Swapped Kunoichi (Completed 2016)

Chapter Nine - "It Wasn't Supposed To Be Like This..."

"Tenten! Tenten!! Please open your eyes! Say something; anything!"

Tenten groaned and said, "You're putting pressure on my leg..."

Neji breathed a heavy sigh of relief and quickly got off of her, watching as she sat up with her hand on her head. She winced softly and said, "Gah... I feel just like I did when she and I made the switch... Wait..."

Her eyes opened wide as she looked at Neji, and he looked like he had been crying. That caught her off guard, but not too much.

He looked at her and asked, "Do you think we switched with the other two?"

Tenten nodded softly and tried to stand, but ended up collapsing in Neji's arms.

However, instead of trying to get up like she usually would, Tenten held onto him, keeping herself from crying. She looked up at him and said, "This is the first time I've seen you this upset..."

Neji smiled faintly and said, "Yeah, well... I'm not much on showing my emotions aside from anger and lust." Tenten caressed his cheek as the first tear rolled down hers.

After a moment of looking at each other, Tenten gritted her teeth and asked, "What do we do, Neji?"

He sighed heavily and said, "I don't know. But right now, I'd like a glass of water. What do you say to that?"

Tenten did her best to hold back more tears and said, "That sounds like a great idea, Neji. I guess at this point Sakura and the rest would know about the other Tenten, so I'm not ready for anyone to start asking questions."

Neji nodded softly and picked Tenten up as if she were a bride, carefully walking out of the woods and remembering that white tree.

Tenten clung to him, feeling almost dead inside.

'Why does it hurt,' she thought, looking up at a tear-stained Neji, 'Why does love have to hurt?'

~

Tenten sat by Neji as he was passed out and recalled the others' words. She shuddered and sighed, feeling lost, guilty, and hurt above all.

She looked down at Neji, wishing she could embrace him the way she wanted to.

She wasn't sure if he'd even want to speak to her at that point, but it seemed like the other Tenten pissed him off more than she had.

And when she thought of her own Neji, all she could think of was regret, anger, distrust; everything she wasn't feeling with the unconscious Neji next to her.

She wasn't sure that she could keep from touching him, hugging him, or kissing him even. She wanted Neji to embrace her, but she knew at that point that he might not ever. But he seemed so sincere in not being able to choose.

'Was it really that hard for him?' Tenten wondered, picking at her wrist.

A soft grunt caught Tenten's attention, and she turned to see him open his eyes. He groaned softly and asked, "What happened? I saw you pass out and.. Oh no, Tenten!"

He tried to stand up, but Tenten stopped him and said, "They're not here... I think we switched with them."

At first, Neji was disbelieving. However, when he locked eyes with Tenten, he realized that she was telling the truth.

He sighed and said, "This isn't good..." Tenten nodded softly and said, "I know it isn't... But at least now we kind of know there the switching is taking place."