A/N: I'm so sorry T.T I've actually had this rotting away in my document manager in since July... but somehow, I never managed to edit it, so here finally, after a long while, I've decided to finally update it :) Thank you for all the reviews by the way X3 Much love to you all disclaimers found in the first chapter
Childhood Misadventures
- because every good partnership has some history -
Episode Three – Training Days
"I told you that you and TenTen-chan shouldn't have stayed out too long in the rain… Geez, kids these days, they're always so hardheaded." It was none other that the woman of the small Hyuuga household he resided in, it was his mother, dry towel at hand as she tried to tidy up her wet and muddy son who appeared at the doorstep just moments ago. "Is TenTen-chan okay? She didn't catch a cold, did she?"
Since when did mom call TenTen, TenTen-chan? The thought crossed the young prodigy's mind as he tried to snatch the towel from his mother, as a man, Neji knew that he could dry himself without the help of his mother. After realizing that taking the white towel from his mother was a hopeless case, he huffed and muttered, "TenTen's going to be fine, I haven't ever seen such a strong person aside from me and dad. Anyhow, she's stronger than an ox I bet, though I'm still better than her of course."
"Geez, no girl will be pleased when you compare her to an ox, you know?" His mother couldn't help but tell the young Hyuuga boy, "Now, go take a warm shower, make sure you don't catch a cold, okay? And just to be sure, bring some cold medicine over to your TenTen-chan's house tomorrow, and apologize to her parents for keeping her out so late to play!"
The boy couldn't help but strike a glare at his mother, "We weren't playing mom; we were training. That is serious business, you know?" he finished his statement before stomping to the bathroom, rather insulted.
His mother couldn't help but smile at her child's recent antics. She knew that training, for her young lad, had been quite the serious thing, a thing he much rather tackled alone. However, recently, due to a wonderful turn of events, Neji gained a friend, a good one at that, one of which he could open up to, and opened to him in return to that. She couldn't be happier; she always did think that Neji wouldn't lead the same sort of childhood as other children since his father's untimely demise. TenTen was an angel for her; she didn't know how to even begin on thanking her…
Maybe, if things went the way she planned, one day both Neji and TenTen-chan would walk across the wedding aisle together…
Oh, what a wonderful thought! Mrs. Hyuuga couldn't help but let out a giggle, as she fantasized at the could-be future in store for the most important person in world for her, her son, Neji Hyuuga. Her reverie was soon broken however when she heard her son shout…
"Mom, how come our only soap in the bathroom has a label saying for sensitive skin and lessens wrinkles! You don't expect me to use that, do you?"
Mrs. Hyuuga could not help but shake her head, indeed, boys will be boys.
Neji was fairly surprised when he found nobody waiting at his doorstep that morning, the girl who always sported the bun hairstyle and was always half asleep and drooling on the porch every morning since their fated meeting had been missing. His mouth curved into a slight frown, but he set aside the thought and instead came up with the conclusion that TenTen most probably overslept, and most likely, killed her alarm clock for the umpteenth time; she was already one of the most regular customers in the repair shop not so far from the Academy. She was just going to be late, only that.
Satisfied with the thought, he shrugged and proceeded to the academy in his all-too-familiar way until he came across the young weapons wielder, alone.
He began to become really anxious when she was still absent during the third period in the morning, combat-training, her favorite, wouldn't miss it for the world. She lived for that hour in the morning; even sleep wouldn't be able to keep her from punching their classmates stupid and hitting targets of various sizes. He was quite worried. Maybe, that was the reason that he suddenly kept drumming his fingers on his desk… Nah… it couldn't be.
A thought then struck the young Hyuuga prodigy; his conversation with his mother the previous night had reentered his mind, haunting him. A chill went down his spine when he remembered his haughty statement to his mother that TenTen was stronger than an ox, he wouldn't be eating his words back soon, would he? She couldn't actually be sick now, could she?
He turned to the small pouch strapped on his shorts; his mother forced him to bring medicine this morning, just in case TenTen really was bed-ridden and sick, and told him to give it to her either way. From what he learned, TenTen had often been left alone in the house by her father who always had missions to participate in as a jounin, and her mother had passed away when she was born. His mother found out about this too and came up with the conclusion that a young girl, alone in the house, couldn't possibly go off to by medicine just in case she was sick. Neji, being a stubborn young boy, still stood firm with the idea that TenTen was stronger than an ox when his mother had been ranting about this.
The Hyuuga couldn't help but let out a sigh; it seems like he would be skipping practice today.
No, no, don't get him wrong here… He wasn't skipping his most important practice time for a bed-ridden girl. Of course not! He would never do such a thing; he was a cold, strong and stoic warrior and would not be affected by such trivialities. No, it wasn't because TenTen was sick that he was offering up his precious time of developing his Byakugan and creating new techniques to overthrow the Hyuuga Main House. There was no way he could be that shallow. No, no, not Neji Hyuuga.
He just needed TenTen for a certain technique, as a guinea pig… Yeah, that was it. He needed her as a guinea pig. Yup, that was it. No other thing to it. It wasn't as if he just felt like practicing without his boisterous and weapon-obsessed friend felt just wrong and incomplete nowadays… Of course not. Noooo….
Okay, so maybe he did feel a bit… worried, and ever since he began practicing with her, he felt as though his training sessions had more depth to them and had been much more fruitful.
But hey, being there when she's sick, that's just another thing friends do, right?
And of course, TenTen was his friend, sort of.
TenTen felt, to put in into one simple word, horrid. Waking up in the morning with the most mind-piercing head-ache in the world was never a good way to start your day, and she found herself chained to her bed until the pain slowly subsided. She then realized that she had gained herself a cold, and a flu, and that there was no way she could cook herself breakfast (which was using the can opened to open a can of sausages and eating old rice from the previous night), go to school and beat people up during combat-training, and of course meet with Neji and train with his in the latter part of the day. She just knew that it was not going to be a good day.
She doesn't even remember the last time she caught a cold; she loved running around under the thundering caress of the rain like an insane maniac or twirling around and dancing under soft drizzles, and she never got sick because of it. The last time she caught a cold, she thinks, was around 3 years ago. Normally, she's stronger than an ox. She almost forgot that there was such a thing as a cold or a flu in the world, and obviously, she was never prepared for the sudden turn of events so she didn't have any medicine at all. Just great, huh?
Miraculously, God didn't seem to have totally abandoned her yet. She managed to get through the day and was even blessed with a bowl of hot porridge his father had prepared for her earlier before leaving for his mission; the poor man had no idea that his daughter was sick. She spent most of her time, wrapped under a blanket, a wet towel placed over her forehead and looking at the ceiling and walls though, or counting the seconds until she would get better. Obviously, her idea reduced her to be even more impatient.
She didn't know whether to call it a blessing or another misfortune when the doorbell buzzer suddenly rang, thrice in uniform intervals. She had to weigh her options. She could not answer the door, not have to leave the comfy blanket and get up and risk having a migraine, but still die in boredom OR she could answer the door, get a migraine, but have the chance of getting saved from this boredom and total idiocy of being sick. Even though it was a risk, she opted for the latter one and lugged her body and a panda stuff toy from her bedroom, down the stairs and to the front door.
She wanted to do a goofy happy dance when she saw the Hyuuga prodigy in front of her doorstep, an awkward expression on his youthful face.
"TenTen…?" Neji said; his mouth agape when he found the weary looking and red-nosed TenTen wave hi to him with a small smile.
"Neji! Thank goodness, for a moment there I thought you were one of them cosmetic-sales people who sell those goopy stuff they call err… muck-up…? My dad says they're evil people."
He didn't need any words and invited himself in her humble home; it was a nice and neat place, until you get to steal a glance of the kitchen. Apparently, this family was totally culinary knowledge deprived. He turned to the young girl, who was now embracing her panda stuff doll in a weak hug, "Have you eaten anything since this morning?"
"Dad left me porridge for breakfast, he left for another mission earlier than when I woke up, so he didn't find out I was sick." TenTen sneezed and wiped her nose before continuing, "How was school today? Did you kick Shinn's butt as usual?"
Neji, on the other hand, discarded her question and searched his pouch for the container of small tablets, when he found the said container he placed it in her hands then said, "Take this now, then another in 4 hours. Hmm… Basically, take one every four hours. It's quite effective, my mom used it on me when I got sick before."
TenTen blinked as she reached for a glass of water, "Thanks…"
"Now, go to bed and cure yourself." He barked at her, but not in an unpleasant way, more of in a worried-best-friend kind of way. He then made his way to the telephone hanging on her home, dialing his home's number "I'll call mom and tell her to fix you up that squishy chicken soup thing she's so proud of. It may not look too good, but it's effective. I'll watch you until she comes. I bet you're going to do something stupid, since you are stupid."
"Hey, I'm not stupid!" she scowled at him, but deep inside rather glad because of the recent turn of events.
He smirked, as he held out his hand to her, planning to guide her into her room, "Whatever, stupid, you just go and get yourself rested, okay? I'll be watching you and you can be sure that you can't go off and shine your weird weapons, or anything of the like. You are resting and getting well, as soon as possible too…"
Then, like a speeding train, a thought suddenly crashed in the young girl's mind, "Wait, don't you have to go training? You always do! You want to go strong, remember?"
Neji, seeing that she wouldn't follow him up, decided he would just push the young girl back to her room. He flashed a mysterious smile in front of her then said like the haughty little boy he was, "Can't train without my guinea pig now, can I?"
TenTen scowled but honestly, she wanted to laugh at his statement.
"But, honestly TenTen, training days without your weird company is just plain boring. It'll never be the same. Besides, I am your friend, right?"
And she nodded.
Somehow, she felt that tomorrow, she'll be healthy, happy and rejuvenated. :D
:Tsuzuku - to be continued:
A/N: I promise to have a plot alive and kicking by the next chapter, I swear! Besides, in that chapter, Neji gets introduced to a certain somebody everybody loves ;) Can you guess who? I'm sorry again for the lateness of this chapter, and the suckiness if ever you feel that way ;; Errm… and if it's not too much to ask R/R!