Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Twilight, New Moon, or Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer.
Chapter II
Neji watched his prey with sharp, almost colorless eyes from the cover of the high branches belonging to the trees where he was perched. He focused his unique vision to see the signals pulsing in the target's chakra. It was rushed with impatience, he noticed, and weakened by hunger. Just as Neji had thought, he was waiting in the forest until nightfall to hunt despite the cloudiness of the day blocking any of the dangerous, revealing sunlight.
Glancing back, he noticed Lee's chakra was pulsing, as he knew his own was. Even a civil immortal like Lee, who was more kind than most humans, could not deny the thrill of a hunt like this. The Hyuuga also noticed the strength Lee's chakra contained. He had gone on a trip to rid the village nearby of troublesome bears and their blood had helped him regain his vigor.
Still, this wouldn't be an easy fight. Vampires were the only beings able to unlock ninja skills, and now that Sasuke was such a monster, he would be able to unlock the long-hidden skills of the Uchiha clan. Then there was the fact that he was still a newborn monster and therefore exceedingly strong. Unlike Lee and Neji, Sasuke was ruled by his instincts, his thirst, and would not think clearly in terms of strategy.
Neji watched the black eyes of the Uchiha snap open in his direction as the wind shifted only in the slightest to bring him the scent of his hunters. A snarl came forth from his throat, an unveiled threat. Lee rushed ahead, hurling a strong kick at the opponent's jaw. Sasuke threw himself backwards, towards an awaiting Neji. The more experienced fighter tried to blind him by clawing out his eyes, but Sasuke was too fast and jumped a few feet away to safety.
Angry at being thwarted, Neji leapt forward to tear at that stupid throat, but Sasuke moved a millisecond faster and was trying to tear off Neji's left leg before he could react to defend himself. In a forest green blur, Lee was at his friend's side, giving Sasuke a strong kick as he yelled out, "Rock Lee Senpuu!" Lee had taken the name of his home, Konoha, out of his attacks ever since he left and replaced it with his own.
Sasuke began to flee with shattering speed, but Lee was pursuing him. Neji followed, but his own rate didn't keep up well with that of the newborn vampire and the natural-born speeding bullet. Lee didn't have a skill like Neji, Hinata, and Sasuke, but he was fast even by vampiric standards.
Lee returned in a minute. "He's gone." Neji debated this news for a second before nodding and sitting on a rock.
"Okay, we'll get him tomorrow. He'll be too busy keeping his guard up tonight to attack anyone." Stretching his attacked leg, which hadn't been injured in the least, Neji resumed talking. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"
"Well, Kiba invited us to a party…and I said we'd go." Neji glared at his friend. "It'll be good to get out! Besides, I just got back! And Hinata could use a little test. And with you there, you could make sure things were okay." He smiled. "Please?"
Neji continued murdering Lee with his eyes for a few more seconds, and then nodded. "Fine. Any signs of trouble, however, and we leave."
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"Well Tenten," Kiba grabbed his friend by wrapping an arm companionably around her shoulder and pulling her to the fire by the shore, "You've met Naruto." The energetic brat nodded and waved from his spot.
"And you know Akamaru," the large dog was begging Tenten to scratch his ears. She complied with this as she and Kiba sat around the fire.
"This is Rock Lee," Tenten stared openly.
"He's wearing green spandex." A pause. "He has a bowl cut." Pause. "Are those his real eyebrows?"
"Hai, to all of the above!" Naruto laughed.
Lee began introducing his companions. "This is Hyuuga Hinata." The shy navy-haired girl, in Tenten's opinion, was beautiful. Her moonlight complexion and midnight hair made her look like a moon goddess. Her features, instead of conceded, were shy and delicate. Her eyes, moons in there own right, were genuine and kind.
"Tenten," she introduced herself.
"H-hello Tenten-s-san." The older girl frowned.
"None of that, just Tenten." Hinata smiled and nodded. Tenten's eyes glanced over to the last person to be introduced. "And who's she?" The girl, who was even more beautiful than Hinata, was just walking over to the rest of them. Her long, dark brown hair was almost raven in the darkness. Her eyes, like Hinata's, were white, but they had teasing hues of pale lavender. She walked with confidence and pride, like nothing in the world could bother her. Her face was a little angular for a girl's but still somehow captivating, as perfect and smooth as a porcelain doll.
The rest of the circle burst into mad laughter. "That's…Hyuuga…Neji!" Lee managed to tell her.
"You're a guy?" Tenten stared at her…him as she digested the information. Neji seemed only mildly annoyed as he looked at her for a second, sizing her up. The wind picked up, giving Neji a prime chance to absorb the scents of those around the fire.
One in particular stayed in his nose. It was the most desirable thing he'd ever imagined. Tenten's scent, he realized, hit him in a crashing wave. Nothing else existed; nothing else mattered, than getting a chance to taste that. He felt years of control melting away as he took another breath. It invaded every one of Neji's senses. He could almost hear it sing to him, beckoning him forth.
It wouldn't be hard. He'd have to kill Kiba, but after he did that Lee would deal with Naruto, leaving him to have what he so sorely needed. He'd seen them both make mistakes; wasn't he allowed one as well? Just this one life he would take…just one more undeserved death.
Then Neji remembered his father. Would he have seen it like that…just one more death? Neji stopped breathing, and felt himself calm down again. "Hai, I am male."
Tenten froze at the hateful, enraged glare Neji shot at her. It was one slip up…how could he hate her so much so suddenly? It was his fault that he looked like a girl, what with that long hair and slim figure. He was the one to blame. She was the one with the right to be angry! "What's your problem Hyuuga?"
Neji ignored her, sitting down on the opposite side, by Hinata. Kiba handed Tenten a stick with a marshmallow on it. "Don't mind him," he told her, "Neji's got a stick up his ass." Akamaru beside them woofed in agreement.
"Stick? Seems more like a tree." Kiba and Naruto barked with laughter.
"What's with the fire and food? You guys are driving Fuusoku crazy!" A girl their age with light lavender hair as wild as Kiba's strode up, her eyes flickering to each of them, stopping to glare at Kiba. A small terrier with tri-color fur was at her side, sniffing the air hungrily.
"Tenten, this is Akikaze. We're distant relatives of some sort." He looked up at her. "Why are you out here anyways? Onee-chan's been looking for you."
Akikaze scoffed. "Hai, I know. Hana bought me a skirt."
Naruto rolled his eyes. "Oh, how terrible."
"And a thong." The brat shivered in horror and she shot him a glare as Fuusoku yapped and growled. Tenten laughed at the un-threatening little lap dog and Akikaze's gaze met hers. "Kiba, you should introduce Tenten to Shino sometimes. She needs to learn not to judge by size."
Tenten frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Naruto laughed. "Don't worry 'bout Aki-baa-chan; she works with a lot of the little dogs and she's touchy about people makin' fun of them." Aki fumed.
"Don't call me that Naru-baka!" Fuusoku snarled, making Akamaru stand up and growl. That'll shut the little bugger up, Tenten thought, until Fuusoku charged the bigger dog and tried to take a bite out of Akamaru's leg. Akamaru barked at him and shook the little dog off. Fuusoku yapped at the large mutt, who finally let out a booming bark to shut the pest up.
Neji didn't even notice the dogs fighting. His eyes were trained on Tenten. Kiba was explaining about the Inuzuka's breeding dogs since ancient generations, but she didn't seem much interested and simply munched on her marshmallows until he said the word 'ninja.'
"You mean, your ancestors were shinobi?!" Tenten looked sincerely interested.
Kiba shrugged. "That's what the elders like to say, but they blab on about tons of long-ago legends. Besides, shinobi aren't real." Tenten's eyes glanced downwards, disappointed.
"Yeah, I know." Neji wondered why she'd seemed so interested. Now that he didn't breathe, his mind was clearing and he could think evenly. He didn't really hate Tenten, just her scent.
This made him hate her.
This single little mortal almost made him give up decades of careful and exact control for the scarcest taste of her blood. Even worse, he began to realize as those around the fire spoke to one another, that she would attend his school and his grade. He would have to hunt tonight...he couldn't risk being thirsty around her. There was no assurance he wouldn't kill her in front of the entire school for a single drop of her enticing essence.
His eyes met Hinata's and he saw the worry in them. She was doing well, he noticed. Her chakra wasn't pounding as his had been. Hinata could see chakra as he could, but she was unskilled at interpreting it. Even her meager skills, however, would have known something had happened. He gave her a bored glance, and then looked out across the water. Hinata continued with her concerned look a second longer before sighing.
She herself was having a hard time. If Neji had been paying any real attention, he would have noticed her leap every time Naruto said or did something in her general direction. His light-blue eyes happened to glance up at her and she instantly looked away, fiddling with her fingers. If she were still human, she knew she would have blushed.
Naruto thought the younger Hyuuga was weird. Nice, but weird. "So, Hinata-chan, you're my age, huh? I guess we'll be in the same class!"
"H-hai!" She squeaked out. Then, "N-Naruto-kun…if you a-are in the I-Inuzuka clan, why i-i-is you're sur-surname U-Uzumaki?" Naruto was impressed that she managed to get so many words out.
"Well, my dad separated from the clan when he was young and took on my mother's name, but when they died the clan took me back in. They said I looked like my dad so much, that they couldn't bring themselves to change my last name back. So, Uzumaki Naruto it is!" He grinned at her, making her look away again.
Aki and Kiba finally broke up the almost-fight and Aki took a seat around the fire, Fuusoku settling in her lap. Tenten looked at the little dog, having a newfound respect. It took a lot of guts to stand up to something so much larger than you.
That night, Tenten had no way of knowing that fate was shaping her path in a completely new direction. Her meeting with Hyuuga Neji and Inuzuka Kiba would send her spiraling down a destiny that she would have never imagined possible.
Someone requested that the chapters be longer, and this one definatly is. Neji and Tenten don't interact much, but being in the same school will surely force them to be together more often. Please R&R.