Of Broken Bones and Shattered Dreams

OK, here I am again. Man, I’m getting the feeling this is turning into a soap opera, and not even one of the good ones (wait… is there even such a thing?) I’m afraid to tell you this chapter is also dedicated to plot development, and though there will be an emotive finale for this story, I don’t think there will be much more lemons. Maybe just one or two more. So if you’re looking for a lot more sex, go ahead, push the ‘back’ button in your browser and keep searching. I won’t hold it against you.

As for the lack of updates, I apologize. My muse has been rather lazy these last few days, but I’m not giving up on this story. I’ll see it through to the very end… and I hope you will too. And concerning your reviews… there’s fewer than I would like, but thanks anyway. I guess I’ll be making this long story short after all, just two or three more chapters. I hope you have enjoyed this fic so far. Thanks for reading my work!

OK then, without further ado, Chapter 8.

*****

Of Broken Bones and Shattered Dreams

Chapter 8 – A glimpse of the truth

The sun fell strongly over Konoha when a lonely figure stumbled his way into the village. Neji Hyuuga almost fell to the ground for what seemed the tenth time this day, as his legs were too tired to hold him properly. His training had been hard enough already before Lee’s visit and apologies. After his teammate went back to the hospital, Neji realized his visit had not only improved Gai’s mood considerably, but also seemed to have given him an unlimited amount of energy. Though he tried his best to keep up, the pearl-eyed Genin soon found himself panting on the floor, unable to move from pure exhaustion.

After his teacher realized he wasn’t faking, he told Neji to do some chakra control training, a few meditation exercises, and then went off to train by himself and burn out that excess energy he still had. But even though he was hell-bent on improving his skills for the upcoming tournament, the Hyuuga decided to call it a day when he realized he just couldn’t focus on his training anymore. Without his sensei’s constant pressure, his mind began wandering freely, and he soon found himself thinking about his teammates.

Since he couldn’t seem to think about anything else, Neji had gotten up to his feet and stumbled back towards Konoha. It was a little after noon, and if his body cooperated, he would be able to pay Lee a visit. Heading towards the hospital, the pearl-eyed Genin figured he could get the whole story from the Taijutsu user himself. He knew his ‘eternal rival’ had something he was trying to keep secret, but the Hyuuga was intent on finding out what it was. After all, he owed him for saving his ass earlier with Gai-sensei, and even if Lee didn’t want to tell him, Neji could subtly remind him of that fact.

*What could have possibly happened between them* thought Neji as he dragged his feet, too tired to take a shortcut through the rooftops. *to make Lee so docile over a single night?* Reminding how angry and hostile Lee had been towards him and his teacher only made the whole thing even more confusing. Usually, Rock Lee always heeded his sensei’s advices over anyone else’s, but Ten-Ten had managed to convince him of something, while the mighty Gai had been unable to do so. And of course, there was also Lee’s strange behavior when asked about his female teammate to consider.

As he strode closer and closer to the Hospital, Neji’s instincts told him that he would probably be better off in ignorance, and so far, his instincts had never been wrong. And yet, his curiosity concerning his teammates grew immensely with each step he took. By the time he reached his destination, the exhausted prodigy had filled his mind with a thousand explanations for Lee’s behavior, and while some of them were so absurd they almost made him laugh out loud, others made his blood boil with unnoticed jealousy…

*****

After he had returned to the hospital from his morning walk, Lee had gone to Ten-Ten’s room to try and sort things out between them. Upon finding her asleep, the Taijutsu user decided to wait for her to wake up and he took a seat, but he soon found he couldn’t keep his eyes away from his sleeping friend. Her fair skin, those soft and slightly parted lips and the peaceful expression on her face made Lee’s youthful heart beat faster.

In order to pass some time, Lee began considering once again his feelings towards the one that had given him her love. It wasn’t an easy task, since he would often find himself contemplating Ten-Ten’s curves while his mind digressed into more carnal thoughts. And besides, the longer he spent in her room, he grew more and more nervous, wanting and yet fearing his lover’s awakening.

*So, what am I supposed to say when she wakes up?* thought the black eyed Genin as he tried not to stare at the rise and fall of his female teammate’s chest. *I know she said she loved me…* Under any other circumstances, Rock Lee would have found Ten-Ten’s love confession merely awkward, but now there was the fact that they had slept together. Saying he felt awkward around her was clearly an understatement.

*…but, what if she just said that to make me feel better?* with this thought in mind, Lee began considering he didn’t really know anything about Ten-Ten’s intentions towards him. Hell, he didn’t even know how HE felt towards her in the first place. Everything was just fine when they were close friends, but now…

*Oh man…* he though while he scratched his head. *If I could read people like Neji does I wouldn’t be in this problem…* And then, something occurred to Rock Lee. *Of course! Neji!* If he told his problems to his teammate, he might know what to do. Fuzzy Brows still had much to learn about love and women, and though Lee doubted the cold and distant Hyuuga was an expert on these matters, at least he hoped Neji could give him some sort of advice.

Ten-Ten stirred a little bit in her bed, slowly returning to the real world. Her morning nap had helped a lot, since she now felt more rested than she’d been in quite some time. She felt the urge to let out a big yawn and stretch her arms over her head, and was about to do so, when her ninja instincts, as sharp as any of her many weapons, told her to stay still. There was someone else in her room.

The brown-haired kunoichi opened her eyes a little bit, enough to catch a glimpse of whoever was close to her. Though she sort of expected Lee to be there, the sight of him sitting close to her bed almost made her gasp in surprise, but she managed to stay still, as if she were still asleep. Luckily for her, Lee failed to notice she had woken up, since he was busy thinking of a way to tell Neji of his problem while avoiding all the embarrassing and intimate details.

*Oh no* she thought with nervousness and a little anger. “Why? Why is he here?” Ten-Ten wasn’t really sure why, but the last thing she wanted now was to see her teammate, let alone talk to him. She felt foolish for opening herself up to him like she had done, and realizing Lee didn’t love her and probably never would, the proof being the last words he spoke to her the night before.

So, doing her best to hide her presence and ignore his, the weapons specialist remained still, hoping her teammate would leave soon, so that she wouldn’t have to talk to him.

*****

Once he entered the Hospital, Neji headed straight for Lee’s room, but found it deserted. He figured Lee was still outside having a walk, the only ‘training’ he was allowed, and since he was too tired to try and find him outside the hospital, he began walking towards Ten-Ten’s room. He could always talk to Lee later, and Neji figured he could get Ten-Ten’s side of the story while he was here.

While he walked to his female teammate’s room, Neji blushed slightly as he remembered his last visit. Since then, the image of a half-naked Ten-Ten had been drawn with fire on his mind, and it wasn’t hard for the Hyuuga to remember every curve and detail of her well-toned body.

As he stood in front of the door to her room, he wondered…would he be lucky enough to catch a second glimpse of her naked body? The mere thought of this made his pulse quicken and his hands tremble slightly. Taking a deep breath and calming himself down, Neji reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly, not bothering to knock. As he began slowly opening the door, Neji felt his own heartbeat pounding on his ears and sweat dripping out of every pore on his body.

Neji paused for an instant to consider what he was doing. Was he really going to spy on his teammate like a nasty closet pervert? In any other case, he would’ve found that kind of obsession with spying on innocent and unknowing girls downright unacceptable, but now he realized that when it came to Ten-Ten, he just couldn’t help himself. Allowing himself a moment of hesitation, he opened the door quietly, and was really disappointed to find Lee sitting by Ten-Ten’s bed, who seemed to be asleep. Definitely not what he was hoping for.

Since he had been really quiet, neither one of his teammates had noticed him. After staring at them for a few seconds, Neji remembered what he had come for in the first place, and knocked on the door he had already opened. Lee’s head spun quickly in his direction, and the Taijutsu user smiled broadly at his newly arrived friend. However, as soon as Lee faced away from her, Ten-Ten opened her eyes a bit to see who had knocked, and closed them again right away. It was a tiny movement, but it didn’t go unnoticed by the pearl-eyed Genin on the door.

As soon as she saw Neji on the door, the weapon mistress knew pretending to be asleep was pointless. Lee might have fallen for it, but to trick the wielder of the Byakugan was something else entirely. “Neji! It’s so good to see you!” said Lee with an energetic tone but with a quiet voice. With a little effort, the Taijutsu user got up and walked to his newly arrived friend. “I was hoping we could talk a little bit…”

Neji looked at him and almost smiled. It was obvious he wasn’t the type to gossip, but more times than not, his curiosity got the best of him. He nodded to his teammate, and said “Sure thing. That’s what I came for.” loud enough for Ten-Ten to hear. “You want to talk in here? Maybe Ten-Ten can join us when she wakes up…” The tone in which he said the last part made Ten-Ten want to murder him. She slowly cracked her eyes open again, and when she saw the Taijutsu user was facing away from her, she gave Neji a pleading look.

The Hyuuga prodigy barely managed to suppress a smirk. He had Ten-Ten at his mercy, and they both knew it. It was a perfect chance to mess with her a little bit, but then Lee spoke. “No… I was actually hoping we could go somewhere else…” Neji focused on him, and noticed he looked really down about something. So, throwing aside the thought of messing with his female teammate, the pearl-eyed Genin turned around and said “Alright. Follow me”. When he closed the room’s door behind him and Lee, Neji could have sworn he heard the wounded kunoichi let out a sigh of relief.

Both Genin walked a little around the hospital and ended up in a nice courtyard behind the building, the very same place Lee had escaped to train in a few days back. They sat under a big tree, enjoying the shadow it provided in such a warm day, and both ninja remained quiet. Lee seemed like he wanted to get something off his chest, but was still looking for the right words. Neji thought he should start by asking some questions to his teammate, but refrained from doing so. *I’d better not force any information out of him. I’m sure he’ll tell me everything I wish to know*

“So” said Neji after a while. “What did you want to talk about?” Lee seemed startled with his friend’s sudden question, and began stammering something unintelligible. It amused the young Hyuuga how much Lee reminded him of Hinata at times, with his blush, his stammering and all.

It took a few seconds for the Bushy Brows to gather his wits and speak one coherent sentence, while Neji waited patiently for him. “Say… Neji? Y-you think… T-Ten-Ten… has been acting… kind of… strange… lately?”

The Hyuuga prodigy closed his eyes and crossed his arms. “Hmm, I don’t think so. She was acting pretty normal when I saw her yesterday” he said as the slightest shade of pink tinted his pale face. Shaking his head a little to get rid of some distracting thoughts, he opened his eyes and stared at Lee. “Why? Do you feel she’s behaving differently?”

Lee managed to mumble something that sounded like “Well… yeah…”, but didn’t found the words to keep going and just fell silent. When Neji noticed how his teammate’s eyes avoided his, how his cheeks were burning and the way his hands were fidgeting nervously, his mind instantly began racing, quickly relating all the events and tiny details concerning his two friends. Though he already had an idea of what could be the problem, he forced himself not to jump to conclusions.

“So, is this strange behavior of hers related to you suddenly accepting your medication?” said Neji suddenly. When he heard these words, Rock Lee stiffened and looked nervously at his teammate, unsure how to answer, and how much information to give. How much did Neji know anyway?

“Well, by the way you just reacted, I’m pretty sure there is some relation” said Neji with a contempt tone he used only when he caught someone lying to him. “Now” he continued. “Enlighten me”. When his teammate just gave him a puzzled look, the Hyuuga let out a small sight of exasperation and added “Spill it Lee. What did she do to convince you?”

The Taijutsu user sighted in defeat. He had never been one to lie too much, but it didn’t matter. He hadn’t had the time to think a credible lie, and even if he did, it wasn’t like Neji wouldn’t catch on it right away. Realizing there was no way out, Lee gathered his courage and started talking without stammering… too much. “Well… she cried” Neji’s expression hardened a little bit. “And she kissed me…”

After listening to Lee’s words, Neji’s face, which was quite relaxed and even showed the faintest hint of a smile, tensed up and became the expressionless mask of a seasoned shinobi. The black haired Genin noticed this change, and while anybody else would have considered it normal, he preferred to stop talking, since he had known his friend long enough to realize his words were having an ill effect on him.

Neji was quite surprised with the way Lee’s words were affecting him. He had never before considered Ten-Ten as anything other than a teammate. Hell, he hadn’t even considered dating any woman up until then. He had figured either fate or his family would pick a bride appropriate for him to carry on the duties of the branch family. But in the last few days, the Hyuuga prodigy had noticed his feelings towards the weapon mistress were much deeper than friendship or companionship. He felt more than a mere attraction for her, and his insides clenched with anger and jealousy at the thought of her belonging to somebody else.

That’s why, without even telling him the whole story, Lee had put his teammate and best friend on the edge; he could feel Neji’s feelings bubbling just beneath the surface. But regardless of what he felt, Neji remained impassible, his face betraying not a single one of the emotions inside of him.

“I see” said Neji with a calm and controlled voice, despite his inner turmoil. He already suspected Lee could say something like that, since he had seen the way Ten-Ten acted around him lately, and though his instincts were begging for him not to, he pressed on the point with more questions. “Did she tell you why she did those things?”

“Not really” answered the black-haired Genin. He knew there was a really fat chance Neji’d see through his lie, but he just couldn’t get himself to tell him the truth. “But I think she did it to help me, and to convince me of taking the medicine” said Lee.

The cool Hyuuga already seemed stressed enough just knowing he and Ten-Ten had kissed, and Lee didn’t want his friend to find out just yet that something much more deep and hopefully meaningful had happened between them. That would certainly make him snap. Watching Ten-Ten cry had been horrible for him, and though he was his rival, the Taijutsu user appreciated Neji too much to have him go through something similar.

So he kept on lying.

*****

As soon as her two teammates left her room, Ten-Ten let out a sigh of relief. Though she had a vague idea of why it was happening, it was almost unbearably awkward being around Lee now. Why would she have pretended to be asleep if it wasn’t?

Afraid Neji and Lee might come back soon, she got up in a hurry and walked to the bathroom. She wanted to take a quick shower and get all set to go. She was halfway to the bathroom door when a knock on the door made her blood freeze over. Had her teammates returned so soon? She hurriedly looked for a hiding place, but before she could do anything, the door to her room opened, and the head of a medical Nin popped into her room. “Oh good, you’re awake. How are you feeling?” asked the doctor while the weapon mistress let out a sigh of relief.

“I’m fine. Say… doctor? When will I be able to go home?” said Ten-Ten with a little impatience. The sooner she got out of the hospital, the less likely it would be for her to run into Lee. “Well” said the doctor. “Let’s take a look at that arm and find out”. Ten-Ten dragged her feet back to her bed, hoping this wouldn’t take long.

While the medical Nin worked on the bandages covering her shoulder, Ten-Ten kept fidgeting nervously, afraid her teammates might return any second. Even though she was still sure she loved Lee, he had hurt her, unknowingly, but still. She wanted to get away from him, at least for a while, until she knew just how much his mistake had changed her feelings, and also until she could come up with the courage to ask him the big question. Did he love her back?

*****

Neji kept on listening, while Lee told him what had happened between him and Ten-Ten the night before. It didn’t take long, since without the sexual parts, there wasn’t that much to tell. If he had been more focused on his friend’s talk, Neji could have easily caught every lie, omission and hesitation on his story without even trying, regardless of how tiny it was. But he found it tremendously hard to refrain himself from giving in to his jealousy, while paying attention to the Taijutsu user’s words at the same time.

“… and now, I don’t know whether she did all that to help me, or if she wants something else” said Lee with a sigh. “And to top it off, she said we could do it again once I got out of the hospital”. The black-eyed Genin fell quiet for a while, and since his friend did the same, he raised his eyes to meet his teammate’s. “What do you think?” he asked Neji.

Having been only half-aware of what Lee had said, Neji was caught a little off-guard by his friend’s question. Making a great effort, he managed to focus on the idea of his friend’s recovery, and after swallowing his anger and jealousy, he succeeded in asking a question without the slightest hint of emotion on his voice. “Have you spoken to her yet?” he asked calmly. Lee shook his head. “I went to her room earlier to do so, but she was still asleep…”

A slight frown crept over the Hyuuga’s features. He knew the weapon mistress had been awake but had pretended otherwise, and the only reason Neji could think for such a behavior was that she was trying to avoid speaking to Lee. It was not like Ten-Ten to do stuff like that. Neji felt the need to find out exactly what was going on, and not precisely for his friend’s sake.

“OK, here’s what we’re going to do” he said suddenly, startling his teammate, who was deep within his own thoughts. “You’ll go have a walk around the village. That ought to get your mind at ease”. Lee nodded at him. It would be one cold day in hell before he lost an opportunity to make some workout, no matter if it was just walking. “And what about you?” he asked Neji.

“I’ll go talk to Ten-Ten and figure exactly what’s going on. Then we can act according to what she tells me” said the Hyuuga with confidence. If there was anything odd, he’d find out right away. He had known Ten-Ten for a long time now; she couldn’t keep any secrets from him.

Lee gave one of his trademark shining-teeth smiles to Neji. “Thanks Neji. You are indeed a great friend to help me out with this”.

“No, don’t mention it” said Neji managing to hide his guilt and trying hard to ignore the fact he was investigating the matter for his own purposes. “You’d do the same thing for me”.

*****

Ten-Ten gathered all of her stuff in a hurry. The medical Nin that had just checked on her had said she was free to go, and she wasn’t about to waste any time and risk Lee showing up in her room again. With a little help from a passing nurse, she had changed to her usual baggy pants and pink top, and since she didn't have enough hands or time to bind her hair in her usual buns, she let it loose, falling gracefully down her shoulders, and was ready to leave.

As she opened the door, intent on running home if she had to, she came face to face with a pair of cool white eyes. “Hey there” said Neji with a smirk and a tone of complicity that clearly said ‘you owe me, big time’, something rather unusual in him. “Leaving already?” Ten-Ten nodded slightly, clinging to the slim hope that her teammate would just let her go without any questions.

“Good, I’ll walk you home. There’s something we need to talk about” said the smirking Hyuuga as he began walking, motioning for her to follow. Ten-Ten sighed in defeat as she began walking. There was no way in hell she’d be able to hide anything from Neji. As she reluctantly dragged her feet behind him, she mentally kicked herself for not leaving through a window.


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