Ok, hi, yeah…new story.
If I'm lucky, it'll end up as a oneshot, but I suck at oneshots so you never know.
Disclaimer: Me no own.
Italics Thoughts. Learn it. Live it. Love it.
I'm thinking… 19, 20-ish-ish. No Neji is not ANBU. That wouldn't work in this story. Well…actually…I guess it could but oh well screw you.
Enjoy!
I'll Never Forget YouIt was almost the day. He could feel it. After all these months, maybe even a year, Neji would find the perfect spot to tell Tenten that she was more than just a sparring partner to him.
I love you… Neji trailed off, still confidant about the day. I want to know if you feel the same… He imagined what he would say to her, because somehow, even after years of being with her, Neji felt nervous.
Suddenly, the Hyuuga came across a beautiful clearing. There was a waterfall, splashing down gently to the river below. "This…is beautiful…" He commented to himself. Neji loved this exact spot, with mist from the waterfall cooling his face, to the fragrant smell of calming flowers nearby. It was so peaceful, he just let the world float on by…
(Later)
Neji suddenly woke up, his body soaking wet from the river. "Huh. I guess I do roll around in my sleep," Neji said, wringing out his clothes. He leaned to the side, trying to suck in the fragrance of tulips and daisies. He realized he had been asleep for a long time.
"What time could it be?" Neji looked in the sky, seeing the sun was showing noon. "When'd I fall asleep?" He wondered.
Soon enough, he realized what important meeting he was missing. "Oh, crap!" The usually calm Hyuuga prodigy ran over to Team Gai's training ground where he and Tenten were supposed to be sparring.
(In a few minutes)
"Wow, Neji, and you say I come too late!" Tenten smirked.
"Hn." He turned away, not bothering to give her a comeback.
"What took you?" She asked him, leaning in to make sure his eyes would give her a serious answer.
"…I was looking for…something…" Neji stuttered. Gawd, this must be how Hinata feels around Naruto.
"Hmm…something, huh?" Tenten giggled, making Neji's cheeks barely turn pink. He loved her laugh.
Stop it! Stop it! He yelled at himself, and the faint blush disappeared.
Tenten frowned. "So…are we gonna train or what?" She waited for a reply.
"…" Neji looked away. "…I was…thinking th-that we… should d-do…something…different…for a ch-change."
Tenten smiled. What is he, Hinata? Her smile faded when she saw the serious look on her teammate's face. "Alright, Neji, what did you have in mind then?"
Neji stared into her chocolate-brown eyes awkwardly. "…follow me…" He stood up and slowly walked towards his special spot.
"Neji?" Tenten came up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. "Wh-where are we going?" She sounded worried, scared even.
"Is there something wrong?" He turned around.
"…W-well…it's just…" I wish I could tell him…but it's too dangerous… Tenten sighed and headed back to the training grounds. "Nevermind."
"What is it?" He grabbed her hand before realizing it, and pulled her back. They both turned a little red, but he ignored it. "What's wrong..?"
"N-nothing…" Tenten sighed as he let go of her hand. "L-let's just go…"
"Hn." Neji turned around and started walking again, almost banging his head on a tree branch.
(A couple minute later)
They eventually made it to the clearing. Neji gulped quietly as he waited for the kunoichi's reaction.
"N-Neji…" She looked around at the beautiful scenery. "Where…where are we?" I thought I'd been everywhere in Konoha, but this is beautiful…
"Do you like it?" He had a worried look, but he still forced one of his extremely rare (but still cute) smiles.
She blushed faintly. "Wh-what do you mean by that?" Tenten put her arms in front of her in a wondering position.
The genius shinobi sighed. "I…I mean…" Neji looked at his, now, sweaty palms. "I brought you here so I could tell you something…"
Neji turned a light shade of pink and turned around to face Tenten. He grabbed her wrists, holding her closer to him than they'd ever been before.
"N-Neji..?" She looked up at the shinobi she admired. She could almost feel his breathing on her, they were so close.
"Tenten…" He closed his eyes and quickly opened them. "I… l-love you." He closed his eyes again, waiting for Tenten to say something, anything!
"N-Neji…" She looked him straight in the eyes. Just before she could burst into tears and squeeze him tight, she remembered what had happened earlier that day.
(Tenten's First w00t! Flashback)
Tenten was sitting at her kitchen table, eating breakfast while her Dad read the paper. The phone rang so he got up and answered it.
"Hello?" Tenten's father had a deep voice. She noticed his face turn dark and scared.
"Dad?" She got up, and he slowly hung up the phone. "What's wrong? Who was there?"
"Tenten…" He looked straight at his only child with worried eyes. "I need to talk to Hokage-sama…"
"Wh-why?"
"Because tonight will be our last night in Konoha," He shot a serious look at her. "…and we can never come back…"
"What?!" Tenten couldn't understand. "Why?!"
"If I tell you…" He looked away. "They'll kill you,"
She stared at him, wide-eyed. They..? "Who?! Tell me!"
"I…can't…"
"WHY NOT!?!?" Tenten could feel water building up in her eyes.
"Because…" He paused, only to take a long look at his daughter. "…did I ever tell you how your mother died?"
Tenten stood still in complete silence. I…he hasn't… "H-how?" She was almost afraid to ask.
"There are these people, I can't tell you who, but they want me miserable," He made sure she was getting all of this. "…so in order to do that, they must kill everyone precious to me…" He looked straight into her eyes, brown meeting brown.
Tenten opened her eyes even wider and she stared at her father. She started to cry. "Dad! Why?! What do they want from you!?"
"I…just can't tell you…I won't!" He stared at her. "But we must leave tonight, without anyone knowing…"
"What!?" She jumped at her father. "What about my team!? Or my friends?!"
Her father looked like he wanted to cry. "I'm sorry, Tenten…"
She ran up and grabbed his shirt. "Dad…" She sniffed. "Why can't I tell anyone?"
"They'll kill anyone…" He avoided making eye contact with her. "…anyone you love, too…"
(End Flashback)
"N-Neji…" She looked at him, with her father's words crawling through her brain. They'll kill anyone you love, too… She looked at his face and started crying. "N-no!" She screamed letting go of Neji. "It can't work like this!"
Neji stared at her. She was freaking out, and, although he felt hurt, he wanted to help.
"It's not fair!" Why does he have to tell me this now…of all times! Tenten grabbed the sides of her head and fell onto her knees.
"Tenten…" Neji reached out a hand to help her. "…I understand…if you don't feel the same…"
She stared straight up at him, tears blurring her vision. That's not it, Neji! "You've got it all wrong!" she yelled and rain started to pour.
Neji didn't even care, although he normally hated the rain. "…please…stop…you're hurting yourself…"
Tenten was crying hysterically now, gasping for breath every few seconds.
Neji felt like he wanted to cry, just watching her like this. "What's wrong…"
"EVERYTHING!!!" She screamed louder than anything Neji had ever heard, and almost fainted.
"…I want to help…" She couldn't even hear the Hyuuga's voice, the raindrops falling down hard made it hard enough to hear, and passing out wasn't going to help her at all.
"Ne…ji…" Her last were barely audible by the Hyuuga, but he knew enough to pick her up off the ground. "…help…"
(Out of the forest)
Tenten… Neji was running through the streets of Konoha, knocking on every door he didn't recognize. He had no idea where Tenten lived.
After some time of searching he brought her back to his house. What's wrong with her… He set her down on his bed, only to see a cell phone fall out of her back pocket. He picked it up. Maybe she has a family member on here… He opened it and, noticing the little battery power left, hurried looking through her numbers. He saw his number, Lee's, Gai-sensei's, every other kunoichi's, and one he couldn't recognize. Please be related… Neji pressed "OK" and the phone starting ringing.
"Tenten?" Neji heard a deep voice on the other side. "Where are you?"
"This is… a friend of hers…" He choked at just friend, still depressed about Tenten's answer.
"What?" Her, as Neji assumed, father yelled. "Did she tell you anything? Where are you?"
"It's ok." Neji kept talking. "I'm at my house, Hyuuga, and Tenten passed out during our training session." Neji lied, he figured her father wouldn't want to hear the whole story.
"Hyuuga?" Tenten's father scribbled down what he heard. "I'll be right over there to pick her up."
"Wait." Neji stopped Tenten's dad from hanging up. "I need to know…is there something going on with her that I can help wit…" He was cut off. The battery of the phone went dead.
"..h…" He closed the phone shut. Tenten's father… He looked at her, obviously having a good dream.
(Tenten's Dream)
Neji and Tenten were sitting in the exact place they were earlier that day, and everything was perfect.
"…I love you too, Neji…" she reached up and gently kissed him. They both blushed a tiny bit.
They had all the time in the world to be with each other, now that they knew each other's feelings.
That was, until a mysterious figure grabbed him. "Neji!" She screamed.
Neji looked scared. He couldn't use anything on the villain, having just gone through a training session recently.
The figure laughed maniacally. "When I'm done with him," He looked straight at her. "I'm coming for you!" It stuffed Neji into some chakra sealed box, and Tenten watched helplessly as he stabbed the box repeatedly, hearing screams of agony coming from the inside.
"Stop it!" She screamed and ran towards the figure.
"Too late, girl!" The villain grabbed her arm and shoved her onto the ground. "Now it's your turn!"
Tenten cried as she felt a kunai slice through the back of her neck.
"AHHHHH!!!" Tenten screamed, waking up from her dream. "Neji!" She looked around. All she could see was her bedroom, a suitcase lying on the floor being quickly filled with clothes.
"Tenten!" Her father grabbed her and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad you're ok!"
She looked around. "Wh-where's Neji?"
Her dad looked confused, but reminded himself. "He brought you to his house when you fainted during training, and I picked you up. Now I need to know, did you tell him anything?"
"…no…" Tenten's eyes were still watering, and her heart was beating fast from her nightmare. I wish I had…
"Good." He looked into her eyes and saw a hurt look. "Tenten…you know I don't like this any more than you do…I just…" He felt like crying. Why now… "…I can't let them hurt you…"
(Outside)
Neji's eyes opened wider as he listened as hard as possible to Tenten and her father's conversation. …H..hurt…? He knocked on their front door, where he had been standing since Tenten woke up.
(Inside)
Tenten's father looked at her, and embraced her tightly. She hugged back, still crying, when they heard some knocks on the door. "I'll get it, Tenten," He stared at her, not wanting to finish. "…you stay in here and pack."
She watched him leave her bedroom, or, old bedroom as it now seemed. She got up reluctantly and finished what her father had started.
(Outside)
Neji heard footsteps coming towards the door, and was almost tempted to leave quickly. He decided to stay there.
"Hello…?" Tenten's father answered the door hastily, obviously expecting someone else. "Oh…you. I thought you left."
"I heard a scream." Neji peeked into the house. "Is Tenten okay…?"
He blocked Neji's view. "…she's fine…" He looked straight at Neji, sending chills down the prodigy's spine.
"Can I speak to her…?" Neji looked into Tenten's dad's eyes, seeing nothing but Tenten herself.
The elder man did nothing but look back at Neji.
"…please…"
Tenten's dad's eyes got somewhat wider. This boy…must really care about Tenten… "I…" He paused and looked into Neji's desperate eyes. He saw worry, fear. "…sure…" He motioned towards Tenten's room and, without hesitation, Neji ran inside.
Not only was he visiting Tenten, but it was the first time he'd ever been in her house, let alone her room.
Tenten was packing some clothes into her suitcase when she saw a familiar figure in the doorway. "N-Neji…?" She ran over to him and hugged him tightly.
Neji blushed and gently pushed her off. "T-Tenten…" He looked straight at her, with fierce eyes. "Why did you scream?"
She blushed faintly and backed away. "N-no reason…just a bad dream…"
"Do you wanna tell me about it?" He walked towards her.
"…" she looked at him and backed away. "N-Neji…I…I can't…" Tears started to form in her eyes.
"Tenten…" Neji looked at her tears. "…don't cry. You've done enough of that today…"
She cried even harder. "Oh Neji!" The kunoichi hugged him again and cried into his shoulder. "I… I know! I'm sorry!"
He stared at her strangely, but hugged back.
And there they were, Neji and Tenten, hugging in her doorway. With Tenten's father watching, as sad as a father ripping his daughter from her first true love could be. Which was very, very sad.
He sighed and turned around and walked in a different direction, giving his daughter the privacy he was sure she wanted.
"N-Neji…" She leaned in and kissed him gently, pressing her lips against his. "I…I love you, too."
He stood in shock, still holding her, her still holding him. He smiled and kissed her again. "Then…what was wrong?"
She let go of him, remembering. "N-Neji…I can't tell you…" Her tears reappeared, sliding slowly down her cheeks.
He slowly and gently wiped the tear off her face. "It-it's ok, Tenten," He embraced her. "…I understand…" He quickly stopped himself from crying.
"N-Neji…" You don't…you couldn't understand… Tenten stared up at him, crying her heart out in front of the boy she's admired for years.
"…but…" He added on to his last statement. "…when are you leaving…?"
Her eyes widened but she didn't hug him any less. "…to-tonight…"
"…how…long…" Neji was afraid to ask.
She glanced at her father in another room. He could feel her hurting inside, and it was burning. He did the only thing logical for a good father to do, and he just nodded his head.
"For…" She took a breath. "…ever…"
Neji's eyes opened wide, wider than ever, but all he did was hug Tenten tighter. So tight, Gai-sensei would be proud. "…Ten…ten…" He paused. "…why…?"
"I…" I have to… Tenten's heart pounded and she saw her father come towards them.
"…Neji…" Her father put a hand on the Hyuuga's shoulder. "…I need you to leave…"
Neji hugged Tenten and kissed her one last time. He let go of her and walked towards her front door. "Good-bye… forever…"
Tenten's arms were outstretched, still in the hug. She had her head facing the ground. "Good…bye…" Tears fell to the floor beneath her. "…forever…" She was on her knees now, head almost touching the floor, tears streaming down her cheeks like crazy. "…Neji…"
(Outside)
Neji looked back, one last time. He saw her through her bedroom window, crying.
"I'll never forget you…"
He walked away, crying even, never to see Tenten ever again.
End
I still have no idea why I made this.
I mean, seriously, I'm a humor type of person, as you all should know from my other stories, but this was a romance-tragedy (I guess) type story.
I think I was just in the mood or something.