Caged

Caged

Persepolis130

Notes: Thanks so much to all reviewers! I'm glad you liked the sarcastic humor, and I promise to fulfil the pairing requests of Umbra Hikari and Shikamaru ASAP. Some good smut in this installment, too.

Sorry for dissing the Inuzuka family, but I just couldn't resist. Anmitsu is a traditional warm-weather Japanese dessert with fruit, sweet bean paste, and jelly cubes-- I've had a variation without the sweet beans, and it's excellent. Also, it'd be easier to write sexual positions if I had a boyfriend or... some really bendy action figures or something. I did discover that my desk is about the height of Neji's shoulders, though...

XXXXX CHAPTER 6 XXXXX

Night was falling as Neji trudged to the training grounds, inwardly cursing their isolated location. He desperately needed a workout to focus his thoughts. Where the hell was he supposed to find a girl who'd let him have sex with her right away, no questions asked? And not some loose Inuzuka, either-- a virgin!

Of course Neji had always accepted the importance of women. When he was old enough, he would marry and provide for a proper wife who would bear and raise his children with honor and dignity. And if he stayed in his uncle's good graces, Hiashi might even use his influence to arrange a suitable match.

But all the superfluities it took to attract a woman in the modern way... fancy dinners, exotic flowers, expensive chocolates and flashy jewelry... even if lowered himself to such things, he certainly didn't have the time now! Starting his work as a chuunin couldn't wait for all that!

And to add insult to injury, he'd read in those books-- the ones that didn't make his face turn beat red-- that woman craved emotional involvement, something he certainly wasn't willing to give to someone he'd immediately ditch. Or to anyone, really.

If only there was some way out, some loophole. He'd learned from Naruto that destiny didn't have to be accepted. That you could fight against it, forge your own path. But he'd been through all possible options a dozen times, to no avail. After he'd promised his uncle he'd complete the training-- in a week, no less!-- he'd show himself as either cowardly or incapable if he backed out, jeopardizing his future both as a Hyuuga and as a chuunin.

This time, fate had him trapped.

The familiar sight of the training ground rose from beyond the horizon, and Neji felt relieved, the mere idea of normalcy calming. Breaking into a trot, Neji headed toward his favorite location for concentrating, obsessing, and honing his byakugan.

Standing with the three numbered poles behind him, he tilted his head to place the third directly in his blind spot and focused his attention. At this distance, he could see only the top and bottom of the painted number, but he had a suspicion that if he trained enough, he'd eventually be able to whittle the undetectable area down.

Unfortunately for his blind spot, he could hold his attention for a mere forty-eight minutes before his earlier preoccupation got the better of him, and he found himself concentrating more on how he was going to win over a virgin than how he was going to win in battle. Intensely annoyed at the black void located where the 3 should have been, Neji deactivated his byakugan, sighing deeply.

He didn't have much time to feel irritated with himself though, because a familiar voice suddenly cut through the soft evening sound of chirping crickets, introducing a whole new brand of irritation. "Neji! Hey!"

"Hello, Tenten," he said unenthusiastically, turning his back to her to glare into the forest.

"Still at it, huh?" she asked, walking up to him. "You're really dedicated!"

"Yes. Would you like to join me?" Perhaps having several dozen deadly-pointed objects aimed at him would help in his deliberations. It usually did.

"Oh... Well I actually-- it's sort of embarrassing-- but I forgot one of my best kunai here earlier, and I just came back to get it," she giggled, bending down next to him and coming back up with the aforementioned weapon. "I'm a little tired from training this morning, so I'll have to pass."

"Fine," he replied, not sure whether he was more annoyed because she was standing so close or because a kunai had been laying mere feet from him this whole time without him even noticing it.

"...though I haven't had dinner yet, if you want to go out..." she added with a twirl of the weapon, smiling mischievously.

Great. This again...


Neji walked to the nearest post, half to stretch his calves against it, and half to escape from Tenten's alarming proximity. She smelled feminine in a way he wished he hadn't noticed. "Not interested."

"You could come back to my place for dessert later," she told him, fingers in her hair poking absently at one of her tightly-coiled buns. "I have fresh fruit, and I could make some anmitsu for--"

"I have a lot on my mind right now," Neji told her, exasperated that she'd followed him once again. Hadn't she ever heard of personal space? If this kept up, he'd never work out a plan to bed a virgin! How was he supposed to get any thinking done with her leaning over him like that? Especially with her out-raised arm pulling her loosely-buttoned shirt wide open across her--

Oh damn. Neji tried not to gawk at the newly-revealed, softly-curving mounds as his mind went straight to his pants.

This was terrible! He'd NEVER thought this way about her before-- she was his teammate! How could this be happening? He'd barely even noticed Tenten HAD breasts! How could he be thinking about them NOW? ...about the silky flesh filling his palms, the soft pink tips hardening beneath his touch, his lips trailing kisses across them, tongue gliding against the warm, salty flesh...

Shit! All the sex with that woman must have warped his mind! God, he'd become a pervert!

Neji took a deep breath, face flushed and pants appallingly tight, the unexpected erotic display holding him in thrall.

He heard Tenten giggle as she lowered her arm, frustratingly obstructing his delightful view. Fingers under his chin, she raised his gaze back to eyelevel. "My anmitsu's sweet and juicy..." she murmured, blush tinting her cheeks.

Neji looked blankly up at her cutely smiling face, swallowing hard. "Tenten," he asked, "are you a virgin?"

XXXXX CHAPTER 7 XXXXX

One of Tenten's legs thrown over Neji's shoulder, she lounged on her back, unbound hair a dark, silken pool behind her. One hand lying forgotten above her head, the fingers of the other lazily massaged a lightly bruised nipple. "It's really hot when you use your byakugan," she told him.

"Mmm," Neji affirmed. Kneeling on her sleeping mat with her back propped against his knees, he caressed her up-tilted leg with one hand, while with the other between her thighs, he gently traced her inner folds. Seeing through the byakugan, he noted how her chakra would flare in unexpected locations as her stomach flexed when he reached the tightly-coiled cluster of nerves at the apex. Anything was better than thinking about the horrible wrong he'd just done.

"You don't think..." her breath hitched, "I'm dirty, do you? Being this way?"

You ARE dirty. "Why would I think that?"

"Well, it just might seem that way... you know... since you don't know the whole story..."

"I don't know what you mean," he told her. This is all your fault. You made me do this.

"I've always wanted this... even before I knew what it was."

"That's stupid," he said. And now you've ruined yourself.

She laughed and slid her leg down his side, pulling herself up to straddle his thighs. Neji frowned at the loss of his distraction. Deactivating his byakugan, he settled instead for gripping her hips to pull her closer to the reemerging ache between his legs.

"I think I always knew it would be you. That you were more to me than just a teammate," she breathed against his neck. "The way it makes me feel just watching you move, Neji, it's..."

Not in the least interested in her explanation, Neji took her earlobe between his teeth, shifting her weight to bring their bodies firmly together. Ignoring things was easier when a simple roll of his hips shot sparks through him.

"...and I knew you were too focused on ninjutsu to notice me if I didn't do something... mmm..." she pulled his lips down to her neck, "a little drastic..."

Lips pressed to a passion-inflicted bruise, Neji paused, frowning. "That's why you've been all but throwing yourself at me for the past three months?" Not that he'd recognized it for what it was at the time, but...

"A kunoichi knows what she wants and gets it. Where would Tsunade-sama be if she'd waited for a man to approve her every move? Definitely not Hokage, that's for sure... ah... hey, go back to my ear now," she told him.

Just to be contrary, Neji moved his lips down to her collarbone, hooking one hand around her backside to slide a finger between her thighs and between her delicate folds, the moist warmth enveloping the digit sending little thrills through him.

"And I wasn't wrong, was I?" she asked. "Just look how perfect we are together..."

Withdrawing his finger to the sound of Tenten's protest, Neji pushed her sharply back on the mat. "Enough talk," he announced, forcing back his guilty anger with lust. He had to get back inside her; he was aching for it.

Giggling, Tenten spread her legs, and Neji didn't hesitate. After all, it had nothing to do with feelings. This was his mission, and he had to make a full report.

XXXXX

Despite the pressing matter of taking up his chuunin rank, Neji didn't go back to report to the woman the next night.

Instead, his anger tempered by soft caresses and a good night's sleep, he took Tenten out to dinner. After all, he was a genius Hyuuga, and it was only natural for her to be attracted to him. The fact that anything had come of her infatuation was entirely his fault, and the thought left him feeling more guilty than angry.

Tenten, of course, was blissfully ignorant. She practically glowed as he pulled out her chair, setting a warm, kunai-callused hand on his atop the table for the duration of the meal and blushing brightly when the waiter brought only one spoon with their shared dessert.

Neji didn't like it, but it was the least he could do, given the circumstances. When he went back to report his accomplished mission tomorrow, he'd have to ask about the best way to get things back to normal. They had to work together peacefully with Lee as a team, and a girlfriend was the last thing he needed, no matter how nice it was to wake up with her warm, supple body curled tightly in his embrace.

It went without saying that he hadn't planned on going home with her after the meal. But her hand on his shoulder and look in her eyes told him that she wouldn't be satisfied leaving alone. And besides, he knew it wasn't right, but after the wasted time, money, and effort, he felt he deserved it.

Having had her once (well, six times, really), he now felt oddly entitled. Which made him feel sick. Although he hadn't technically lied, he'd taken her virginity, one of the most precious gifts a woman could bestow upon a man, under false pretenses.

Back in her room that night, he found it strange, even as Tenten's mouth crushed his hungrily, his hands all but ripping her dress from her shoulders, that sex had become something he so highly valued, even to the possible detriment of his career.

Maybe it was because it was different with Tenten. He wasn't sure he liked her more than the woman; in fact, he might even like her less. Her looks were much more common, and she didn't have the same quick wit. But there was something about her lack of pretense that pleased him.

While his trainer had been polished, everything was new to Tenten. Of course it had been awkward at first, and he'd had to apply a minor healing jutsu to relieve the sharp stinging she'd felt when he'd first stretched her to accommodate him. Thinking of the soft, comforting things he'd been forced to say to her then almost made his stomach churn. But her body had been firmer, her breasts higher, her inner walls tighter, and knowing no better, she'd been happy to do whatever he liked.

This was undoubtedly what the woman had meant when she'd said it would be different with a virgin.

Some hours later, once more overwhelmed by bodily fulfillment, he drifted off to sleep, his senses filled with Tenten's soft breathing, her warm skin, and the scent of sex in the air.

And he wondered if he'd ever be able to go without it again.

XXXXX CHAPTER 8 XXXXX

The next day after training, angry that he'd wasted time, Neji went to make his report.

"Tell my uncle I'm finished with this absurd training of his!" he demanded the woman, door still rattling on its hinges.

Unfazed, she turned her charcoal accented eyes back down toward her paperwork. Her hair draped loosely across her right shoulder, she wore an emerald gown that shimmered like ripples in ocean water as she moved. "Get bent."

Neji gaped. "I can't believe you just said that!"

"Not only are you rude, but you're early. It's quarter past two," she glared. "If you weren't already done with the training, you would be now."

"I don't care about your stupid rules! The only thing I care about is getting my life back, and you're holding me up!"

A highly annoyed look graced her otherwise enchanting features as she rose to face him. "Deal with it."

"What, you're going to send me away?!" he shouted.

She snorted and somehow managed to make it sound dignified. "You're a bit slow on the uptake, aren't you?"

"But--"

"I know you've done as I asked. I've already told Hiashi. Now go."

"Oh..." he felt somehow disappointed. "So... we're done?"

"Yes. GO."

He was filled with the same odd sort of disbelief as when, during his first Chuunin exam, the seemingly defeated Naruto shot up from the ground to knock him unconscious. So it was over then...

Struck by a sudden impulse, he asked, "What's your name?"

She laughed as she closed the distance between them with graceful steps. "Your training is over, and I owe you nothing more. From this point, you're just another man, another customer. And to put it bluntly, you can't afford me."

"I hate you," he announced.

"You always were a sweet one," she told him, soft fingers against his cheek. "And besides, what would your little girlfriend think if you could call prostitutes by name?"

"Don't talk about her. She doesn't have anything to do with this," he scowled. "And she's not my girlfriend."

"Ah," the woman acknowledged with a patronizing smile. "Then who is she?"

Neji searched for the answer, but all he could think of was the way the woman's eyes shone now as they had when she'd touched him softly, whispering praise against his naked skin. "She's..." He could hardly believe he'd never see those eyes again. "...not you."

"And thank the heavens for that," the woman whispered as she kissed his cheek. "Goodbye."

Neji left then, but he couldn't resist a backward glance. And she appeared to him in that instant as she had when he'd first seen her: an undeniably elegant, beautiful woman whose years had finally caught up with her. She looked tired and alone as she watched him go, someone too often desired, too rarely loved.

Or maybe that was just how he wanted her to look.

Neji felt a strange pang in his chest as he closed the door behind him, knowing that a stage in his life was now over, and no matter how much he'd resented it, he'd never be the same again.

In a perfect world, or at least one ruled by a benevolent fortune, the story of Neji's afternoon would have ended there, on a humbling, bittersweet note. But, as he well knew, the world was far from perfect, and fate was far from kind.

Of course it was because he'd broken the rule and come early. He should've listened, but such a regulation seemed so arbitrary to him. Seeing the tall, dark-haired man at the end of the hall though, an icy chill ran up his spine, and he realized how wrong he'd been. And did Hyuuga Neji ever hate being wrong.

Stopping dead in his tracks as their eyes met, Neji felt as if he'd been caught in the hold of a deadly new jutsu. Hearing a girl somewhere down the hall moan, a man's harsh shout following shortly after, Neji braced himself. The man in the hallway sent him a sheepish half-smile and a slightly awkward wave.

"Hello, Neji..."

Neji blanched. Oh, this was SO not happening. His tongue felt thick in his mouth as he managed to respond, "...hello... Gai-sensei..."

And then he made a run for it.

XXXXX

"I'm sorry you had a bad afternoon, Neji," Tenten told him.

"Hmph," Neji grunted. If only she knew.

"Do you feel better now?"

"Yes," he told her, pulling on his shirt. He wasn't sure if it was true. "Now get dressed."

"How much did this place cost?" she asked, making no motion to obey as she snuggled back into the bed.

"Too much to pay for another hour. And I have to be somewhere." He scowled at a missing button. Were all adults perverts?

"Neji..." Tenten started, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes as she sat up. "I'm not complaining or anything, but... sometimes it seems like all we ever do is have sex," she said, frowning.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. Hopefully, if Neji couldn't afford the woman, Gai-sensei couldn't either. "I took you out. And we train together every day. Now if you don't get your things on--"

"That's not what I mean! I know we've only been together for a little while, but normal couples do things where they don't have to end up naked!" she exclaimed, sliding off the bed and starting toward him. "I just feel like--"

"What the hell else is there?" he scowled, doing his best to push thoughts of his perverted sensei aside. "It's what you wanted, isn't it?" Dwelling on that sort of thing couldn't be good.

Tenten looked distressed. "Well..."

"Whatever. I have to go," he pronounced, making for the door.

But as he turned the lock, he felt a warm touch on his shoulder, and he sighed, letting his hand be lowered.

"I hope you feel better," Tenten said quietly. "And I just want to spend time with you. Without it being all about sex. That's all."

She wrapped her arms around him, twisting to pull him into an embrace. Neji knew he shouldn't, but he let it happen, drawing her naked body into his arms. Loving the warmth of her touch, he breathed in her scent, his senses full of her. There was nothing that smelled better than a woman after sex. Except maybe one just before, at the very instant you knew you could have her.

He sighed, giving in. "I'll take you out tonight. Be ready at eight," he instructed, kissing her lips softly. "Look stunning."

Tenten giggled and dashed for her clothes. Neji sighed, trying to calculate the price for a full night. With her father back in town, this was going to get expensive.