06-15-2007, 12:25 AM
The Dark
A Naruto Fanfiction
Post III
That night they made camp near a waterfall, the distant sound of it somehow soothing to nerves worn thin after the deeds of the night. Neji had found them an outcropping of stone, shelter enough from the upcoming storm that electrified the air. With Tenten's help they pulled dead branches around the entrance, forming a sort of nook for the two of them. Neji then, with a good long glance around the countryside, decided that it was safe enough for a small fire and built one, burning that which would make only pale, thin smoke.
Tenten settled at once, clearly exhausted and at the limits of her chakra. As per her usual bedtime ritual, she immediately took out her various weaponry, cleaning them in her lap quietly as he took time to meditate across from her. Grumbling rolls of thunder punctuated the silence and by the time he had finished, he wasn't sure he felt any more focused. Tenten glanced up at him as he opened his eyes.
"It's going to rain soon," she remarked, putting aside the last of her kunai. "It'll be miserable tomorrow."
He nodded, leaning back slightly to view the dark world outside. They would be joining up with Lee and Gai approximately 30 miles south of where their campsite was. It would be a long day traveling made even longer by bad weather. Neji did not relish the thought.
At least they would be going home.
"First watch?" Tenten asked after a moment. She said it with a bright tone but he had been her partner long enough to know when she was trying too hard.
"No," he told her, "Get some sleep. I'm not tired yet."
Tenten smiled but said nothing, simply unraveled her hair and set their masks aside lest she roll over them in her sleep. Five minutes later she was lost in dreams and the first of the rain started to fall.
~~~~
After his fight with Kidoumaru, during Konoha's failed attempt to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke, Lee told him that he and Tenten had stayed by his side religiously. Neji, of course, had no recollection immediately following his surgery but he did remember opening his eyes for the first time and seeing white hospital walls and Tenten's surprised face.
"You're awake!"
Later, he would realize it had not always been certain that he would wake up.
The following moments were fuzzy and filled with Tenten's excited voice. She told him what had happened and explained why he was missing several inches of hair. She also explained that, in the end, Naruto had not been able to bring Sasuke back and that several members of the team were in bad condition.
"I don't know why," she told him, as he lay there listening to her with his eyes closed, "but it feels like something has changed now." There was a note of something sad, perhaps, in her voice but he never got a chance to say anything for Lee came charging into the room, all flashing teeth and happy tears.
After a full minute of Lee's energy, Neji was ready to go back to unconsciousness. Tenten must have noticed for she threw Lee out of the room and admonished him to be quiet, they were in a hospital for heaven's sake. When the door finally closed, she turned back to him and Neji tilted his head towards her, showing her a flicker of moon-colored eyes at last.
"Thank you," he said, and he knew exactly what he was grateful for.
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