I feel lost and confused, but happy and certain. I am like a ball of tangled yarn. The parts that are untangled are available, useable; the rest is a mess, useless until it is untied. That mass feels endless and at most times unyielding. - Astrid Lee Miles, Recovering Is An Art (Recovering #1)

Sleepless Night IX-2

They rode along the side streets, weaved in between cars and dragged along the sidewalk. The concrete had turned to cobblestone as they reached the north side of the city. There were hills that were fenced in to prevent anyone from tumbling down the steep landmass. Sasuke eased to a stop and kicked down his bike stand. Tenten swung her leg over and sighed. She walked over to the metal waist-height fence and leaned over; she could see the whole city from up here. The sun was in the middle of setting and it's orange rays turned pink and purple. Lights began to turn on in apartments and late night business offices around them. Sasuke leaned against his motorcycle and just watched. He watched as she looked longingly towards the horizon, her hair flashing specks of red, brown and black. After a moment, he slowly stood beside her. He had brought her here to collect her thoughts, something she couldn't do with the group around trying to meddle. Sasuke had learned long ago that Tenten was very careful of what she told people; even if it was Lee and Neji. There was a lot she kept to herself. After they had hooked up, Sasuke started to notice this characteristic even more, by not what she said- but what she didn't say. Her facial expressions gave it all away and they didn't at the same time; but you had to be paying attention in order to figure it out. They had established a sense of trust after they promised not to say a word about their own sexual encounter, so the Uchiha felt a bit obligated to stick his hand in the ring and just let her talk out her own thoughts, while he stands there and doesn't say a word. Their gazes met as the rays grew stronger. Her eyes flickered gold as they looked directly into his own deep onyx orbs.

"Tell me what happen." Was all the Uchiha said.

And she did. She told him how they got ass drunk, she told him how her forehead tingled when Neji's lips collided with her forehead, how they danced so closely that she couldn't even focus; the fishbowl effect that had come over her senses as his hands ran along her body. And then, she paused. Her bottom lip was captured in between her teeth and she looked back to the horizon. Her cheeks grew hot and began to tingle. The only thing she could remember after that-remember clearly, anyway- was Neji's head between her legs as she laid on their bed. Sasuke watched as her eyelids drooped to a half open position.

"You had sex." Sasuke stated simply.

Tenten nodded, however hesitantly. The raven haired boy did not fail to see the hesitation.

"Was that not what you wanted?" He asked carefully in a low tone.

"No...I did want it." The cheerleader mused. "It's what happen after…"

Sasuke hummed and nudged her shoulder, encouraging her to continue. A sigh escaped her lips. The following morning, she had woken up in his arms, still a bit damp and sweaty. She was still a bit dazed, however when she snapped back to being alert, she panicked a bit. And in that moment, she started to cry.

"Why?" The Uchiha cocked an eyebrow.

"I was just… surprised? Overwhelmed? Choose an adjective along those lines." Tenten murmured. "I was also a bit scared."

Sasuke cocked an eyebrow. "Of what?"

"Scared… of when he'd wake up." She whispered. "Of what he'd say, I guess."

Sasuke hummed. Neji definitely wasn't the best with his words when it came to these situations.

"And what did he say?" He pushed.

The Hyuga woke up to her with tears on her face. She didn't hear what he said to her in that moment (perhaps he had called her name?), but whatever it was made her curl up against him. His arms held her to his chest tightly as she wept in silent gasps. He held her there in bed for a while, until she had calmed down. Neji had let her shower first and they slowly walked downstairs to the kitchen where Hinata, Naruto, and Hanabi were already sitting at the table. They sat there, ate, and Neji brought her home.

"When he dropped me off at my door," she murmured. "We kind of just sat there for a moment."

It was an awkward moment, she admitted. The tension was high and they weren't sure what to say to each other about what happen. She had so many thoughts going through her mind that she wasn't sure if she should say something, or just leave. As she moved to leave, he asked her a question.

"Which was?" Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets.

"'Did I hurt you?'" She sighed. "I knew what he was asking me really, but I couldn't answer; the words just weren't coming to my mouth...so, I just walked out his car."

Sasuke hummed. An interesting question really. One to which was not meant to be an arrogant statement to her physical state, but a concerned question to her emotional state. In other words, he was asking her how she felt about what just happen without bringing it up in a straightforward manner like he usually would bring something up. I was a sensitive topic that had been casted upon them over the night and probably, deep down they both saw it coming at some point but never addressed it. The Hyuga was looking a verbal affirmative that she was not emotionally damaged or regretting whatever happen without just going straight into the conversation; he wanted her to set the pace of their discussion in that moment. And looking into it, it was the best he could do with words for the moment, especially since the Uchiha could infer that Neji wasn't in the most stable mindset either (which was rare but he had just had drunken sex with his best friend/crush/special someone so of course he'd be a little fucked up on the inside). Tenten sucked her teeth and ran a hand through her bangs.

"What do you want to do?" Sasuke asked.

"I… don't know." Tenten hummed.

"Well," Sasuke leaned over the fence. "You love him, right?"

Tenten side glanced at him. She didn't like that word being used so casually. He was her best friend, her partner in crime, her counterpart. He treated her like a princess, but also as an equal. She couldn't imagine her life without him. And the way he held her the morning after made her scared that everything they had would change in the wrong way. And yet, he held her there in bed until she stopped crying and treated her with the same grace as he always did. He gave her that face of concern that he rarely let others see, or that genuine smile that Shikamaru had pointed out to her on their date. All the signs were there, and she was completely oblivious to them for the fact that Neji was just Neji to her and she loved that about him. Her cheeks puffed up. So, yes… she did love him. Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder.

"You know this better than I do," the Uchiha offered a small half smile. "He never does things he doesn't mean. For a long time, you've been the only thing in his life that he's put his whole time and energy into besides for his cousins. That is like leaps and bounds compared to what others could've done for you."

"You're right." She replied softly.

"I think you should give it a chance." Sasuke reassured her. "Besides, if you and I didn't know each other and you told me that you two weren't dating beforehand, I wouldn't have believed you."

At this, Tenten chuckled. "A lot of people say that."

"I'm no expert on this stuff-you've seen my track record- but, I think you should reply to his question, just for his sake of mind and figure it out afterwards...with him, not the group." He explained. "And whatever you two decide, everyone is just going to have to deal with."

At this point, the sun had dipped completely into the horizon. The lamps along the fence lit up as the dark blue night sky illuminated stars above them. He was right, she thought. It was up to them and them alone.

"I know I'm right," Sasuke ran a hand through his bangs. "He was pretty fucked up during practice today."

"Oh?"

Sasuke shrugged. "It's crazy what love does to you. He was probably so distraught that you didn't answer him, that he thought he had hurt you. And our dear Captain, was looking your way the entire practice and didn't focus. Do me a favor and figure this out quick so we can win the University Championship, alright?"

Tenten let loose a laugh. Leave it to Sasuke to give her a pep talk in such a manner. They stood there for another moment, their eyes casted upwards towards the night sky. They'd be alright, she hummed. It always works out between them. She turned her back to the city view and and inhaled slowly. Her heat had been beating rapidly through her talk with Sasuke, and it was finally starting to stabilize.

"Ahem."

She turned to the Uchiha. His arms were outstretched slightly; a hug (it was a rare occurrence but he was indeed capable of giving them). The cheerleader grinned and embraced him.

"Thanks, Sasuke. You're the best." She murmured.

"I know." He smirked. "C'mon, let's get you home."

Neji pulled up his jeans and threw his track shorts into his bag. He was almost certain that Tenten was waiting for him by the campus gates to walk Hyuga was expecting a quiet walk, one that held some awkward tension, but hopefully with them being alone, he could attempt to talk to her. The Hyuga pulled his crew-neck sweater over his tank top and reached for a comb. They had been weird all day, not just him and Tenten, but the whole group. They had kept their distance from the two of them since the party, probably unsure of what to ask him. Neji knew that his own answers weren't enough, but when no one pushed for more information, he got curious. Did Tenten tell them what happen? No, he shook his head slightly as he ran the brush through his hair. She wasn't the type of person to just run her mouth with this kind of information. And the way that Sasuke ran off before the rest of the team left the field made him a bit unsettled. At this point, he was certain that Sasuke went after Tenten. But for what, he didn't know. Fishing his phone from his pocket, he unlocked it. Going into his messages, he asked Sasuke where he whisked Tenten off to. His ivory eyes stared at his blank screen for a few moment, just waiting for a response. So, he turned to his blonde teammate.

"Naruto, come here."

The blonde flinched at his captain's voice. Pulling up his own boxers, the Uzumaki shuffled over.

"Eh… what's up?" he sweatdropped.

"Where did Sasuke take my best friend?" Neji's tone became low.

Naruto scratched the back of this head. Hinata had to him to lie, but he wasn't that good at lying (he normally left that to Sasuke to get him out of sticky situation. But with Sasuke not here, he might crack.

"I..uhm...I think Tenten went home with Ino…" He hesitated. "I'm not sure about Sasuke…"

Naruto waited for a reply. Neji's eyes stayed glued to his face, staring unblinkingly. He knew the blonde was lying. The theater major held his gaze with sweat pouring down his temples. Neji wouldn't call him out on his bluff...would he? The way he was staring at him was kind of...creepy...like a he will kill him in his sleep kind of creepy. But he had to hold his own for his friends. Still not blinking, Neji took a step forward and the whole locker room got quiet. Naruto backed up and jumped as his bare back hit the metal lockers. His eyebrows raised as Neji towered over him and continued to stare down at him. A hand slammed over his head against the locker; the Hyuga wasn't playing any games today. His hands started to shake and Naruto was expecting a hit to the face. But when it didn't come, he looked down at his own feet.

"I will not ask you again." Neji hissed.

Naruto inhaled and stood straight against the locker. "Sorry, but I'm not going to answer that."

The Hyuga's eyes squinted at the blonde.

"But what I will say," Naruto slapped the Hyuga's arm from above his head. "Is that you need to get a grip."

The Uzumaki sent a side glance his way before going back to his bag and continued to get dressed. Neji stood in his spot wide eyed at the blonde. It wasn't often someone stepped up to him, and the fact that it was Naruto was even more shocking. Clenching his fists, the Hyuga grabbed his belongings and walked out of the building. He stepped outside and noticed that the sun was low in the sky. They had to be far into the city by now, he thought. Tenten loved to walk along the beaches and be in high places where she could look along the horizon line and up at the stars. Sasuke liked isolating places where there was no typical commotion. The Uchiha liked to be around nature and engulfed in trees. There was only one place in the city that fit all of those characteristics. Walking to his car, Neji threw his bag into the trunk and slammed the hood of it shut.

"Hyuga."

Neji sighed and whipped around. Shikamaru stood with his bag over his shoulder and his hand in his pocket. The Nara asked him where he was going. He was going to go after them, which was obvious, however the Hyuga didn't admit to it out loud. There was nothing he could do at this point, according to Shikamaru. There was a good reason why Tenten didn't say a word to him and just go off. Sasuke wasn't the type of person who just went after a broken heart, they knew that. But it bothered Neji that Sasuke went out of his way to take her away and just be there when she needed someone to vent to; It should be him.

"Leave her be, Neji." Shikamaru stated.

"Fuck off." The Hyuga snapped and he made his way to the driver's seat.

"Fine, but the time you get there, they would be gone." the Philosophy major sighed. "You would've gone all that way for no reason."

Neji put a hand on his door.

"And besides… did you honestly think she'd want to talk to you after what happen?"

The Hyuga's knuckles turned white as he gripped on the door frame of the driver's seat car.

"You know, I never thought of you to be the clingy type," Shikamaru scratched the back of his head. "Why are you so attached to her?"

Neji's shoulders slumped. Shikamaru wasn't prepared for the expression he was given when his captain turned around. His eyes were half lidded and glazed over. His eyebrows were straight and layed low on his forehead. There was a faint red tint to is cheeks and his lips were in a thin line. A look of desperation that he had never expressed before. The Nara's eyes were wide, unsure of what to say. They just stood there looking at each other as the sky turned a deep blue hue and the stars began to shine through. He couldn't begin to understand what was going through his captain's mind as they looked at each other; he looked hopeless and broken. But then, Neji brought a hand to his eye and rubbed it. Tucking his long bangs behind his ears, he spoke with a solid voice that caught Shikamaru off guard, for the voice did not match the expression.

"Because…" Neji whispered. "She's all I have."

His hair whipped around as he settled himself in the driver's seat of his luxury car and shut the door. Turning his key, he switched on his lights and backed out of his parking spot. Shikamaru was still present in his rear view mirror with that same shocked expression on his face. Sighing, he put his car in drive. The lazy Nara stood in the parking lot as he watched the white car drive off of campus. All he has, huh? Everyone knew that Neji had a strained relationship with his family. He was more of a guardian to Hinata and Hanabi than a relative. He had to grow up quickly since his parents left him alone in his early teens. As Ino would say as a Psychology major, Neji missed a few milestones in his life on an emotional level, which is why he self regulated differently than the rest of them. But due to individual variation, the Hyuga was probably already matured by the time he reached thirteen, which is why he was probably left to himself in the first place. Shikamaru pitied him in a way, he was usually a quiet guy with a cold heart. But Tenten and Lee pulled him out of his shell and made him the man he was today. His bond with Tenten grew extensively and soon, as he said, she became his everything.

"Ah…" Shikamaru turned on his heel and walked toward his own car. "What a drag."