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Temari had them all on a lockdown, of sorts, for the next day or so before the Tournament. In the day time, they exercised together, running five hundred laps around the training grounds without breaking a sweat. Gai would be proud of their determination - or ashamed that they didn't bother attempting to break his thousand-lap mileage.
The leader herself was more stressed about the advantage that the Konoha Team had over theirs. Clearly, they were all chosen for their compatible abilities with the forest. Two nature-oriented empaths, a skilled healer with the strength of a thousand gods, an intellectual shadow manipulator, two super humans, and an angsty force-field generator would easily be able to overpower them when it came to forest survival. Maybe, just maybe, the Suna Team could stand a chance against theirs - only because their training performances were considerably better. Or were they only playing dead fish before the Tournament actually began?
Tenten decided to spend more time in the Loft with Kakashi, under Ino and Temari's supervision. The Team had agreed that last minute training would be under each other's supervision, in case they needed to point out strengths or weaknesses.
"I don't know what happened. It was like a strange force just...propelled me forward." Kakashi was standing in front of her, back slouched, droopy eye slightly less droopy.
"And you're saying this has never happened before? A completely new ability?"
Temari stepped forward, placing her hand on Tenten's shoulder. "We have reason to believe that that is the case."
"My abilities were always limited to manipulating metals, and I can't really place that feeling anywhere into the metal category."
"Have you tried replicating it?" Tenten nodded in response.
"Several times. My initial thought was that it only came out when I was feeling desperate, or in extreme danger," Kakashi inclined his head, as though he held the same conclusion, "So I asked Sasuke to attack me with his sword, and Temari to surround me with tornadoes, and Gaara to bury me in the sand for a few minutes."
He raised an eyebrow, "And?"
Her head dropped down slightly. "None of them worked. I ended up going to my armour as a defence mechanism, no matter how hard I tried to...do it again."
There was a few minutes of silence before he spoke up again. "Perhaps it's because you're trying too hard." He paused to take in their confused expressions, "From what I witnessed in that arena, and what you've described, Tenten, it was a defence mechanism that only kicked in when you were extremely desperate. I'm almost certain that was the case. What I mean by trying too hard is that you were attempting to unlock a dormant ability by forcing it out. That won't work - if you want to find it, and control it, I suggest you do it after the Tournament concludes. No Gensho, no matter how adept, can master an ability within the space of a few days."
Tenten frowned. "I know that. We all know that." She threw an arm back to her teammates to illustrate her point. "It took me years to learn how to move around a blob of metal without it piercing my skin! I don't want to - I know I can't - master this new thing I have before the Tournament, but maybe a few tips and tricks could help ease my journey a little. Ino needs this as much as I do, as well."
Her teammates nodded enthusiastically, "If anyone can help, sir, it's you."
He sighed through his face covering. "Alright. I suggest that you both put this thought on hold for the time being, and focus on what you've already mastered. Like Kurenai says, meditate every now and then; make sure you're relaxed and have lots of sleep. If you walk into the Forest of Death with sleep deprivation, you're as good as dead - pun unintended."
Kakashi smiled at them from behind his mask, the corner of his visible eye wrinkled up. "Try not to be overwhelmed by the scenery, either. Sometimes, all you need is a little light to guide your way through the dark." They thanked him politely, feeling a little confused with his words. "Well, get out. Relax. Don't over-stress, bulk up, et cetera. We'll see each other in a few days time."
Gaara stumbled into Tenten's room clumsily, and was regarded by several quirked eyebrows.
"I just finished refilling my gourd," he stated, as though it explained his uncharacteristic behaviour. Tenten laughed as he planted himself beside her on the floor. Temari had called them in for another group meditating session (Tenten's room was the only one available that didn't reek of male body odour.) in an attempt to make them "relax and find your inner strength" before entering the battle grounds.
"She can't seem to grasp the meaning of peaceful meditation," Tenten whispered to Gaara, who was watching his sister sit cross-legged on the ground with the ferocity of a hundred hungry tigers.
"It's never really been her...forte, wind-storm personification that she is."
"You don't say?" Tenten chuckled quietly before facing forward and closing her eyes again. The red-haired boy stared. Her hair, a rich, chestnut brown, was tied up into a ponytail for the first time in years (Early on in their friendship, Tented decided that twin buns was the most practical hairstyle.); bangs were left out to frame the sides of her delicate face, which was serene as she breathed in and out.
Gaara heard a smug smirk in front of him and looked up to Tenten's bed, where Sasuke was meditating.
"Time's up for you, Tennie. Take a break." The brunette nodded and pushed herself off the ground. Gaara suddenly became transfixed with the way her tattoos were so smoothly drawn onto her arms, resembling the delicate brushstrokes of a calligrapher.
Sasuke snorted again, when Tenten left the room. He returned Gaara's immediate glare with a cheeky glint to his eye, mouthing the words: I love you too. A wad of sand whacked the underside of the Uchiha's crudely-gelled hair. "Ow!" He retaliated by zapping Gaara's hair. The clumps of red shot up into an upright position.
"Son of a-"
They were both assaulted with blasts of air coming from Temari's direction. "Which part of peaceful meditation do you two numbskulls don't understand?"
Sasuke pointed an accusatory finger at Gaara impishly. "He started it!" Temari stalked over to where they sat angrily, picking them both up by their ears.
Quite literally throwing them out of the room, she slammed the door in their faces and screeched, "This is an all-girl zone, now ("Wait, what?")! Shut it, Kankurou! If either of you so much as step foot in here again, I'll send you back to dad." The sound of a lock clicking finalised her words, and was followed by a stomping sound away from the door.
It was highly comical to Gaara, the way Sasuke attempted to continue his onslaught of teasing - this time by kissing the air several times in front of him. His ear was still throbbing and red from where Temari's iron grip squeezed it, right after he'd made fun of Gaara for oglin-no, making sure Tenten was physically safe.
Scratch that, Gaara mused to himself while pushing Sasuke backwards, he was still livid.
Neji found himself at the compound for the first time since the other team arrived in Konoha. No doubt he was going to be grilled for making his presence scarce in the household. He straightened his robes and gritted his teeth. The faster he did this, the sooner he'd be able to walk out.
Hinata met him under a willow tree in their courtyard, sending him a meek smile.
"Good morning, Neji-nii, I trust you have slept well?" He nodded, registering the lack of stutter in her voice.
"Thank you, Hinata-sama." They strode with a hastened pace down the series of corridors and hallways that was the Hyuga Compound. Admittedly, Neji had grown used to the blaring, bold colours of the Gensho accommodations. Seeing a vast expanse of white, to his surprise, no longer brought him the same calm and comfort that it used to.
Nevertheless, he made his way around the labyrinth with practiced ease, only speaking to Hinata to respond to her questions. Receptiveness wasn't one of his defining traits, but today he was more on edge than usual, something Hinata took notice of and let be. He was thankful for the silence.
"Nii-san, I part ways with you here." She bowed slightly to him, smile evident on her face. They were never this formal in public, but scrutiny was ever-present if you lived in the Compound.
So he bowed back deeply, dutifully. "Yes, goodbye." He continued on his way while Hinata crept into her father's office. His destination was a mere hallway away from hers, and he was dreading the meeting more and more with each step.
"Ah, Neji! How good of you to come!" The saccharine sweetness of an all-too-familiar voice spoke out behind him. He turned around as she stepped towards him, fluid grace of a princess and also very, very pregnant.
"Kyoko-chan," he bowed again, "I was summoned here by my father. Should you be walking around in your state?"
She patted her stomach merrily, laughing off Neji's concern. "The baby will be strong, just like you and his father." He made no move to smile with her. "Would you like to accompany for the rest of the way?"
Knowing fully well that he no other choice but to agree, he nodded and held his arm out to steady her. Cold as though he may be, a baby was faultless an innocent. The clan would frown at him if he refused her offer.
She continued talking about the baby, squealing with glee when she felt a kick. He merely nodded and made necessary contributions to the conversation. "He is a wonderful man, Neji: so providing and so kind. You are lucky to have him as your father, and this little one will be too."
Neji clenched his jaw, coolly reminding himself that she was hardly at fault - Hizashi was a very different man before he married her. He announced his presence at his fathers study, ignoring the way Kyoko burst into the room explosively.
"Ah, Kyoko, Neji, my boy." A man stood before Neji, with the same face, and the same ram-rod straight posture. The man named Hyuga Hizashi beamed at his pregnant wife. "My boys. Please rest, my dear wife! You make me worry when you walk around so freely, and so close to your date."
Neji chose to tune out of their conversation and stared impassively at the wall behind them. He would not join in to the family who had abandoned him when he needed them most.
Kyoko left the room with a flourish, kissing both of Neji's cheeks affectionately ("Don't be a stranger, honey, you're a part of this family."). Hizashi finally focused his attention on his first son.
"Come here, son." He obeyed quietly, kneeling down when Hizashi signalled him to. "I wanted to bestow upon you an ancestral gift, for your hard work. And," he smiled down at Neji, who did not return it, "For making me proud of you."
"Thank you, Hizashi-san, I feel honoured." His father handed him an ornate dagger, as polished as his appearance.
"There's no need for such formalities, Neji, you are, and have always been, my most beloved child." Neji averted his gaze to the wall behind Hizashi. "Look at me, son," his father placed two hands on both of his shoulders, "I know that I have not been the most honourable man in your life thus far. But believe me when I say that I love you, and that I am so very sorry for abandoning you for so long. Do you forgive me?"
Neji suddenly wanted to scream at him for assuming that ten long years of solitude and metaphorically leaving him to the wolves could be easily remedied with a spur of the moment apology. He wanted to yell at the the man before him for becoming a shell of the father he once knew, the one who once put the love he had for Neji and his mother before anything else, even his putrid responsibilities to the clan.
But then he took in the bags under Hizashi's eyes, darker than the last time he saw him, and the strange frailty with which he held Neji's shoulders. His father had always been, for lack of a stronger word, godly to him - always standing by his brother in combat and in political matters. The fatigued Hizashi presented before him was, shockingly, human. Neji's rage faltered.
"Hizashi, fool, do not give out apologies where they are undue. He should have worked harder to gain your approval." Hiashi announced his presence at the door, striding in with Hinata meekly following behind him. "Do not steer off the track of what needs to be said and done."
The younger brother sighed. "Ah yes, forgive me for forgetting our purpose." Hinata moved to stand beside her cousin. "Neji, son, we are aware of the imminence of the Tournament."
"Indeed, and are confident that Konohagakure's team will achieve victory with you as their leader; a role befitting of a member of the Hyuga clan." His uncle stood next to his father, arrogance radiating off him in waves. "However, your accomplishments mean little to the clan, internally, despite the wonders you have done to our reputation in recent years."
Sensing Neji's subtle anger from Hiashi's insult, Hizashi stepped in. "What your uncle is trying to say is that you still have a duty to fulfil towards the clan itself: protect Hinata-sama, with your life if you must."
"Yes," Hiashi interjected, "she is still weak in the way of the Gensho and has a shocking lack of fighting prowess. Being her bodyguard is to be your first priority, no matter what happens. Stop crying, Hinata, you're doing no service to yourself."
Hinata forcefully held her tears back, opting to stare at the ground instead.
"Nevertheless, we sincerely wish you the best of luck." Hiashi stepped out of the room, motioning for Hinata to follow him. She shuffled after him miserably.
"Neji," his father's strong countenance disappeared again, "the Tournament is known for its volatile environments. Keep yourself safe first, even before Lady Hinata herself." Neji reeled back in shock - had anyone else heard his father's words, Hizashi would have been punished for his verbal crime. He bowed deeply, instead.
"It's what your mother would want."
"Mother wanted very little, father, but what she did want was your love," he felt his carefully structured composure crack upon fixing his father a steely gaze, "Regardless of what you're trying to do now, I grew up without a father and learnt how to fight by defending myself from this clan we call 'family'." He turned towards the door and stormed out angrily. "Don't you ever try to speak for either of us two, whether we're dead or alive."
Hizashi made no move to chase after him, thankfully, but Hinata seemed to take hold of his arm a few minutes after he stormed out of his father's office.
"Neji-nii, please compose yourself." She leaned in closer to his ear when he forced himself out of her grip. "The clan is watching, don't screw everything up for yourself."
It was this change in her nature that made him pause for a few seconds, enough time to calm down.
"Escort me out of the compound, Neji-nii. It's time we regrouped with the team."
Translation: Let's go, neither of us can stand this place anymore.
He nodded.
Tenten officially hated the colour green, and would be throwing out any item of clothing in her wardrobe that was made of spandex.
Emphasis on "would be": Lee was downright determined to have bonding sessions with all Gensho contenders, regardless of their affiliations. Neji grumbled churlishly beside her.
"Quit being a potato, Hyuga. You dragged me into this." He glared at her.
"I did not."
"You so did," she huffed out. According to Lee and Gai-sensei, good group bonding was conducive to blossoming relations between allied countries, and therefore fertile training grounds for them to use. They'd both performed several hundred push-ups to make up for their "selfish ulterior training motives", followed by a hearty feast with a surprised duo - hence, Neji and Tenten. "Hey, why am I the only Suna person here? And, the only girl?" She looked over to Neji, whose face was adopting a lime-green colour while watching Lee swallow a gargantuan piece of meat. "Oh, wait."
He shot her a sour look as Rock Lee paused his lightning-fast munching to straighten his back. "Because! Sasuke-kun says that your buns are fantastic entertainers! I wanted to see them entertain with my own eyes!" Neji snorted.
"Did he?" She looked at the males around her venomously. "I'll have a talk to him about my buns later."
"Hoho! How youthful indeed!" Gai sat down next to Lee, who'd resumed gnawing on his steak. "Remember to tie them in place once you're done, Tenten! Oh, Neji! What a pleasant surprise!"
"Indeed, sensei, I was just leaving." He practically leapt out of his seat to run away, but was held back by Tenten's grip. She pulled him down into his chair again.
"You're not ditching me, doll-face."
"Wouldn't dream of it, buns."
She leaned back in the wooden chair, arms crossed over her chest. It was a nice restaurant, now that she'd calmed down enough to observe her surroundings. The tables and chairs are a lovely carved mahogany wood, and the walls are a rich burgundy colour. The tables have plentiful room in between them, leaving more than enough room for the waiting staff to transport trolleys of food around the restaurant.
She heard Neji's baritone voice finally make a reappearance, and looked over at him to see what had happened. Tenten was startled when she saw a middle-aged man towering above them with a slight hint of annoyance on his stem features.
He was, presumably, a member of the Hyuga clan, based on the long black hair that flowed down his back and his clear eyes.
"I assure you, Hiashi-sama, Hinata-sama's well being is of crucial importance to me."
"Then why are you here, and not watching over her now? She could be in danger, for all we know." Hiashi glanced at the fellow Genshos seated around the table, finally settling his gaze on Tenten. "Stop fooling around, nephew."
Neji's jaw clenched ever so slightly. "Yes, my lord." He kept his head bowed down angrily as his uncle strode out with his attendants. Neji stalked out after him. Not wanting to be left behind with the energetic duo (who'd chosen to remain completely oblivious to the events that just transpired), she excused herself and left the restaurant.
"Hyuga!" He turned around when she called, and waited for her to catch up. "Hey, are you alright? You looked a little uncomfy back there."
"That's none of your business." She saw him pause to contemplate addressing her by her name, then roll his eyes and walk away. "Uncomfy isn't a word, Tenten."
She smiled, for some reason unknown to her. "Well, Neji," she responded, relishing the way his name oozed out of her tongue, "I doubt you've done your daily reading of the dictionary, because it is, in fact, a word."
He scoffed, smiling slightly. "In which one?"
"Mine." Tenten smirked.
"Good luck with that," he turned away. His shoulders were considerably looser, and the tension in his stance was gone, as if he'd been free of worries for his entire life. This surprised her.
She was accustomed to the ghostly pale tone of his skin and the frigidity with which he presented himself to others. Neji was an obscure entity to her, with a dark familial past she'd only become aware of a few moments ago. His nature fascinated her, despite the numerous other brooding males she surrounded herself with. Neji threw himself into challenges, welcomed them with open arms even, to propel himself further and further with each passing obstacle. His eyes contained an insatiable hunger in them, a thirst to prove himself to his oppressors, and an unidentifiable need to replace something...lost.
When he turned to look at her expectantly, she marvelled at the way the remaining light of the day illuminated his face. His pale skin glowed with a raw energy pulsating underneath, as though the sun rays suddenly brought him out of a deep slumber. She knew Neji was handsome, there was no doubt how well his aquiline features complemented each other, but there was something underneath his looks that drew her to him. It both scared and excited her to no end. His stress lines were more visible in the presence of light, and Tenten was struck by how insanely humanhe suddenly looked - how the layers of hostility that finally melted away revealed someone who hoped and yearned like every other human being.
She smiled to herself, noting the way Neji looked at her in confusion and a slither of discomfort.
"Don't sweat, Hyuga, linguistic order still exists everywhere else." He rolled his eyes again.
"I hope so, lest we all fall under your disastrous rule." She laughed, punching him on the shoulder. He barely winced.
"Can't handle a bit of chaos, princess?" He sneered at her response playfully. They walked into the Academy's garden, which was littered with fallen autumn leaves the colour of the sunset.
"Chaos is my middle name."
She snickered in disbelief, then guffawed at his best attempts to embody chaos: an upwards tilt of the chin and folded up sleeves. He grinned back at her before catching himself and smiling only slightly.
Sometimes, all you need is a little light to guide your way through the darkness.
After a very long thinking period and writing process, a new chapter has finally been posted. Please review! Feedback really helps me figure out how to approach the next few chapters or so, and the progress I've made with the story. In the meantime, thank you for reading!
-misspandalily