A Mouthful of Sand

Summary: Neji Hyuga and Tenten are off to Leafy Beach to complete their community service hours. Although, there was respect for each other in the beginning, disrespect in the middle, there are now newfound opinions for each other in the end. Perhaps the annoying situations they found themselves in were not the coincidences they once thought they were…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Neji’s 4th POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TWITCH

TWITCH

TWITCH

TWI-

“Hyuga-san, are you crazy?”

“Only thinking of the idea…”

Neji Hyuga and Tenten were on their ‘merry’ way to the beach. Perfect weather for it. Right in the middle of summer with a nice upfront breeze coming in from the north.

If only they were there for fun…

No, Neji noted. We’re here to do ‘community service hours’ because we’re the only two students who forgot!

The Hyuga prodigy, merely 3 days off from graduation, was extremely pissed. Had the Hyuga clan taken ALL members instead of the spoiled Main House, he and Hinata would both be finished with their service hours.

However, of course, he was ignored being the Side Branch member he was and had to find his own way of community service.

Or more correctly, forced.

Gai-sensei, the eccentric teacher of his physical education period, highly recommended cleaning up Konoha’s local beach. He pushed the thought of it on him – literally – and drastically popped his privacy bubble leaving him no choice but to accept.

But, he added irritably. I would have never agreed if I knew there would be a stray cat on my tail…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Tenten’s 4th POV)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tenten groaned aloud for the umpteenth time that day. And it was dawn!

Of course, having to spend the entire day with that prick Neji Hyuga is sure to shatter anyone’s hope of a peaceful day…

She should’ve been happy today!

But noooo!

She was going to the beach for the first time in her life and she had planned to have fun while doing her community hours that she purposely forgot so that she would be allowed to go to Leafy Beach.

She had decided to go on a Saturday so that she’d have the prerogative to stay till dusk.

Had I known this tight-ass would be coming too, I would’ve gone on Sunday, she thought irritably, sending him side glares.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Where do we start, sir?”

“Hmmm…” The owner in question of the property thought a bit. Then, he pointed to an area. “From there to there,” he said, moving his finger along the shore of the beach. “Remove all the litter, seaweed, and such.”

“What about afterwards?” Tenten intervened with a dash of hope to catch some waves.

“Well, I’ll loan you kids some surfboards and some drinks if you’d like, free of charge.”

“Really?” Tenten exclaimed stars in her eyes when she heard the word ‘free’.

Neji lightly slapped his face. What was with this girl?

“Sure,” he said, crouching down a bit to her level. “It’s the least I could do.”

“But then, it wouldn’t be community service if you paid us,” Neji noted.

The man waved his finger at the Hyuga, something he truly hated. “No. If I myself pay for it, then I don’t believe so.”

Neji ‘hmph’ed.

“Besides…seeing you…,” he looked straight at Tenten. Her eyes were so innocent. “You remind me of someone I had once held dear.”

Neji quickly looked in his direction. The sudden tone in his voice was new. Affectionate.

“You remind me of her…So I will treat you like her…”

“Nice talking to you, but we must hurry and start cleaning,” Neji made a quick bow, grabbed Tenten by the arm, and dragged her outta there.

The man blinked a couple times at the Hyuga’s actions, and then smiled sweetly as he stood from his crouching position.

Yes. Like I promised you those years ago, I will watch over her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hyuga-san…”

He kept walking.

“Hyuga-san.”

Neji continued to drag her along the sand.

“Hyuga-san!”

Neji’s grip on her arm tightened.

Feeling that, Tenten quickly unsheathed a kunai and pressed it against the nape of his neck causing him to pause in his step.

…

He released her, letting her fall into the sand along with her kunai.

“Mmmm!”

“Huh?”

“Mmmm!!”

“Excuse me?”

She spat out a mouthful of sand and exclaimed, “What the hell’s wrong with you, Hyuga-san!”

He turned around slightly to face her and said coldly, “Don’t call me that.”

Tenten’s body wavered. Not at his glare, no. But rather something behind that glare. Some sort of hurt feeling she couldn’t name was hidden behind those irises. Something…

“Then why did you pull me away so suddenly?” she asked, expecting a better answer than the last.

“Is it not obvious?”

Wrong response, Hyuga!

Tenten picked herself up as well as her kunai, dusted her chin and her clothes, and said, “No it’s not.”

Neji sighed at her ignorance. “That man is planning to take advantage of you.”

…

“Hyuga-”

GLARE

“Neji-san, that’s not true.”

“How would you know?”

His words toyed at her mind, but she discarded her doubts.

“And why are you concerned?”

He flinched.

True.

Why did it matter to him this person’s fate?

Tenten smirked seeing as she had won.

“I…I will start cleaning now.”

Neji walked away to the other side of the beach that the owner pointed towards, and after a quick, interesting glance from Tenten, she went to the opposing side as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Geez…that Hyuga is such a meanie…,” Tenten pouted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That girl is so dense. I’m surprised she hasn’t sunk into the sand yet,” Neji snickered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn’t long before the two met up at the center of the beach having collected all the trash and litter and seaweed the found on their side. Their muttering of each other stopped for the moment as they nodded and brought the bags to the owner.

As the workers walked up to the hut where the man presumably lived, they saw the window up front open up and a sign was sprung atop the abode.

“Beach Hut?” the to-be genin said in unison.

The man poked his head out the window and waved at them.

“Oi! Right over here! Bring it here!”

As told they brought it to him. But when they got there, the man immediately threw the garbage over his hut and towards the other side.

“Why did you do that!?” burst Neji.

The man waved his finger yet again and pointed his snout in the air. “Look.”

The kids walked around the hut to find a scroll of sealing. Coming in from the back, the owner crouched and placed his hand on the designated area to ‘poof’ away the materials.

Neji was awestruck. He had read and saw chalk drawings of such a thing at the Academy, but not in person. Even accomplishing the simple task of taking out the trash made this technique seem so…cool.

Tenten however just grinned and grinned. She could see the excitement in that Hyuga’s eyes, no matter how little of it showed. Tenten planned to be a weapon mistress when she grew up and had long since mastered the easy jutsu.

“Well, would you like your surfboards now?” the man said standing.

Tenten nodded excitingly. “Tenny, just go in they’re and grab whatever you like, okay?” She nodded again and ran through the back door.

Neji paused to look at the man. Short brown hair to his chin, very similar to Mizuki, a plain gray shirt with a maroon-colored circle with a slash in between like Shikamaru. He was wearing gray-colored shorts too and brown sandals. Brown, but almost red irises…

“Tenny?”

Realizing that he shouldn’t have said that name, the owner waved it off with a little nervousness.

Tenten came out with a tan and bright red surfboard along with two glasses and a pitcher of American orange juice. Neji wondered how she could carry them all…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

POKE POKE

“Ahhh…The water’s a good temperature…”

Neji glared at her behavior. Also because she shoved whatever she snatched from the shack at him and he was going to lose his balance any second now…

Tenten grabbed a scroll from its pouch-like place and used the same technique the man did moments ago.

Up in smoke appeared several beach equipment. Mats, blankets, a rather lovely bikini, and much more.

Neji, in shock, nearly dropped everything, but got a grip quickly.

“TAKE THE DAMN STUFF!”

Tenten scratched her head awkwardly and settled the surfboards and drinks around the summonings.

“Okay! Let’s surf, Neji-san!”

“I’d…rather not.”

She looked at him in question.

“Why not? It’s free,~” she attempted to lure him.

“No.”

“Pfft. Fine.” So she went off in the dressing tent that she planned ahead to summon.

Changing from her pink cheongsam shirt, beige pants, and ninja sandals, she was now adorned with a bright yellow one-suit. She didn’t like one-suits, but the authority figure thought it proper.

She emerged and ran straight into the water. She purposely made a big splash to wet the Hyuga, but he instantly grabbed her green umbrella to shield himself from her attack.

She growled at him, but disappeared in the water nonetheless.

Neji sighed and lay back on the beach mat.

“I can’t risk it.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Neji Hyuga was peacefully asleep under the shade of an umbrella. He didn’t have to do anything this afternoon. No studying for an exam, no Main House to take after. Even under shade the heat got to him, and he changed into a swimming trunk a while ago that the Great Hiashi had given him for his trip here. That disturbed him in so many ways. He wore a brown sweater with three hooks, a black shirt underneath, and gauze over his forehead normally. The gauze was now the only thing that remained. He didn’t want to chance her seeing-

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!”

“Wha-”

CRASH

“Ow, ow, ow…”

“Tenten, get off me.”

“No.”

That answer brought up several questions as he stared down onto her. Between his legs, her hands grasping his shoulders, her head resting on his bare chest, and her chocolate hair tickling his neck.

Even under the shade and without a shirt and pants, he was feeling hot.

Moving forward a bit, he looked at her ankle. Twisted. Turning to his left he saw her surfboard stabbed into the sand. She must have ‘wiped out’.

Neji grabbed her medical kit – Damn, she brought a lot of stuff! – and searched for a cloth. There wasn’t any cold water nearby, so he reached for their orange juice; it’d have to do. Slowly, he started to remove his figure from hers so that he could work on her ankle at a better angle. But when he did, she just gripped him tighter.

“Tenten, you have to let go,” he told her kindly.

“No, Daddy.”

His eyes widened. What was that? But he shook away the thought, deciding to question her about that later. He maneuvered his neck so he could lean in more to plant the orange-covered-cloth where it needed to be. She winced, but other than that, she was okay with it. Her face slowly relaxed into a peaceful state.

“Tenten, get off me,” he whispered, but this time in a kind tone. “Get off of me…” He leaned in closer to tell her straight in the ear. “Get off-”

BONK

Neji covered his mouth to stifle the groan of pain. He turned his head nearly 180 degrees around in order to spot the surfboard that collided with his head.

Ouch.

It wasn’t long before she woke up though and politely moved away. She knew what he was going to ask. She knew she would have to answer. She lay on her side facing away.

“Why did you say ‘No, Daddy’?” he asked, more concerned than curious.

Tenten sighed. “The truth is, I could’ve gone to the beach at any time. I don’t have to get permission. My parents are dead.” Her eyes began to glow as the sun sank. Strands of her hazel hair fell across her face. Neji motioned his hand towards her. He motioned to comfort her like his father did him one day. If anyone could under stand her, it was hi-

SPLASH

The kids blinked several times to register what happened.

All of a sudden Tenten sat up and started laughing.

“I guess I shoulda set up further away from the shore,” she turned to him, “huh, Neji?”

The size of her eyes seemed to drastically increase; her mouth was in the shape of an ‘o’.

In that wave, Neji’s gauze slid down to his neck. Soaked, he discarded it carelessly. His frown was evident. He knew what she was going to ask. He didn’t have to answer, but…

“What happened?”

…he did.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“A bath full of dreams and a sink full of tears cannot be avoided, dear Tenny,” said owner, Nimaru. “But sometimes those dreams can be nightmares and sometimes those tears can be those of happiness.” And he smiled.

He had planned that wave. He had planned them to come. He had planned everything.

His dear friend could not have her, and for once Nimaru’s predictions of their togetherness were wrong. But that did not mean that his dream did not live on.

Neji, hold fast to this one, he thought with closed eyes.

“You two will look great together,” he laughed. “You two will definitely be- MMMMMM!”

“That is my thanks for putting us through all this, sir,” announced Neji as he dusted his hands.

Nimaru spit out a mouthful of sand and pouted.

Neji turned around to see Tenten waving at him. He waved back and ran to her.

When Nimaru believed he was far enough away, he smiled.

“You’re welcome.”

End