3AN - A oneshot for your woes. I could use some extra reads and reviews if you're feeling generous. If you enjoyed this, you can find more on my page. That is all.
D -Definitely does not belong to me. If it did, I would have at least given Tenten the proper ending she deserves.
To Paint a World
By
SoundShowers
There were tranquil days under thick canopies of mottled green leaves that rustled softly and parted in places to reveal the clear blue of a cloudless sky. These were the kind of days she treasured most. She would lie on her stomach, revelling in the feel of cold, hard earth and press her cheek to the soil. She would let her topaz colored eyes drift shut and allow her mind to wander in aimless serenity, secure in the knowledge that these were the moments she would think of when she lay, a dying star, upon the battleground. Not yet, she would think matter-of-factly, not when I have so much to live for.
She saw the sky as an ever-changing canvas, painted anew at the touch of dawn and then wiped clean by the coming of night. There were dangerous days too, and she was cautious, for she seemed to remember them the most. She would take up her arms and dance proudly with the affluent grace of a single raindrop. Not the strongest nor weakest, yet certain to fall and make her an imprint of her own. Some days she soared, as if borne on wings, rearing towards the heavens and a sky that always seemed to be tantalizingly within reach. Others she found herself plummeting downwards, trailing dark crimson, a bird who's wings were broken and bloodied. Then she would crash back down to earth, loving every minute- even as her wingless body embraced the impact of hard ground against bone. Then she would curl up like a child, vulnerable and fragile, and tears mingled with the blood of her injuries would paint patterns across her face. Still, there would be a smile upon the curves of her lips; she had only to rest her head against the ground to find peace.
There were happy days when she thought she had caught his eye. Each time his pearlescent gaze swept towards her, she flew and fell with both feet on the ground. He made the rhythm of her heart quiver like hummingbird wings, a thousand beats per second, letting her feel a curious and breathless exhilaration. She listened to the wail of steel upon steel, saw the birds he so often spoke of, wings outstretched to the sun. She became aware of everything when he stood at her side, a glistening figure that radiated control and dignity. These were the days she lived for, fleeting streaks of joy she feared would quickly fade before she was able to reach out and grasp them. On such days she liked to lie down on the soft, budding grass, sore and battered from sparring but oh, she could not have felt more alive! He would join her in quiet contemplation, sometimes standing, other times reclined against the trunk of a nearby tree. He was always watching, always looking for answers unknown.
There were sad days when he failed to notice her and she wilted, a dying flower left without sun or water. She would reason with herself, attempt to work out her feelings and provide a persuasive conclusion. None would come. In such times, she would distract herself by taking a walk in the quiet of moonlit streets, a lone figure silhouetted against the darkness of night. Somehow, she always ended up pressed against the earth. Sometimes, she would let the soil absorb her tears, but most of the time she gazed unseeingly up at the stars, determining the value of her worth to him and fearing for whatever future lay ahead of them. If she cried then, it wasn't for him so much as the uncertainty of it all. Of what she would become to Konoha, her penchant for weaponry would only take her so far and perhaps she was doomed to remain behind while her boys cast their sails and cut the cords that bound them. She would mash the side of her face into the ground with eyes squeezed shut. One passing by would probably think she were trying to fall right through the earth itself.
Then there were strange days when missions were scarce and nothing much could be done. She trained with him as was the norm, helping him in his brutal form of self-punishment and hating every minute of it. It was in moments such as this, collapsed into unsightly masses of aching joints, that he allowed her to bind his wounds, brush away tendrils of his loose hair, ask him softly what more she could do to help. She loved it when he gave in to utter exhaustion and rested his head hesitantly in her lap, speaking in a hoarse voice and looking like he had recently been spat out by a lawnmower.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Why do you always press your face against the ground?"
Neji asked one night, cracking an eye open to observe his sparring partner who was curled on the ground beside him, looking rather (he struggled internally for a few minutes) adorable with both legs drawn closely against her chest.
Tenten blinked, tilting her head so that she had a better view of his angular profile, "What do you mean?".
He sighed, leaping noiselessly from the tree branch he had previously occupied, and coming to sit beside her. "You're doing it right now."
At that, she grinned widely, rolling unto her front with a look reminiscent of a toddler being told he can have a second helping of cake. "Come here and I'll show you."
He was somewhat hesitant, albeit curious, as he obeyed her command. When he found himself lying beside her, back pressed against the familiar feel of grass, she continued. "I'm listening."
Neji's frown deepened. "Listening to what?"
"To the earth's heartbeat," she replied, turning to look at him. Upon seeing the rather skeptical look he was giving her, Tenten went on, "Listening to it reminds me that I am alive. I share the same heartbeat as the earth, my feet are always grounded even when I'm not physically on solid ground. It reminds me that there is a place I need to be, and it binds me to the people I love." Pausing, she smiled. "Like when you can hear the ocean in a seashell."
"Why bother? So long as you are alive, the heart will always beat." Neji let his gaze slide past hers until he found the stars again, blinking cheekily down at him as if they knew something he didn't. A part of him was amused by her statement, and he felt an idiotic grin begin to lift the corners of his lips.
Tenten sat up and looked at him, tilting her head in an inquisitive gesture. "Think of it this way. The earth is alive through me." Here she paused a minute before reaching out and grasping hold of his hand. Firmly, she placed it over his own heart, their fingers intertwining. "And through you, too."
When Neji brought himself down wordlessly to listen, Tenten couldn't help the soaring elation that crashed down upon her, and she was sorely tempted to punch the air childishly. "Can you hear it, Neji?" she inquired finally, eyes glimmering happily.
He was silent for a long time before replying, "...I hear it."
Their hands remained clasped for quite some time.
AN - Man, it feels weird to be writing in third person again. I've grown up writing in third person, but recently I've been attempting a different narrative style.