A/N: Here's the next chapter! By the way, from now on the whole story is going to be in Tenten's point of view, but whenever it's in someone elses point of view, it'll be in third person.
And the answer to the pop quiz of the last chapter.
"And so we go" is a quote straight from the book series known as Pendragon, written by D.J. MacHale. Congratulations to WolfRunner326 for getting it right!
This chapter goes out to: DarkAnonymous324, glitterthorn, nejitenten4evr, WolfRunner326, xBitterSweetDreamsx, Katarina Wolffe.
Perfect
Chapter 13: Neji's War
For the next few days, I watched Neji carefully. I could see that whatever it was that was happening was taking its toll on him. The shadows under his eyes continued to deepen, and he never smiled. He stopped giving input in drama class. Whenever they did a skit, his performances were deteriorating to the point where I just knew his heart wasn't in it anymore. I couldn't figure it out. And then he got a part in a skit where he was portraying either anger, or sadness, and he pulled it off with aplomb. Anything else, he just wasn't in it.
I thought it was just a phase, but over the next week, it just seemed to be getting worse and worse. The shadows under his eyes were gone, but he still held the appearance of a black cloud hanging over the top of his head. His silver eyes had lost their light, and he began wearing darker clothes and at the same time, stopped caring about how he presented himself. He left his hair messy and unkempt on most days, and his nails were chewed off to the skin, and then some. His fingertips were covered in scabs and peeling skin.
I wasn't stupid. Something was terribly wrong with Neji. I didn't know what it was, but I was determined to find out. When I came into school the next day to confront him, Neji never showed up. I looked to Hinata who was beginning to show the same symptoms of anxiety Neji had shown, only she showed it more. She constantly fidgeted with her hands and chewed her lip. I could only imagine the cankers she probably had lining her cheeks and mouth.
I waited patiently for Neji's return. Three days. He never came.
Finally, I decided enough was enough and immediately confronted Hinata.
"Hinata, where's Neji?" I asked.
Hinata fidgeted with her hands again, chewing her lip.
"Hinata, please." I begged. "I'm worried for him."
"He's…he's at home." She stated. "He locked himself in his bedroom on Sunday and since then he's refused to come out."
"Wait, is he back at…"
Hinata nodded slowly. "We're both living with my father again. Neji and Hiashi haven't been on good terms at all. They've scuffled several times now, and on Sunday it was so bad, Neji locked himself in his bedroom and since then, he's refused to come out."
"How long?" I whispered.
"How long we've been back with Hiashi?"
I nodded.
"A few weeks now." Hinata stated.
Right on schedule. Neji's anxiety had been building up for the last several weeks.
"He won't let anybody in?" I asked.
"Well, he lets me in." Hinata stated. "I bring him food and stuff."
"Hinata, I want to go see him. Today."
Hinata bit her lip. "I don't know if you can. I mean…Hiashi…"
Tenten sighed.
Hinata's phone rang at that moment. She opened it and held it to her ear.
"Hello?"
I faintly heard Neji's voice, but couldn't make out what he was saying. But I watched Hinata's eyes widen in fear.
"Hold on, Neji! I'll be there in a second!" Hinata hung up. "Tenten, help. Hiashi's going after Neji again."
I swear my heart stopped.
.oOo.
Neji sat on his bed, throwing a tennis ball at the wall. It was repetitive, but it kept his mind occupied. He would count the number of times he could consecutively throw the ball and catch it when it came back. He was now at one hundred and sixty eight.
The tennis ball thudded into his fingertip, making him flinch. He let the ball fall to the ground. He sighed and looked down at his hands. The tips of his fingers were shredded. When he was younger, he had a horrible habit of biting his fingernails because he was so nervous all the time around Hiashi. As he grew up, he realized it caused more pain than good and stopped the habit in favour of carrying himself more confidently to stand up to Hiashi.
Now, Hiashi held the power again. He could convict Itachi of kidnapping him. Not only that, but Neji would have to fess up to the courts and confess his haunting past of abuse if he wanted to help Itachi. Neji was certain that Hiashi thought he would never confess such a past, as he was famous and everyone would hear about it.
Thus, his nail biting habit returned full force.
Neji tasted blood and realized he had been chewing his nails again. Wait, what nails? He didn't have any nails. The only thing he was chewing was his fingertips.
A loud knocking noise dragged him from his thoughts.
"Neji! This is completely stupid! Open this door now!"
Neji didn't respond and simply stared at the door as calmly as he could. Yes, Hiashi was right. It was completely stupid. It was stupid that he had to hide in his bedroom from someone who was supposed to be his fatherly figure (like hell he was) inside a domain that was supposed to be his home. He would not open the door, because he did not want to get the shit beaten out of him like the countless times he had before. He wouldn't say he was scared, just wary. He had a door protecting him at this moment in time, so he didn't feel fear.
Neji's lips curled into a smirk. No, no fear. Triumph. He could hear Hiashi's voice on the other side of the door, screaming at him to 'Open the goddamned door' and attempting to shove it open.
CRACK
In an instant, Neji wiped the smile off of his face and leapt off the bed. He slammed his full weight against the door just as it began to open, causing it to slam shut once again. He heard a cry of pain and fury a second later. That was just too close. He didn't expect the lock to break.
Hiashi's furious cry rang through the door again as he began to attempt to break the door down. Neji dug his heels in, holding the door shut. His heart pounded through his chest. If Hiashi got through, he was finished. He could feel it. Hiashi was pissed.
Hiashi slammed the door again. The door bowed slightly, causing Neji to press himself against the door again. Hiashi was going to get through. Neji knew it. It was only a matter of time.
Neji turned around and pressed his back against the door, digging his heels in further. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialled Hinata's number on speed dial, praying she didn't have it turned off, and that she wasn't in class.
She answered.
"Hinata! Help me! Hiashi's trying to break my door down."
He heard her prompt reply before she hung up. All he had to do now was hold off until Hinata got here.
What really sucked was how cruel the world was.
Neji stuffed the phone into his pocket just as Hiashi slammed into the door again. Neji yelped and was flung forward by the impact. Before he could throw himself on the door again, Hiashi marched into the room. Neji spun around and took a step away from him.
Hiashi's face was beet red and twisted with fury. Hiashi raised a finger. Neji didn't fail to notice the skin was shredded and bloody. Then Neji remembered when he slammed himself against the door that first time, and Hiashi had cried out in pain. So he had trapped his fingers in the door.
Awesome.
Hiashi's finger still pointed at him, trembling slightly. "You…" He whispered, baring his teeth and shaking his head. "You're done."
Neji had never been so scared in his life.
Hiashi took one step towards him. Neji watched him carefully, taking a slightly crouched stance straight from the martial arts training he'd had growing up.
Hiashi lunged at him. Neji slid sideways and headed for the door. Hiashi grabbed him by the hair and pulled him back. Neji whipped around and slammed his fist into Hiashi's face, and then kept pounding.
Hiashi grabbed Neji's fist. Neji whipped up his other fist and drilled it into Hiashi's gut. He grunted and Neji attempted to pull from his grasp.
Hiashi threw him to the ground and pinned him there. Neji got one hand free and drilled the heel of it into Hiashi's face. He then turned towards the hand that held his other hand and bit down. Hard.
Hiashi roared in pain and released him. Neji got up and ran from the room, gasping and fighting tears. He ran down the stairs, and heard Hiashi following him.
Neji ran into the kitchen and without hesitating, he grabbed a knife from the knife block and held it up just as Hiashi ran into the kitchen.
"You keep the hell away from me…" Neji whispered, holding it up. He was backed into a corner. He didn't want to have to use the knife, but if he had to…
Hiashi laughed. "Are you going to kill me, Neji? I'm your uncle!"
Neji didn't respond to that. He continued to stare into Hiashi's evil face.
.oOo.
"Here!" Hinata cried, turning into a driveway.
I had to say, this was the most amazing house I had ever seen. I couldn't believe Neji lived here. Actually, I could, seeing as he was a famous actor and all.
Hinata shoved the door open.
"NEJI!" She shrieked.
I followed her into the house. Everything was so quiet.
"Hinata!" Neji cried.
I turned towards the voice, realizing that Hinata had just gone upstairs. I ran down another hallway and saw Hiashi standing in a doorway. Hiashi turned around upon hearing my approach. As he did, I saw Neji backed up against a wall, holding a knife in his hand.
"Tenten! Get out of here!" Neji cried.
I stopped in my tracks as I met Hiashi's gaze. This was an evil man. I could see it in his eyes. They held nothing but cruelty.
"Father, please that's enough!" Hinata cried, tears streaming down her face. She stood beside me, every part of her shaking violently.
"Oh?" Hiashi raised an eyebrow. "Well if you hate it so much, why don't you go join your cousin over there!"
Hinata looked at Neji and immediately ran towards him. In an instant, Hiashi grabbed onto his daughters arm and pulled her back. Hinata shrieked.
I didn't even think.
"GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!" I roared, putting Hiashi into a chokehold. The good news was, he let Hinata go. The bad news was, he trained his fury onto me.
"TENTEN!" Neji cried.
A hand slammed into the side of my head. I went sprawling on the ground, my vision going dark for a second. I literally saw stars. Before I could even recover, I felt another sharp impact, this one on my ribs. I whimpered and waited for the next impact, but all I felt were the vibrations of another scuffle breaking out.
I opened my eyes to see Neji kick Hiashi square in the chest and sending him sprawling across the floor. Hinata helped me to my feet.
"Hinata, call the police, please." Neji stated.
Hinata ran off and did as she was asked.
Hiashi stood up again and gave Neji a really evil look. I don't mean death glare either. I mean evil. Narrowed eyes, evil smirk, the whole shebang. The only thing he didn't do was break out in maniacal laughter.
"Neji, Neji, Neji." Hiashi stated, sounding disappointed. "Do you really want to lose everything you've worked for all of your life?"
"No." Neji growled. "Why do you think I'm fighting you?"
Hiashi's evil smirk was wiped off of his face a second later. "Put down the knife."
Neji stayed where he was.
"Put down that knife." Hiashi said more sternly.
"No." Neji growled, his voice barely a whisper.
Hiashi took a step forward. "BOY! PUT DOWN THAT KNIFE NOW!"
"NO!" Neji cried.
Hiashi grabbed for him, and I wanted desperately to close my eyes. But I couldn't.
"LET GO OF ME!" Neji cried.
He did the only thing he could to protect himself at that moment. He stabbed Hiashi with the knife, right between the ribs.
Hiashi staggered backwards in shock, clutching the knife sticking out of his chest. He looked down at it and then looked back at Neji before collapsing to the ground. I knew just by anatomy that Neji had deliberately missed his heart, but at the same time still struck a vital organ, mainly Hiashi's lungs.
Neji took a few shaky steps backwards, away from the scene. I reached out for him and touched his shoulder. He flinched and looked towards me, his silver eyes wide and scared.
"Tenten…" he whispered. "Oh god…" He collapsed, falling to his knees and burying his face in his hands. Agonized wails tore from his lips, and I wrapped my arms around him, helping him off the floor. He followed my lead, burying his face in my shoulder and wrapping his arms tight around me.
I pulled him from the hallway and into a room that looked like a living room. I sat down on the couch and held him tightly.
His hands balled into fists on my back.
"Tenten…" He whispered. "I'm so scared…"
I held him tighter and rubbed his back. "It'll be okay. I swear to you, it'll be okay."
"I killed him!" Neji sobbed.
"No, no…" I whispered. But at the same time, I couldn't deny it. Hiashi had a knife in his chest. The chances of him dying at this rate were very high.
Hinata ran into the room. "Neji!" Her voice was high pitched with anxiety. "You stabbed him!"
I waved my hand at her. "He came at him first." I stated. "Self defence. I saw it all."
Hinata seemed to relax just a little bit after that.
.oOo.
By the time the mishmash of emergency vehicles showed up at the front door, Neji had relaxed enough so that he wasn't wailing, but he still had a lot of trouble communicating.
"All right," The officer stated. "Please sit down, Mr. Hyuuga."
Neji did as he was told.
Hinata was quivering slightly while I just watched calmly. I was still totally stunned by what I had seen today, but I knew that Neji needed someone who was still level headed to tell his story for them.
"Can someone tell me what happened here?" The officer asked.
Hinata spoke up first.
"H-He got in a fight with his uncle and my father." Hinata whispered. "They fight a lot. He called me at school and asked me for help so I came home with Tenten to try to stop the fight."
"And Neji picked up a knife and stabbed him?"
I shook my head. "No. I'm sure Neji originally picked up the knife to defend himself. Hiashi got stabbed when he approached Neji and tried to grab him again. Neji just did whatever he could do to defend himself."
The officer nodded. "Do you have any other siblings?"
Hinata nodded. "Hanabi. My younger sister. She's at school right now."
"Do you have any grandparents you can stay with?"
Hinata shook her head.
"Okay. How about family friends? Is there someone you trust above all others?"
I watched Hinata's gaze harden slightly. I immediately knew the name she was going to say just before it passed her lips.
"Yes." Hinata stated. "Itachi Uchiha."
The officer looked up from his notes. "Itachi Uchiha?"
"I know what you're thinking." Hinata stated, her gaze still sharp. "Itachi was charged with kidnapping Neji and I. He never did kidnap us. We went willingly to him because we trust him. Please, believe me."
The officer sighed and picked up his radio. I heard him say they were going to take us down to the station. The officer then turned to me.
"Are you related?" He asked.
I shook my head. "I'm a school friend."
The officer nodded. "We're taking these two down to the station."
"Can I come?" I asked.
The officer nodded again. "We'll contact your parents and we'll let them know."
I shook my head. "Please, leave that up to me. I'm worried they're going to think I'm in trouble." I let out a weak chuckle.
The officer nodded in understanding. "Very well."
I turned towards Neji and pulled him off the couch. He looked at me again, his silver eyes dull with something I couldn't identify. I could only imagine what he was going through right now. I could never understand what he was feeling. The only thing I knew was that I could be there for him and give him some support in this hard, confusing time.
"I'm here, Neji." I whispered.
Neji nodded. "I know." He whispered back.
We walked out to the police cruiser. Hinata was already crawling into it. Neji's warm hand held mine tightly, not letting go as we walked side by side to the vehicle. As soon as we were inside and seated, Neji lay his head on my shoulder. I put my arm around him. On the other side, Hinata leaned over and wrapped her arms around him as well.
At that moment, I think all three of us cried silent tears in response to everything that happened.