and calling him shy. He wasn't shy. He was just embarrassed and didn't want to be tempted any further. No matter what, he was not going to play.
"Aw, forget about him," Naruto said. "He's been like this for God knows how long. He keeps moping around like a total baby. I don't know what his problem is. He won't talk to us about it."
"Because it's none of your business!" Neji called from the other room. "I shouldn't have to explain such an obvious thing to you! How simple-minded could you be not to know?"
"I said it before and I'll say it again. Get over yourself! How are we ever going to be able to know what's wrong if you don't tell us?"
Suddenly, Sasuke snapped back to himself and sat up. He looked from Tenten to the yarn and blushed. When she giggled at his expression, he scowled and moved away.
"What's the matter? Embarrassed?"
He snorted and turned up his nose. "I'm going out. I can't take being in here for another minute with you people. I'm going for a walk."
"Alone? By yourself?" Naruto inquired.
"Yeah, why not? I don't need a babysitter. I can handle myself."
"Ok…" Naruto folded his arms behind his head with a sigh. "It's just that… Well, what if you see a dog or something that gets your cat-mind worked up or something?"
Sasuke paused with one hand on the doorknob. He shivered. "Ok, fine. You can come, too."
Smirking, Naruto followed after him. "I knew that would change your mind."
"Just shut up."
It was a pretty nice afternoon. The sun was still out and birds were singing in the trees, making Sasuke's mouth water. He had a strong desire to chase, or rather hunt after them and see what they tasted like. But he put that thought aside and continued to walk beside Naruto. He kept trying to scratch his ear, but Sasuke batted his hand away every time. There was no way he was going to allow himself to act like a cat in public and embarrass himself in front of everyone in the village. After a while, lucky for him, Naruto gave up and settled for walking in silence like Sasuke was doing.
As they passed by the library, they noticed Sakura walking down the steps with a stack of books in her arms. Naruto ran to greet her. "Sakura!"
She glanced up and she showed off a bright smile. "Oh, hello, Sasuke!"
Naruto tripped and stumbled to a halt. "But I said hello...!" Why does Sasuke get the attention?! I was the one who said 'hi' to her! He did nothing, but she gives him the attention?! It's just not fair!
Sasuke grunted to her. It wasn't even a word but to Sakura it was a marvelous hello from her greatest crush.
Naruto looked down and noticed a small piece of paper clutched in her hand. "Hey, isn't that the note I gave to you earlier?"
She nodded. "Yup. Kakashi had given me a list of books I should check out having to do with medical jutsu and antidotes. You guys get hurt a lot so it would be nice to have someone around with medical knowledge." She turned to her other teammate for his input. "Right, Sasuke?"
He ignored her bright eyes and grunted again.
Naruto worked up his courage and asked her something he had been meaning to say for some time now. "Um… Sakura?"
"No, I will not date you."
"That's not what I was going to ask." He put his fingertips together in a very Hinata-like fashion. "Uh… I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor."
"That depends. What is it?"
As she moved, the books in her arms shifted slightly. One of the books had a dark red tassel sticking out from between the pages. It dangled and swayed, catching Sasuke's eyes.
"You see, I had a problem a little while ago back at my place. Long story short, Sasuke managed to tear up my couch cushion. And since I don't know how to sew, I was kinda wondering if you could do it."
"Oh, come on...!"
"Please?" he begged, putting his hands together. "Please, please, please!"
Despite Naruto wailing right next to him, Sasuke could barely hear him. He was far too engrossed in watching the dangling tassel to care. It was hanging from the top book in Sakura's arms. He wanted to play with it.
"But doesn't that mean that I have to come over to your house to do it? Your place is filthy!"
"But I just cleaned it! Sasuke complained about that, too, so I cleaned the place. It's not that dirty anymore. Please, sew my couch! Please!"
With a huge sigh, Sakura turned her back to him, leading Naruto to believe that she was going to refuse. "Oh, alright... It'll do it if I have time, ok? Just stop whining."
In turning her back, Sakura caused the tassel in the book to sway more, enticing Sasuke closer. He crept closer like a tiger stalking its prey.
Naruto jumped up and down like a child, oblivious to what Sasuke was doing. "Oh, Sakura! Thank you so much! I could hug you!"
At that moment, Sasuke struck. He reached forward to grab the tassel but missed and, without meaning to, grabbed her chest instead. Mistaking his hand for Naruto's, Sakura dropped her books and turned around, aiming a blind punch at the one responsible.
"YOU PERVERTED IDIOT!"
She nailed Sasuke in the face and sent him flying down the street.
Naruto jumped aside, glad that it wasn't him for once.
When Sakura moved in to finish him off, she realized that the one she had punched wasn't Naruto. He was standing off to the side unhurt. The same couldn't be said for Sasuke, though. He was lying on the ground with a dribble of blood coming out of his mouth. She gasped and rushed to his side.
"Oh, Sasuke, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to hit you!" she cried. Then her tone became angry as she rounded on Naruto. "What's the big idea?! Did you push him in the way?!"
"What?! I didn't-"
"Oh, my poor, poor Sasuke!"
Sasuke moaned from the pain on his face and from Sakura kneeling on his gut. This wouldn't have happened if only he could control himself. His impulse to play with the tassel caused this to happen.
I hate being a cat…
After a long while, Neji finally came out of hiding and sat next to Tenten on the couch. Lee had disappeared somewhere and no one bothered to ask him where he was going or what he was doing. Neji was just thankful that he was gone.
"Why so glum?" Tenten asked him. "You haven't said a word since you yelled at Naruto before he left."
He didn't answer.
"You also seem tense."
He remained stiff and tense on the couch, avoiding her eyes. He was trying so hard to keep himself from turning red.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
She sat back on the couch. "Fine. Suit yourself."
"By the way," Neji asked. "How did you know that that counting thing would work? You know, you used that to calm me down?"
"Oh, that!" She shook her head. "It's just a little trick I picked up. It helps you get your mind to focus and helps you calm down. Starting at a random number than a whole number makes you think and you have to concentrate more."
"I see."
She gave a short chuckle.
"What?"
"I got you to talk."
He looked away. But that only made her laugh again.
"Come on, Neji. You never share your feelings with anyone. But we've been teammates long enough for me to know when you're upset about something. Even Naruto knows that something's wrong with you. But no one can help you unless you tell us what's going on."
He made fists in his lap and bit his lip.
"Please tell me? Maybe I can-"
"I hate being a cat!" he cut her off. "It's no secret that I hate this. I say it all the time. Not as much as Sasuke does, but I say it often enough that people should know it by now."
"But why?"
He let the dam break and poured out his feelings. "Why do you think? I'm acting like a simple-minded idiot! I'm fascinated by shiny or moving objects, I'm terrified of dogs, and all I do is sleep and eat. Plus, I can't control myself. I have no will power whatsoever when it comes to my cat instincts. I lick myself in order to get clean, which, I'll have you know, is not something I'm proud of. Let's face facts…" He let out a long breath. "I can't call myself a ninja anymore. I can barely even call myself a man."
Tenten patted his back in a comforting gesture. "Oh, come on, Neji… That's not true. Don't be so dramatic."
"But it's all true. How can I call myself a ninja when I'm so lazy, easily scared and easily distracted?"
She couldn't answer him. Nor did he give her the time to do so.
"And I can't call myself a man when I can't even control my actions anymore. I give in. I give in way too much." He hung his head and let out a deep sigh. "That's way I'm so upset. That simple. I can't change this. It's not wearing off, we're getting worse and we can't find the woman who sold the potion to Sasuke. We're going to be stuck this way forever."
"Ah, I see." Tenten nodded and crossed her legs. "That's why you're so depressed… But it's not as bad as you're making it out to be."
"I'm also upset because some people won't lay off and try to make us give in to our cat impulses."
She knew what he was talking about and chuckled nervously. "But I think it's cute when you act that way."
"Well, I don't!" Neji folded his arms with a huff of frustration.
Tenten watched him, feeling sorry for her teammate. She had to admit that everything on that long list of his would upset any proud 'man'. She really wanted to help him. But what could she do?
An idea popped into her head.
"Hey, Neji."
"What?" he grunted.
"Close your eyes for a second."
He turned giving her a wary look. "What for?"
"I have something that might cheer you up."
"Unless you have a cure for my condition, I seriously doubt it."
"Just do it."
He turned to face her on the couch and closed his eyes as instructed. He could hear her rustling things around and was tempted to peek. What could she be doing? He felt her move closer to him on the couch and sensed her holding something to his face. He inhaled the odd aroma. It smelled funny, but also familiar. Suspecting the worst, he opened his eyes and looked down. She was holding the toy mouse under his nose.
"NO!" he shrieked and jumped back. "Get that thing away from me!"
"What's wrong?"
"What do you think?!" He grabbed a pillow and threw it in front of his face, separation him from the small toy. "That thing has catnip in it! You know how I get!"
"Duh. That's why I'm doing this." She moved the mouse closer, making the bell on its tail jingle. "It makes everything better. Cats love this stuff 'cause it's like a drug. It makes you feel better. A total stress relief."
He shut his eyes and hid behind the pillow.
"Come on, Neji. You'll feel better."
"No!" He buried his face. "I don't want to."
"You already had a little sniff. Just take one more. It won't hurt."
"No, but it will finish the job. I won't do it!"
She sighed and moved away. "Ok, fine. You win."
Thinking it was safe, Neji lowered the pillow. Big mistake. The moment it was down, Tenten took her chance and shoved the mouse in his face. He flailed about and tried to knock it out of her hands, but she held him still while tickling behind his ear to calm him down.
"Good kitty… Good kitty…"
She didn't stop until she heard him giggle. She let him up and saw him lift his pink face to her. Grinning like a fool, Neji threw his arms around her. "I love you, Tenny-Ten-Ten!"
She rubbed his back and let him hug her. "See? I told you it would make you feel better."
Neji rubbed his face on her chest and purred. "I love you...!"
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