Of Broken Bones and Shattered Dreams

Alright guys, you asked for it. Although I had planned something totally different for Neji, I kind of wanted him and Ten-ten to be together, lemon scene or not. It may not work exactly as I originally thought, but I’ll fix the finer points of the story as I go along. Thanks for your opinions, they’ve been a real help (three reviews in a single day… I should ask for your opinion more often). Well then, here goes. I hope you enjoy this, even though it’s only a plot development chapter.

*****

Of Broken Bones and Shattered Dreams

Chapter 9 – A shoulder to cry on

Neji lead the way out of the Hospital, with Ten-Ten following closely. Knowing which way Lee had gone walking, the Hyuuga had no problems walking around town without running into him, a fact the weapon mistress was very grateful for. Both shinobi walked in silence for a while, one clearly enjoying his teammate’s obvious nerves and uneasiness towards his imminent questions, and the other fearing the moment his male friend would start talking.

The weather was changing in Konoha, and what had began as a nice and sunny day was slowly growing colder and darker. Strong winds rushed by the village, bringing along big stormy clouds that blocked the sun. Ten-Ten could barely wait to get home and take a hot shower, but much to her disappointment, as they got close to their destination, Neji took a side road that lead them to a small park.

Apparently unconcerned with the fact the weather was worsening, Neji dropped himself in one of the benches in the park, and turned to shoot his female teammate a knowing glance that froze her where she stood. “Come, Ten-Ten” he said while patting the space next to him in the bench. “Let’s talk”

Reluctantly, Ten-Ten sat down next to Neji, relieved that, at least, she could just stare straight ahead instead of meeting her teammate’s piercing gaze. She waited for the cocky Hyuuga to start speaking, but he suddenly seemed so interested in the passing clouds it would have made Shikamaru jealous. Figuring the white-eyed ninja probably wouldn’t speak unless she did first, the young kunoichi took a deep breath and gathered her courage, finally starting the conversation.

“So Neji” she said, doing quite a good job at keeping the nervousness she felt out of her voice. “What did you want to talk about?” Much to her displeasure, her teammate let out a small chuckle and gave her a sideways glance.

“Oh, I think you know already” he said while grinning smugly at her. Neji was obviously enjoying the situation just a little too much.

Ten-Ten could feel her stomach clench and flutter, while nervousness and fear of being exposed slowly threatened to overwhelm her, but managed to keep a normal expression. *It’s a bluff. He’s got to be bluffing* thought the young kunoichi as she desperately thought of a way to keep her secret hidden from her friend. Knowing Neji, it was a lost cause from the start, but Ten-Ten decided to give him a little bluff on her own.

She stared at him in curiosity, holding his gaze for as long as she could. “You want to apologize again for barging into my room while I was naked? I already told you it was no big deal” she said while shrugging. The blush that spread through her teammate’s face was a good indication Ten-Ten had done a good job steering the conversation away from herself.

Neji smiled inwardly at his teammate’s futile attempts distract him. Usually, when he bluffed and pretended to know something he didn’t, people would just start babbling and telling him just what he wanted to know. But where was the fun in that? At least Ten-Ten had known him long enough to know how to handle him in conversation… for a while at least. “Hmm… that’s not it, but I wouldn’t mind that happening again” said the Hyuuga with a smirk, pretending to play at the weapon mistress’ pace for once.

Lulled into a false sense of security by Neji’s apparent distraction, Ten-Ten felt a great relief sweep over her as she thought she had the upper hand in the conversation. “In your dreams” she said, giving him a sexy smile that threatened to really distract her friend. “But you’re forgetting you’re a ninja. I’m sure you could easily use your Byakugan to look through my clothing.” A devilish smile formed in her lips as she prepared to give the Hyuuga the finishing blow. “Want to give it a try?”

The pearl-eyed ninja mentally kicked himself as he almost activated his bloodline limit, carried away in Ten-Ten’s game. *Damn, she’s really good* thought Neji as he made a mental note not to underestimate his female teammate again. “There’s no need for me to waste my chakra on such a thing” he said with a smirk and a confident tone, preparing a strong comeback. “Especially when I can spy on you like I did last night.” There was no way in hell he’d allow himself to be outwitted by Ten-Ten.

It took a few seconds for Ten-Ten to register what she’d just heard. Not only had Neji avoided her trap in the conversation and taken the upper hand, but his bluff was perfect as well. “W-well, I guess it must have been really boring watching me flip through magazines all night” As she spoke, the weapon mistress couldn’t stop herself from showing obvious signs of distress. Fleeting eyes, nervous hand movements, and a slight blush in her cheeks were all the evidence Neji needed.

*So, what Lee told me wasn’t a complete lie after all” thought Neji as a smirk crept up on his face. *Something did happen last night* Since Ten-Ten was suddenly looking away from him, and her body language clearly spoke against her, the silver-eyed ninja decided it was time for the finishing blow. *Alright, it’s time to take out the big guns. Brace yourself Ten-Ten*

And then, using that tone of superiority that managed to tick off Ten-Ten every time, the cocky Hyuuga told his teammate: “It seems you forgot I spoke to Lee this very morning. It’s useless for you to keep on lying.” As soon as he finished speaking, Neji knew he had taken his teammate to a corner. There was no way she could keep on lying, so while Ten-Ten remained silent, he took a moment to savor his victory. However, that moment was short-lived.

Totally defeated, the brown-eyed ninja lowered her head and looked away from her teammate, so he couldn’t see how her eyes began to water. “So… I guess… you already know what happened…” said Ten-Ten with a sad tone Neji wasn’t expecting. Something was definitely wrong. He couldn’t be completely sure, but his teammate sounded like she was on the verge of tears. How could that be? She seemed perfectly fine just a moment ago.

If things had happened as Neji thought they had, there was no reason for his teammate to be sad; Rather than that, she should have been either embarrassed and intent on denying everything or trying to get back at him by throwing sexual innuendo his way, like she had done some times before when she tried to melt that layer of frost the Hyuuga seemed to have formed around himself. That could have at least amused him a little, but now it was nothing more than a distant thought. This unexpected reaction from Ten-Ten cast a shadow of doubt on the Hyuuga prodigy. He had never had any doubts concerning his information-gathering skills, but now…

Neji decided to remain silent as he began considering the possibility he had been wrong about this whole thing. His expression was unreadable while he considered his options. It was more than obvious from Ten-Ten’s voice that something terrible had happened to her, something that was tearing her apart from the inside. The pearl-eyed Genin briefly considered talking to her, but decided against it in the end. Whatever had hurt her was too recent, and with the pain still fresh in her mind, there was a big chance that having her talk about her problems would end up hurting her more.

He couldn’t stand watching her suffer; Ten-Ten’s pain was so intense it was almost tangible. A great urge to comfort her filled the usually proud Hyuuga, who found himself desperately wanting to hold his teammate in his arms and erase all of her sorrow with soft caresses and soothing words. Of course, it wasn’t something the ‘cold’ Neji Hyuuga would do, but his friend was suffering. He didn’t really care about what people expected from him, all he wanted was to make all her sadness go away.

Before Neji knew what he was doing, his left hand had found its way over her head and to her shoulder, and began pulling her closer. It was a rare thing for the two of them to have any kind of physical contact, aside from all the blows given and received during their combat practices, so as he used his hand to pull Ten-Ten gently towards his body, the silver-eyed Hyuuga felt his teammate put up a little resistance. Of course, what he was doing was something totally unexpected, but Neji didn’t give up and slowly closed the distance between the two of them, careful not to force the young kunoichi into his embrace.

Lifting her eyes to meet Neji’s, the young kunoichi found her teammate’s face, usually unreadable and expressionless, was now filled with an empathy and understanding everyone thought he was incapable of. As Ten-Ten stared into the depths of his eyes, she felt Neji’s hand pulling them closer together, and after a moment of hesitation, she stopped resisting this unusual gesture from her friend. It was completely unexpected coming from him, but she really needed some comfort, and Neji seemed willing to help her.

“Oh, Neji…” she whispered as a tear ran down her face, and allowed the Hyuuga to pull her body towards his, resting her head on his shoulder. For a brief instant, the pale-eyed ninja just enjoyed the feeling of having Ten-Ten so close, but when she began to sob and cry, he quickly put both of his arms around her slender frame. And even though her crying was making Neji feel terrible, a warm and fuzzy feeling spread through his whole body when the weapon mistress threw her good arm around his waist and pulled herself even closer to his chest.

As both ninja hugged each other, rain started to pour, but neither of them cared for it. They had managed to scare away their loneliness while in each other’s arms, and a few drops of water weren’t about to take that away. Ten-Ten felt really grateful towards her pale-eyed teammate for putting away his usual cool and distant demeanor to provide her some physical comfort. It’s not like he wasn’t there for her when she needed support, and though he always listened to her problems and gave her good advice, no matter what he said, this time she felt words wouldn’t have been enough.

As Ten-Ten allowed herself to cry her heart out, Neji did his best to comfort her, both whispering soft words in her ear and caressing her back as she continued to sob. After a while, Ten-Ten wasn’t crying so hard anymore, but the rain now fell harder and they were both completely soaked. Neji was the first one to move.

“We should get going. It doesn’t seem it’ll stop raining for a while” whispered Neji as he slowly took his arms off his teammate, reluctantly trying to break their embrace, but to his surprise, instead of standing up or moving away from him, Ten-Ten remained pressed to his chest, refusing to let him go.

A sad smile formed in the Hyuuga’s face. “Come on, Ten-Ten. You just got out of the Hospital” he said with a tender voice he never thought he was capable of. “You don’t want to catch pneumonia and get hospitalized again, do you?”

“No, but please…” said Ten-Ten after sniffing a little. “Just let me stay like this a little longer…” After saying this, the brown-haired ninja let out a soft sigh and cuddled against his chest.

For a brief instant, the optimistic side of Neji’s brain mistook Ten-Ten’s reaction as a sign of love, but the logical part of him quickly dismissed that thought. *Come on Neji, get a grip* he told himself. *Ten-Ten is in a fragile emotional state right now. Her reaction means nothing more than her affection towards a friend and her need for physical comfort*. It was difficult for him to accept it, but it was the truth. After all, he could still read his teammate like an open book. And so, with no little disappointment, the Hyuuga cast away the hope the weapon mistress might actually have feelings for him.

Truth was Neji didn’t feel like letting his female teammate go either, but the rain kept falling herder and he could already feel Ten-Ten shivering in his arms. So, following a sudden impulse, the pale-eyed Genin took Ten-Ten in his arms, and jumped quickly to the nearest rooftop.

Ten-Ten yelped in surprise when she felt herself being lifted off the ground, and clung tightly to Neji’s chest. “Neji! Wh-What are you doing?” As soon as he landed, Neji jumped off to the next rooftop, giving a simple “I’m taking you home” as all answer. Well, it was quite unexpected, but at least she didn’t have to leave his arms just yet.

“Silly” said Ten-Ten, momentarily forgetting her sadness and smiling coyly. “I can still walk on my own.” Despite her words, Neji kept on jumping towards her place without letting her down, and she didn’t complain at all. The cold rain made her shiver, so she cuddled on her teammate’s chest, enjoying his warmth and the feeling of his lean torso pressing against her.

However, much too soon for both of them, they found themselves in front of Ten-Ten’s apartment building. With great care, the pale-eyed ninja put his teammate down, and she finally had to let him go. The weapon mistress raised her eyes to meet his, and while Neji just expected her to open the door and say goodbye, every passing second she stood still, just staring at him with both sadness and gratitude, trying to find the words to thank him properly, made the Hyuuga feel nervous and uneasy, something quite new and unpleasant to him.

Neji felt his nervousness threatening to overwhelm him, and as he thought he couldn’t bear another second of that awkward silence, he was startled by his teammate’s voice. “Thanks Neji. I… I feel better now” said Ten-Ten hesitantly, not really sure if she meant it. She opened her mouth to add something, but no sound came out, as she failed to find the words she wanted to say.

Meanwhile, the usually calm and controlled Hyuuga was having a hard time controlling his thoughts. He didn’t feel like parting with Ten-Ten just yet, but his instincts told him to walk away in order to escape the new and unpleasant feeling of nervousness that had suddenly arisen in his chest. Besides that, he had his feelings towards his female teammate to consider.

Even though he had just recently began to see the weapon mistress as more than just a friend, and was willing to follow his feelings towards her to wherever they might take him, Neji realized he’d have to wait a little to make any kind of move. It was more than obvious Ten-Ten had been hurt real bad, and the last thing he wanted was to take advantage of that fact. So in the end, the pale-eyed ninja decided to give his female friend some time on her own while he headed home.

“I’m glad to hear that” said Neji, making a great effort to give his teammate a smile while not betraying his uneasiness. “You’d better change into some dry clothes and get some rest.” Having said this, the Hyuuga prodigy turned to leave and waved his hand over his shoulder. “See you around.”

Ten-Ten felt a tug in her chest as she saw him walking away. “W-Wait!” she called as he was about to leave. “It’s… It’s still raining hard, and you’re wet too…” said the brown-haired kunoichi with a soft voice. “Why don’t you come in? I’ll make us some warm tea and give you something dry to wear.”

Neji considered her proposition for a second. It did sound very tempting, since it was a long way to the Hyuuga compound, he was tired, and his wet clothes sticking to his body wouldn’t make the journey any easier. He turned to face Ten-Ten, who was staring at him expectantly, and after a brief pause, Neji smiled. “Alright, but I’m not wearing one of your pink tops.”

*****

Both Genin had entered Ten-Ten’s apartment, dried themselves up and changed out of their wet clothing. While his teammate changed in her room, the pearl-eyed Genin once again felt the urge to activate his bloodline limit and spy on her, but managed to fight back the impulse. Luckily for the Hyuuga, Ten-Ten had found a pair of black pants and a plain white T-shirt among her stuff for Neji to wear, and after drinking some tea to warm themselves up a little bit, they both sat on the couch, quietly listening to the sound of the falling rain.

*Damn, what’s happening to me?* thought Neji while he tried hard not to move a single muscle. It was a little hard, considering right now he felt more nervous around Ten-Ten than he had felt in many life-threatening situations. *I’m Neji Hyuuga, for crying out loud! I’m supposed to be unflappable! A prodigy such as myself shouldn’t be set back by this kind of uneasiness* he told himself. Then, taking a deep breath, the pale-eyed Genin tried to relax, but even despite what he thought, his heart was beating like crazy, he felt like there was something alive squirming in his stomach, and hell, even his hands were shaking a little. He was so busy trying to control himself that he failed to notice his teammate drawing closer to him.

With absolutely no idea of just how much he was affecting him, the brown-eyed kunoichi had silently moved towards Neji, hoping he was still willing to hug her some more. Once she was sitting right by his side, she slowly leaned her head and rested it on his left shoulder, expecting him to throw his arm over her shoulders and pull her into an embrace. But instead, since her move took him totally by surprise, Neji couldn’t help but stiffen a little under her touch. *Oh crap* thought Ten-Ten with disappointment. *Back to old Neji again. I bet he’ll push me away any second now* she thought pessimistically, and without saying a word, she sadly waited for his friend to become distant once again.

And yet, while it was true that the white-eyed ninja didn’t feel as comfortable as he did when he hugged her before, he didn’t dare to push his female teammate away. Instead, he gathered some courage and tried to break the silence. “So… what now?” said Neji hesitantly. Even though he had yet to control his nervousness, the silence between them was making him even more uncomfortable than her words could. “What do you mean?” said Ten-Ten softly; answering to his ambiguous question while thanking the fact her friend didn’t shun her touch.

Even though what Neji meant to ask was what the two of them would do alone in Ten-Ten’s apartment, he realized it would not be appropriate to say so more directly. She could misunderstand his intentions, and even get mad at him. Yet what troubled him the most was the fact that, slowly but surely, he felt his feelings for his brown-eyed teammate growing harder and harder to ignore, mixing up with his nervousness and making it harder for him to think straight. The last thing Neji wanted was to take advantage of his teammate’s depression, but he felt his resolve wasn’t strong enough to resist for much longer, especially if she threw herself into his arms again.

“I mean…” he began slowly, looking for the right words to say. “…what are you going to do about this… this ‘thing’?” Though Neji didn’t know exactly what had happened to affect Ten-Ten so much, she believed he knew the whole story already.

Letting out a sigh, Ten-Tens moved her left hand to his bare arm, and began slowly caressing his skin. That was definitely not helping Neji. “I don’t know” she said with a hint of sadness. “What do you think I should do?”

The white-eyed Hyuuga was too busy trying to stop Ten-Ten’s caress from affecting him to give an immediate answer. In fact, he was so distracted he almost forgot to pretend he knew what had happened. “Well… I think” said Neji, mentally kicking himself when he heard his voice shake a little bit. “I think you should forget about the whole affair for a few days. If you relax and try not to think about it too much, you’ll find the answer on your own”

“You think so?” answered Ten-Ten while suppressing a small yawn. All of her shed tears and a sleepless night had drained the weapon mistress of her energy, and Neji’s voice was slowly lulling her into sleep. “That’s hardly the kind of advice you’d give me.”

Neji was about to argue, but didn’t trust himself to stop his voice from shaking. So, both ninja just remained quiet and still, enjoying each other’s company until Ten-Ten fell asleep on her friend’s shoulder. The perceptive Hyuuga noticed this, especially since her caresses had stopped, and was grateful for it. Now he could think a little straighter.

After waiting around for a few minutes, both waiting to see if his teammate was really asleep (which she was) and expecting the rain to stop (it was still drizzling slightly, but he could take it), Neji decided to make a run for the Hyuuga compound. He was barely able to control himself as things were, and who knew what would happen if he hung around any longer?

As carefully as his slightly trembling hands allowed him to, Neji lowered his sleeping teammate into the couch while he stood up. He managed to place the sleeping kunoichi into a comfortable lying position without waking her up. Once he was done, he glanced around the living room searching for his equipment, which was lying in a table just a few feet away. But just as he was about take the first step to get his gear and hightail it out of Ten-Ten’s apartment, he felt something tug on his left hand. Neji Hyuuga felt his blood freeze when he heard the sleepy voice of his teammate calling out for him. “Hmm… Neji? Where are you going?” she asked groggily.

As soon as he realized she was awake, the white-eyed ninja realized his getaway would have to wait. *Damn it* thought Neji with frustration, though unaware a part of him was thrilled he wouldn’t have to leave just yet. “I… I was… going to get you a blanket?” He didn’t plan for it to come out as a question, but his teammate didn’t seem to mind. She stretched herself and said “Hmm… thanks Neji” with a sleepy voice that sounded very much like a cat’s purr. “You’re so sweet.”

In a meek and caring gesture that amazed even him, Neji effectively went for a blanket and put it gently over his sleepy teammate. Ten-Ten hummed in comfort as she hugged the blanket to herself, and when she was about to fall asleep again, she suddenly opened her eyes and gave her teammate a curious look. “Hey, aren’t you cold?”

Though he was indeed feeling a little cold, the stoic Hyuuga had no chance to answer, as Ten-Ten lifted the blanket over her and reached for his hand. “”Come, there’s enough space for both of us” she said as she pulled on Neji’s arm, once again unaware of how she was affecting him.

Neji stared at his female teammate, unable to hide the shock in his face. Was she for real? Did she really want them to sleep together? “Don’t stare at me like that” said Ten-Ten with a playful tone. “I just want to hug you. It’s not like we’re having sex or anything.” When he heard her words, Neji could feel disappointment hit him like a brick in the back of the head. Of course, when she had invited him into her apartment, he had allowed himself to fantasize a little about the two of them sleeping together, but it was all idle wondering. He hadn’t actually expected the ‘friend barrier’ to crumble that easily.

The brown-haired kunoichi looked at her friend expectantly, and even though the Hyuuga prodigy wasn’t weak-willed by any standards, there was only so much he could take. He briefly debated whether or not he should sleep with Ten-Ten, but made up his mind rather quickly, and Neji found himself more than willing to hold the weapon mistress in his arms once again. After all, nothing was going to happen.

However, as soon as he got under the blanket and Ten-Ten laid her head on his shoulder, Neji realized that even if she fell asleep again, there was no way he could leave now. At least, not without looking like a heartless bastard. He certainly didn’t want to give his teammate that impression, but his nerves wouldn’t allow him to relax. And having Ten-Ten resting peacefully on top of him wasn’t helping his situation either. He wasn’t used to that much physical contact.

Neji could feel his heart racing, but before he could do anything about it, Ten-Ten’s soft voice reached his ears again. “Hmm… Neji, your heart is beating so fast…” she said while holding her left hand to his chest. There was a slight tone of amusement in her voice, despite the fact she was close to falling asleep again, lulled and relaxed by Neji’s embrace. “Don’t tell me you’re nervous…” she said slightly more awake and smiling inwardly, suspecting she had finally managed to break the seemingly emotionless Hyuuga’s cool exterior.

“Not at all” said Neji, though more out of the habit of denying his emotions than because he believed his own words. And even though Ten-Ten caught a slight tone of uneasiness in his voice, she just smiled to herself and dropped the whole issue, not wanting to crush her friend’s carefully constructed image. After all, she didn’t want him to become distant again or make him so nervous he had to make up some lame excuse to leave. So letting out a soft sigh, the young kunoichi cuddled tighter against the Hyuuga’s warm body, concentrating on the heartbeat under her palm until she felt the drowsiness wash over her.

Meanwhile, Neji’s situation kept getting worse. Though he tried his best to calm himself down, the white-eyed Genin couldn’t help but be distracted by the heat radiating from Ten-Ten’s skin, the feel of her body against his, her soft and sweet scent which clouded his mind… Making a supreme effort, the Hyuuga genius managed to get his emotions under control as he reminded himself that, in her current condition, the last thing Ten-Ten needed was someone to take advantage of the mess her emotions had become. She needed a friend who could support her, and he would be that friend. He’d have to wait until his teammate’s wounds were healed before he made any moves on her.

With these thoughts in mind, Neji forced himself to calm down, and soon he got his heartbeat back under control. Ten-Ten was already asleep, and even though he was still too nervous to even try to sleep, Neji closed his eyes and hoped drowsiness would come and relieve him of the temptation Ten-Ten’s proximity produced in him.

A few minutes passed in silence before Neji finally gave up on trying to sleep. Letting out a frustrated sigh, he opened his eyes and turned to look at his teammate’s face. She was sleeping with a peaceful and relaxed expression, and seeing her like that, it was hard for Neji to believe she had been crying her heart out just a few minutes before. Following a sudden impulse he couldn’t quite repress, Neji raised his right hand, and moved his fingers along her jaw line, enjoying the warmth and softness of her skin. She looked so peaceful…

“Damn it Ten-Ten” whispered Neji as a slight frown crept upon his features. “What did Lee do to you?” When Lee had told him she was acting strangely, Neji figured she was either embarrassed or angry due to whatever it was their Taijutsu-using friend had done. But now, seeing the weapon mistress was more hurt than angry, the Hyuuga felt his insides clench with fury. He hated watching his friends suffer, no matter the reason or who was to blame, and before he knew it, Neji found himself throwing all the blame on his rival, without even having a clear picture of what had happened. Making an effort to leave his personal emotions out of the equation, Neji made the decision to investigate more on the subject before making Lee the object of his rage.

While the Hyuuga was lost in his thoughts, Ten-Ten stirred and woke up just enough to notice her teammate had barely moved a muscle in the time she had slept. “Hmmm… Neji…” she said in a whisper that startled her friend, while she squirmed even closer to his body. “Hug me…” Her sudden and unexpected words forced the pale-eyed ninja to stop his inner debate and struggle to answer. Was she joking? His willpower was already crumbling as things were, and Neji knew hugging his female teammate would be more than he could handle. There was no way he could control his actions after that. “Wh-why? You’re not comfortable like this?” said Neji with an obvious tone of distress Ten-Ten didn’t fail to notice.

“Oh, come on Neji” said the young kunoichi with the slightest note of annoyance, and without giving her friend enough time to move away, she took the Hyuuga’s arm and wrapped it around her waist. “There, isn’t this much better?” she asked as her hand found its way to Neji’s back. “You really need to relax a little. Otherwise, it hardly feels like you’re comforting me at all.”

Neji blinked in surprise. Usually, he did a great job helping his teammates with their problems, just listening to them and allowing them to get their worries of their chests. It would have certainly been easier on him if he had decided to listen to Ten-Ten’s problems like he always did, instead of venturing into unknown territory and holding her, but the Hyuuga prodigy realized there was no way to avoid it. A big part of him wanted nothing more than to hold Ten-Ten’s body close to him, and besides, something told Neji that this time, his words wouldn’t have been enough to help his female teammate. She needed something else, and so did he.

But relax? If only she knew what she was asking of him, if only she knew the consequences that could have on both of them… Neji sighed and turned to look at his teammate’s face. Though he could still see dried tears along her cheeks, Ten-Ten now seemed more relaxed, though at the same time, more fragile and beautiful than he ever thought she could be.

As he watched her content expression, Neji felt frustration bubbling in his chest as he realized all of his reasons for holding back suddenly seemed ridiculous. He loved her, didn’t he? Why should he deny himself of giving in to his feelings just this once, when he had successfully masked or denied his emotions for his whole life? Despite the fact a part of his brain still refused to give in to the temptation of having Ten-Ten so close, those questions got Neji doubting his reluctance, and soon the young Hyuuga felt his conviction elude him as he found out he couldn’t quite remember what was exactly what he wanted to avoid.

As he slowly gave in and stopped struggling, Neji let out a sigh that marked both his victory and his defeat, and whispered, more to himself than to his teammate “Relax… Yeah, why not?” Casting much of his doubt and restraint away, the pearl-eyed Genin tightened his arms around Ten-Ten’s waist. Then, moving his head closer to hers, he took a deep breath to smell her hair and enjoy that intoxicating scent he couldn’t get enough of.

As she felt Neji lose much of that nervousness and reluctance he had been treating her with, the young kunoichi smiled gratefully. She felt relieved that, while in her friend’s arms, she could keep her pain and sorrow at bay. The two ninja spent a few joyful minutes in silence, enjoying each other’s embrace so much they became oblivious to the outside world. Finally, the silence was broken when Ten-Ten let out a soft sigh of content and enjoyment and readjusted herself on her friend’s arms.

“How are you holding up?” asked Neji softly when he felt the weapon mistress move into a more comfortable position. “Are you feeling any better?” Though he was still concerned for his female teammate’s emotional well-being, as soon as he finished speaking, the Hyuuga prodigy couldn’t help but notice with delight how Ten-Ten’s breasts were now pressed fully against his chest, and focus a little more than necessary on the fact. He could tell she wasn’t wearing a bra, and even though she wasn’t naked, the thin cotton shirt she was wearing didn’t stop the pale-eyed Genin from imagining she was.

“Yeah, I guess” said Ten-Ten with a soft voice, though not completely devoid of sadness. “But I know I’ll be fine… thanks to you.” The weapon mistress raised her eyes to meet Neji’s and gave him a sweet and grateful look. Who knew how far down she could have fallen without Neji’s help? She didn’t want to think about it.

When his pale eyes met her dark brown ones, the Hyuuga prodigy feared for a second his teammate could see right through him and guess his intentions. However, his fear didn’t last long, for a part of him soon realized Ten-Ten was just being friendly. In fact, she was being so friendly that when Neji thought of confessing his love, he could feel his earlier restraint growing stronger and stronger. Only this time, it wasn’t his teammate’s emotions he was worried about, but the close friendship he had achieved with the young kunoichi in his arms. Was he really willing to sacrifice that friendship for a chance to win Ten-Ten’s heart?

*****

Okay people, that’s it for this chapter! What do you think? Will Neji be willing to risk his friendship to get into Ten-Ten’s pants… err, I mean, heart? Oh, who am I kidding? Of course he will! But you’ll have to wait for it.

Man, this chapter turned out a lot longer than I expected, so I decided to leave it here and make the reading a bit easier for you guys (it’s not easy to read more than 10 pages in one sitting, is it?). Please don’t hate me for this cliffhanger! I’ll make sure the following chapters are worth your wait.

Thanks for reading!