06-14-2007, 11:52 PM
Tilting At Windmills
A Naruto Fanfiction
Post XXV
But he was already walking towards her, something purposeful in his stride. Her eyes widened as he stopped very close to her, looking down into her face, one hand coming up to touch her cheek hesitantly.
“You’re still with me,” he said, and she realized it was an echo of what he had told her the night he had kissed her.
You’re with me.
She blushed despite herself. “I’m always with you. Even when I’m not.”
Something in his face relaxed. “Then there’s nothing to worry about.” His hand dropped to her shoulder.
“I..I wasn’t worrying! I..” But she was cut off as he pulled her forward, leaning down to kiss her for the second time, his hair sliding forward to shield her. This time he wasn’t gentle, but possessive, and she secretly wondered if the little kiss she had given Ishin-san had made him jealous. She laughed low in her throat and kissed him back just as passionately, her free arm curling around his neck, both of them breathless when they broke apart. Leaning against him, she rested her head against the flat planes of his chest, all her concerns suddenly having disappeared. As long as she could be near him, she would be alright.
His hands gripped her elbows gently. “It’s going to take too long with you walking. You’re going to get tired.”
“What?” She moved backwards slightly as he dropped their packs behind a tree, concealing them from view. He then took her crutch from her, forcing her to hold on to him. “Neji…”
“We’ll fly home,” he told her, “I’ll take you.” In seconds he had lifted her on his back, her arms around his neck as she grimaced against the strain on her leg. It was better than walking, and they’d be able to get home before dark, but she was definitely going to need new bandages by then.
“What about our packs?”
“I’ll send Lee back for them.”
She smacked his shoulder lightly. “Neji!”
He smirked at her and then they were off, speeding through the forest from tree limb to tree limb, Neji’s arms hooked securely behind her knees. She relaxed against him, knowing his chakra reserve could sustain both of them until they reached Konoha. Suitably reassured and with Neji’s solid presence like a safety net around her, Tenten laid her head against her partner’s shoulder and fell asleep.
She didn’t wake until they reached the gates of the village, Neji kneeling down so she could slide off him sleepily. The sun was just setting in the west as she once again slipped the crutch under her arm and she suddenly found herself glad to be home. Here was where all her friends and family were, her teachers, her sensei. Neji.
She looked over at him only to find him looking back the way they had come. He wasn’t on alert as if he had sensed something. No, he looked like he was simply contemplating something, his eyes hiding his thoughts. And she understood. They would be walking into Konoha as different people than when they left. They had fulfilled their mission as ninja but the events that had happened to them had shifted things. For the better.
It would still take some getting used to though, so she stood quietly while he reflected. When he finally came back to her, she only smiled.
“Going to the hospital?” he asked, and she nodded.
“Yeah. You?”
“I’ll go report to the Hokage.”
She nodded again and they turned to walk through the gates together. When it came time for them to go their separate ways, she let her free hand briefly grip his, very aware they were in public, and felt something warm flutter in her stomach when he squeezed her fingers in return.
There had been a promise in his touch.
“I’ll need your help tomorrow,” he said as they turned to part. She smiled inwardly, knowing that to Neji, tomorrow could also mean forever.
“Flails or fuuma shuriken?”
She’d take forever.
.:End:.
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