A gentle breeze brushed up against Tenten's dirty cheek, stirring her from her uncomfortable deep sleep.
Her eyes cracked open to find the sun shining down on her through the trees. At first, she had forgotten how she had even gotten there in the first place.
She remembered blood, someone yelling, being hurt by a woman with a crooked smile.
She groaned and held her head, as when she had tried to move, she had felt pain all over. She remembered Neji with red eyes again, as well as that woman named Yoru.
Tenten trembled slightly before rubbing her neck.
She had done a little damage but it still didn't change the fact that it hurt.
Tenten then remembered Neji's state of being and quickly got up to find him, ignoring the pain that shot throughout her whole body from the stiffness and Yoru's actions. She opened her mouth to call him out, but she didn't have to.
The moment she walked towards the trees was the moment she heard a groan.
Tenten walked in the woods further and found Neji curled up and shaking; his eyes closed with dry blood near the eyelids. His sharp teeth were pressed together in pain, and Tenten wondered if he ever got sleep last night.
His nose suddenly twitched and moments later he said, "Tenten... No, stay away. Agh!!"
He curled up in pain. Tenten felt tears swell up but refused to cry as she said, "Neji, you need medical care. If you stay like that, it'll be worse."
"I'm afraid I'll bite you, Tenten. Just please, stay away from me!"
Tenten, even though she was scared, shook her head and carefully walked closer to him. He realized this and tried to get up, but it only hurt him more to move. Tenten saw his struggle and used all her strength to pick him up.
Neji groaned loudly out of pain and just about gave up trying to tell Tenten to stay back.
It was obvious to him that she wouldn't listen to his pleads.
Tenten carefully carried Neji back to the single tree and gently laid him up against the tree, pulling out a scroll and releasing the bowl and rags that were placed inside it. She looked up at Neji and said quietly, "Stay here, Neji. Please."
Unsure of what else to do and not feeling like being carried around once more, Neji nodded quietly.
Tenten smiled and got up, taking the bowl to the edge of the water and returned to sit in front of Neji. She wet one of the rags and carefully dabbed it up against his eyelids. He bared his teeth but made no further move.
Tenten took advantage of that, and she continued to clean around his eyes.
She wouldn't have been able to work on his eye; it wasn't something she was skilled at. But she'd do all else for him. Neji continued to groan softly out of pain as Tenten cleaned his eyes and then moved to the rest of his face, including his seal mark, which was also somehow burned.
He was trying his best not to lash out, but even being five feet within his mouth and eyes was highly irritating him.
Finally, she finished and pulled out ointment and gently rubbed his over his eyelids, hoping that it would sink in and help in some way.
The whole time, Neji was gripping the tree and creating dents.
When Tenten was finished, she wrapped bandages around his head and eyes, finally breathing out and saying, "I'm done Neji."
He nodded and sat up slightly, breathing in and out slowly. She sighed and said, "Neji... What happened while I was knocked out? Did your mother do this to you?"
He shook his head but didn't say anything afterwards. Tenten sighed and figured it wasn't time to ask questions yet. She looked at him once more before standing up.
Neji suddenly grabbed onto her leg, which freaked her out, but she calmed down once he said, "Don't leave me, Tenten."
She breathed out and sat next to him, leaning up against him once she felt it was safe enough to. It seemed to relax Neji despite the pain he felt everywhere. Tenten's scent was getting to him, but at the moment Neji did not care.
He simply wanted her by his side for the time being.
~~
Neji sat at the edge of the river.
Quiet, hungry, and hating every fiber of himself, he distanced himself from Tenten to keep her safe.
He was already unstable as it was. His eyes were healing on their own, as well as Tenten's ointment doing its job.
But it still stung for him.
For a moment he was afraid that he'd never see anything again, but because he was turning into a monster, his eyes were healing to where he could move around his eyeballs slightly.
A shifting behind Neji brought him out of his thoughts and caused him to turn around by habit. He may have not been able to see, but he could very well hear and sniff, and it didn't take him long to find that it was Tenten.
"Neji," she said softly. He held up his hand and said, "You've helped enough Tenten. Thank you for your assistance."
She didn't reply at first. However, moments later, she continued to walk his way. Neji, figuring that she wouldn't listen even if she begged, said nothing as he listened to the wind dance on the water.
For a moment, neither said anything. However, Tenten cleared her throat softly and said, "You know... Shinobi are supposed to trust their comrades."
Neji couldn't help but to smile slightly at that.
"Shinobi aren't supposed to hurt their comrades either," he replied, turning towards her.
She suddenly placed her hand over his, startling him.
She said softly, "Neji, you didn't hurt me. Everything you've tried to do was protect me. Maybe at first, yes, but you've changed." Neji shook his head and placed his hand over her bandaged arm.
"Intentional or not," he said softly, "I'm still hurting you. I don't want to make anymore marks on you."
Tenten smiled softly and asked, "Isn't love about forgiving others?"
Neji gripped her hand firmly and said, "You can only forgive so much, Tenten..."
Before she could say anything else, he planted a kiss on Tenten's hand and asked, "Do you still want to know about my mother? About what's really happening to me?"
"Of course," she replied softly.
He sighed softly before saying, "I'm... Dying."
Tenten's breath halted in her throat, unable to react or move.
Neji waited a moment before saying, "Yes, I was born a Hyuga, but I was also born something else as well. My mother... She's a vampire. And she's trying to force me into becoming a full one, instead of just being a partial vampire."
Tenten was gripping Neji's hand hard, but he didn't mind.
He smiled slightly and said, "I didn't want to believe that I was a monster honestly. But when I kept having pains and headaches... When I kept seeing you being killed or harmed..."
He stopped for a moment, returning Tenten's strong grip and doing his best to keep his composure.
Tenten realized that seeing her harmed bothered Neji more than he was letting on.
Neji breathed out heavily and continued, "My mother fed me her own blood, speeding up the process of me turning. I didn't know what she had done until after the process started. I still don't know why I was in such pain before though. I also believe that the 'wild creature' that attacked you that night was me... I have no memories of what happened to me after I passed out, and you said that the thing looked like a human."
Tenten shivered as she recalled that night and said, "Even so... Even if you've hurt me over and over, I still don't care. You're alive. That's what matters."
Neji felt tears weld up in the back of his head, and stood up, letting Tenten's hand go and saying, "I need time to think, Tenten... Give me a moment?"
She said with uncertainty, "Yes, of course.."
Tenten turned and carefully walked away, not knowing at all that the more she forgave him, the more he beat himself over it.
The tears that swelled in Neji's eyes came rolling down once he could no longer smell her.
~~
Tenten waited for approximately forty-five minutes before quietly returning back to the tree. There, she saw Neji partially limp and breathing heavy.
"Neji!" she cried out, running towards him.
Neji raised his hand and begged, "Tenten, please stay back."
"No, I will not," she said panicky, grabbing onto his hand.
Moments later her head was up against his chest, checking his heartbeats. Neji blushed slightly and placed his hands on her shoulder to push her back, and she said, "Don't. That's all you've ever done to me; is push me away. I'm not leaving you anymore, Neji."
He shook his head but said nothing; he had no strength to. Tenten looked at him and said, "Neji... If you're turning, then that means you're starving yourself... If you do that..."
He smiled weakly and said, "I have no intention of taking anyone's blood, Tenten..."
She looked at him for a moment before looking down at her arms. 'If I let him,' she thought, 'would he stop? Would he kill me?'
She looked back up at him and watched as Neji tried to breathe normally. He looked significantly paler than he was two days ago.
This worried her, and any fear that she had disappeared moments later.
Tenten grabbed Neji's hand and gently placed it over her arm. He was cold. Cold and pale and all but helpless.
She wasn't used to him looking like that.
Taking a silent, deep breath, she said softly, "Neji... Drink from me."
Neji turned his head towards her voice in surprise before shaking his head rather quickly. "Tenten, I can't do that," he replied, placing his hand over hers.
"Neji please don't argue with me this time," she begged, "you're barely breathing properly, you can't move, and you're getting paler. If drinking my blood gives you life, then please do it."
He shook his head, slightly terrified. "Tenten," he said pleadingly, "if I started, I don't know if I could stop. I'll be fine, I swear."
Tenten knew better, and he knew she knew better. She pressed her arm up against his lips and said,
"Neji, if you don't, you'll die." She blinked away her tears and continued, "You'll never see Hinata or Hanabi again. Guy Sensei and Lee will miss you greatly. You'll never see me again... Do you really want that?"
Neji inwardly shuddered at the thought, but he still wasn't budging.
Tenten suddenly pulled out a kunai and reopened the gash on her right arm. The blood hit Neji on the nose hard, and the mere scent sent his senses rapid with want; with need.
Neji groaned softly and tried to his best to ignore the smell, which was all impossible.
He was hungry and weak. He was in need of what Tenten was trying to offer.
But the simple fact that it was Tenten bothered him more than he was letting on.
"Tenten, please," he tried to say, but already mindset and on the verge of crying, Tenten pushed her arm up against his mouth, smearing the blood up against him.
The inner demon suddenly took control over the smell of her blood and Neji bit down hard on Tenten.
Tenten yelped but didn't move as she felt blood being slowly pulled from her body. The rush disappeared from Neji as he centered himself once more, but he could will himself to remove his fangs from Tenten's skin.
She watched him with a mix of emotions, keeping quiet as he drank her.
Not too long after, Neji let out a sigh mixed with relief and exhaustion, and removed his fangs from her skin.
He had stayed quiet afterwards.
Tenten stayed by him, monitoring his heartbeats and actions. He seemed calm and returning to a normal-enough state.
His skin was the same, but he was breathing easier and moving around more. To Tenten, that was progress.
When her stomach growled, she had realized that she herself did not eat anything since yesterday. S
he looked at Neji, who was quiet, and said, "I'm going to catch a fish or two. Don't move around too much; I'll be right back." He nodded slightly and said, "Hn," but made no other move.
She held back a sigh and stood up, pulling out a scroll and releasing a spear. She rolled up her leg pants and walked into the water, glancing around before quietly stepping into the water.
And for about thirty minutes, Tenten spent her time throwing the spear and trying to catch a fish.
Just as she gave up in frustration and threw the spear in anger, it pinned a fish down; a nice large-looking one at that.
Tenten, disbelieving but happy as heck, took the spear and flapping fish out of the water, walking back onto solid, dry ground. She then took out a knife and shivered as she put the fish out of its misery. Tenten then went running about to find wood.
By the time she finished placing the logs together and setting them on fire, she was really exhausted.
And the whole time, Neji just stayed quiet and motionless, other than his breathing. A
fter looking over at Neji once more, Tenten then stuck the fish on a slate of metal she had in another one of her scrolls, and sat in silence as the fish cooked itself.
The wait didn't last long, and Tenten indulged herself, spitting out the bones and avoiding the crisp eyes.
When she was finished, she was satisfied with herself and cleaned up, letting the fire continue to blaze for warmth.
Tenten glanced over at Neji and found that he was asleep. She stood up and walked towards him, feeling his pulse and chest. 'He seems fine,' she thought, snuggling close to him and watching the fire flicker.
She smiled slightly before closing her eyes, not exactly wanting to sleep, but after feeding Neji, trying to catch a fish and prepare it, she was ready to sleep.
However, when Neji started mumbling something, her eyes snapped open. She sat up and watched him as his hands twitched. Tenten watched him carefully as his words became clearer. "Stop... Leave..."
She placed her hand over his as his breathing picked up.
"Please," he begged, his voice barely audible, "Me... Not her... Stop..."
Tenten held Neji's hand to her chest and said, "Neji? Neji, it's just a dream."
But his pleading didn't stop. In fact, it became louder and clearer, worrying Tenten as much as frightening her. "Don't hurt her," he said softly, his voice quivering as well as his body.
Whatever nightmare he was having, it was messing with him.
"You have me," he pleaded, "Don't hurt her. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!" Tenten grabbed his shoulders and shook him awake, leaving Neji breathless and trying to get his mind straight.
She was trembling as she asked, "Neji, what's wrong? You're scaring me!"
Neji took a few deep breaths and grabbed Tenten's hands, holding them tight and saying, "It's just a nightmare... That's all it was... Just a bad dream..." Tenten returned his tight, firm grip, and waited a minute before resting next to him once more, not once letting go of his hands.
Whatever he was dreaming of, it was more vivid than he was used to, Tenten knew that much.
Neji's breathing returned to normal, but he did not go back to sleep, unlike Tenten, who couldn't stay up any longer.
The day had been long enough on its own.
~~
The sun had risen once more, hitting Tenten's face as she slept. But this time, she did not wake up from the light.
Neji was not next to her, but in the river, undressed and bathing himself quickly. He knew that she would eventually wake up, so he took a quick dip; the water stinging his eyes.
He then came back up to the surface and started to walk up when he heard footsteps coming towards him.
Before he could duck underwater however, Tenten said, "Your eyes have healed more... Most of the burns are gone."
He nodded awkwardly but didn't say anything else. She giggled and said, "I'll be walking into the woods for a minute to "handle" myself. I'll be back in about thirty minutes."
She then turned and walked off.
Neji waited until he could no longer smell her and got out, following what she said and standing out in the sun to dry. He squeezed out his hair and turned every few minutes to try and dry his back and legs. Once he figured thirty minutes was up, he slowly found his way back to his clothes, slipping them back on and leaving his hair out to dry a little longer.
Moments later, Tenten came back and sit before Neji, moving his hair out of the way and placing more ointment on his eyes.
When she finished and wrapped more cloth around his eyes and head, she relaxed slightly as he simply breathed easy, more or less. For a moment, both stayed silent.
However, she smiled and said, "I've never seen your hair down like that..." He didn't say anything but blushed as she caressed his mark before her fingers dug into his hair gently.
Neji had felt so relaxed up until he remembered what he dreamed about.
It was then and there that he pushed her back and said, "Don't."
Tenten watched as Neji started to tremble. She sighed and said, "You're not going to hurt me, Neji."
"No," he said softly; weakly, "but he will. And I can't have that."
Tenten was confused. "He? Who is that?" she asked. He sighed and said, "Him... A voice. An inner demon. I don't what he is exactly, or why he's there. But he's someone that constantly tries to take my body over. He whispers to me... Tells me all the things he'll do to you once he takes over..."
Tenten gulped and bit her lip to keep it from quivering.
He sighed and said, "I won't let him take over.. Even though what he says is convincing, even though he shows me things and convinces me, I won't let him have me. Because I have you. You're the one that's been keeping him at bay. Because you love me and you're trying so hard to protect me... He hates you for it and says so many things about what he'd do with you when he got the chance. So many... I can't block him out; I can't make him change his mind. He's after you. And the worst part is, the moment I slip is the moment that I am the one hurting you."
Tenten hugged Neji hard and said, "I won't let him win. I won't let that monster take over, Neji. But you have to believe me when I say that I am here for you. I love you. And you know this too."
As soon as she finished, talking, she suddenly felt queasy and dizzy. Not knowing why, she merely smiled and said, "Looks like you got me all worked up, Neji."
She kissed his cheek and caressed it soon after. Neji managed a faint smile but wouldn't say anymore.
Tenten said, "Don't worry, Neji. You will be alright. The both of us."
She stroked his beautiful black hair and closed her eyes for a moment, only to fall into unconscious soon after; her limp body leaned up against his.
Neji sensed this and it sent him into a panic.
"Tenten," he said, shaking her slightly, "Tenten!!"
Her eyes didn't open and her breathing seemed to have slowed.
She was still breathing; that fact alone kept Neji from going over the edge.
He wanted to blame the bloodloss for her passing out, but he feared that the situation was worse than what he wanted to assume.
~~
Yes, I know. I'm terrible. xDD I'm already working on the next chapter. Apologies for making you all wait so long. I hope you enjoyed.
Edit(8/20/15): Format changed! ^__^