Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Neji's Flower...Tenten! ❯ Neji's Flower...Tenten ( Chapter 1 )

Ok, so this is my story. Really adorable in the cabin! Squeals! Neji IS SO CUTE!

Anyways, I did this as part of a campaign to have more fanfics about the other couples in Naruto, not just Sasuke and Sakura. Sure, they're fun to write about, but so is everyone else. Wanna join the “Campaign for more Love”? Simply write a fanfic about a different couple! Get everyone else to do it! Hell, it's really fun!

(Also, place this ad in your stories, all my friends will! ^_^)

 

Tsunade-sama had been sending us on…well; I'll have to say different missions. First, there was the demon in Wave country, where I, Lee, and Uchiha had to go. Then there was the Princess who needed escorting through the sound country. And now, we were to find the Demon Flower up near Kumogakure. The Demon Flower possesses rare powers that could help Tsunade recover from a certain illness she has caught. Tenten and I were instructed to go, as Gai-sensei has argued insanely over Lee staying behind, something about a “springtime of youth miracle.”

As fate would have it, then.

Tenten and I set off later that afternoon. The sky was clear and blue, and our weapons-mistress seemed to be enjoying it. She was skipping along the road ahead of me, watching the white butterflies that so often passed our way and chasing after birds. She was often strong and energetic when we were in weather like this.

“Come on, Neji! Hurry up!”

I glanced from the view of my feet and towards her. Her brown eyes gleamed and her shoulders heaved as she panted. I knew that she would never give up, no matter what life threw at her. She always wore a smile on her face.

I hadn't noticed the feeling creeping up through my toes. I thought it was just the warm sun.

Afternoon brought a warmer sky, and azure crystal as far as the eye could see. Not even a scrap of cloud was visible, not even with my Byakugan.

We sat to rest and have lunch by the rushing river, where Tenten could have a bit of a practice and I could review our mission.

I couldn't keep my eyes on my notes.

Tenten had pulled her pants up to her knees and taken off her headband so that it wouldn't get wet. She stood balanced gracefully on a rock with one foot; the other arced at her side, eyes closed. Practicing some quick meditation. Then, quickly and naturally, she pushed off and landed on her hands on the other rock. Those big brown orbs shone at me again.

“See, Neji? I'm getting better!”

I couldn't help but smile.

The sky had gathered a few streaked clouds towards sunset. Slowly, that azure world above had turned to a fiery orange streaked with yellow, pink, and deep red. The sun had changed to be an ember, deep and full of meaning. What it meant, I think that that's its own secret.

We came to the small wooden cabin on the hill where we were instructed to stay for the night. I saw the pain on Tenten's face as we walked inside. She had been enjoying herself in the outdoors.

The cabin was nothing special. In fact, it was really nothing at all. A dirty window too dirty and webby to see out of, a dusty, damp, foul-smelling room, and a single bed with one torn blanket. Neither my team mate nor I had thought to bring a bedroll, though we had remembered blankets.

“It looks like we might have to share a bed,” Tenten piped up in a bored tone.

“What? Why?”

“Relax, Neji-kun. We'll stick that old tatty blanket between us and use our own. It'll be like two beds pushed together. Nothing bad is gonna happen.”

Why had she said that?

It did end up as the two of us sharing the bed. She was right, I was wrong; there was no arguing any further about it. We dumped our bags on our sides of the bed and went out to enjoy the sunset in our daily training session. Tenten would never pass on a chance to help me train. As I said, she's not one to give up easily. Hope is a welcome factor in her heart.

She started as we usually did; her honing her skill with throwing weapons and myself deflecting them using my Hakkae Ronshou (A/N Anno, sorry people I'm totally sure I got that wrong, but as long as you people understand that I mean that thingy where Neji moves his hands REALLY fast, we'll all get along nicely here! Kay? ^_^ ).

“Sixteen kunai? Is that all you got?” I mocked half-heartedly, shoving them away like flies.

Tenten gave a half-hiss half-cry of frustration, and charged directly at me, two kunai in her hands, one in her mouth. She whipped the first kunai slowly at me, cleverly giving me something to keep my eye on while she took the other two knives around behind me. She threw them both, aiming for that one degree of a blind spot in the back f my head. Fortunately, I was watching her, and it's really hard to hit one degree exactly. I sent them flying back at her.

She cried out, and winced, and with a strange pain in my heart, I realized that I had accidentally hit her in the arm. Why hadn't I taken better aim?

The throwing knife wasn't all that deep, but it was painfully close to her major veins and arteries, and was bleeding badly. Her eyes were full of tears, but she was still smiling up at my concerned face. Her fist was holding her arm tightly, and she was shaking, Something wrenched my insides, just seeing her there, wounded and lost, but still so full of hope.

I had never quite felt this feeling before.

I lead the way inside and took my first-aid kit from my pack. I desperately wished Sakura was here-she was the best out of all of us at healing. She was going to be a fine med nin someday.

As for me, I never usually needed first aid, as my Hakkae Ronshou (A/N sorry again if it's wrong!) could deflect lots of things. I couldn't get out of it though; this was Tenten's right arm, and she was right-handed.

I ripped the knife out quickly and immediately regretted it at her stifled gasp. Tears were streaming down her face now, despite her efforts to stop them. She smiled when she noticed me looked.

“I'm okay, Neji. Really. It doesn't hurt as much anymore, see?” she waved her arm weakly, but she couldn't hide the stammer in her voice and flinch from me.

I must have looked worried, because her eyes softened as she watched my face while I bandaged her arm. She gave me a kind of weird look.

“I am sorry, Tenten.”

“There's no need for that. It was an accident!”

The blood was already bleeding through the soft white bandage.

Three bandages and half an hour later, it had already gotten dark. We had two days out here, so we chose to save our lanterns and head to bed.

At first, I could hardly tell she was there. That's how hard the mattress was.

But gradually throughout the night, (I can never sleep well in different places,) I began to feel her more and more. The thinning blanket had been kicked down to the end, far past our toes. She was curled into a ball with her blanket around her, back to me, and my back was to her, too. But, of course, people move around in their sleep, and soon I felt her soft breath on the back of my neck. She was over the center line we had drawn with the old blanket, but there was nothing I could do about that.

Her soft, warm breath sent unnatural shivers down my spine. I felt her hand pressing against my shoulder, and when I turned to look, the other was against her head.

With an almost sense of daring, I turned over. I have no clue what prompted me to do it. Normally I would have just moved over more to give her more room and tried to go back to sleep. But now, I was left facing her, and her hand was on my chest.

In her dreams, she curled her hand up onto my shoulder and pressed her little head against my neck, her face buried in my shoulder. With a soft murmur and a sigh, she settled in again.

I was left in stunned shock. I had no idea what to do. My team mate, who I of course had no feelings for, was snuggled right up against me, and I couldn't move her for fear of her waking up and getting the wrong impression.

Of course, her body against my lithe form felt somehow comforting, and I felt with an odd sense of curiosity that I would be perfectly content falling asleep like this. It was quite warm under my blanket, and the sounds of the night were beginning to ebb away.

I placed one hand on hers beneath her head, and the other around her waist.

I knew I would wake up in a different position, so why not fell this now?

Wrong-o!

(A/N since when does Neji say wrong-o? *smacks self in the head* think becki think!)

Maybe we really did wake up at the same time, or maybe she was awake before me and didn't move. Nonetheless, we were in the same position when I woke up. The grogginess of the early morning hit me, and I lay dazed for a few minutes with Tenten still in my arms. When her head rose up and her warm eyes stared into my white ones with a confused expression, we were both wide awake and on opposite sides of the bed, sitting bolt upright.

Her cheeks went the colour of freshly picked raspberries, and I assumed mine did too. She looked down at her dark green blanket, muttered a quick, “erm…” and got up quickly to repack. I imitated her, and we didn't speak.

The morning seemed unusually cold without her in my arms.

Did she feel the same?

Wait-why were these thoughts in my head?

(A/N to Neji- DINGBAT! Why do you think? Geesh, don't you just wanna smack these characters sometimes? But you can't, because you love them too much. Especially Neji. Becki ((that's me)) loves him muchly! ^_^ isn't he hotness? He's my favourite Naruto character, and my fave pairing is Neji/Ten! I cant believe someone would come up with something as cool as Neji-OOPS right, I'm writing a story! Teehee! * Innocent!* ^_^)

The clouds had gathered. The blessing of a day we had had the previous had been just that, and now it was gloomier. It was going to rain.

“So…” Tenten was trying to start a conversation as we walked along the high mountain path. We were almost to Kumogakure.

“Were you cold last night?” I somehow had a way of putting people into awkward situations. Hey, it gives me answers. (Me: OOH! SO HOTT!)

“What do you mean?” her voice was unsteady. She knew exactly what I meant.

“You came into my arms. I woke up, and there you were.” A little white lie to preserve my feelings wouldn't hurt, right?

Wait- my feelings?

“You were the one with your arms around me.” She wasn't looking at me. She wasn't looking at me. Why couldn't she look at me?

“Uh-well…” I wasn't one to stammer. Why was I stammering? This was not my thing. Was I panicking? No way, I couldn't be. I was fine. Just answer it calm and easily, I told myself.

Easier said than done.

“That was an accident. Just something I did while I was asleep. I never would have done anything like that to you if I was conscious, ever.”

The plan I had hoped would reassure her that I had no feelings for her backfired suddenly and without warning. She turned around with a cold, blank stare; something she had never regarded me with before, and pulled on ahead.

“Ah-Tenten, no! I didn't mean that!”

It was too late.

I'm such a fool.

 

Alright, so that was the first chapter. Don't you really think Neji is dumb in this? Has he really not noticed Tenten's feelings?

Next chapter: They find the cave where the demon flower grows, but there's an unexpected visitor awaiting them, and Neji has to show how he cares for Tenten in order to save her. Teehee! ^_^ PLEASE rate if you liked this story when you're done reading this! Nobody ever rates my work. I have like, four fanfics out, and the only rating is one I put on myself for no particular reason. (not trying to be whiny or anything, really! ^_^)