Your mind immediately went to Tenten when you heard the news.
After all, it didn't seem very plausible to you. They just... broke up? But they seemed so happy together...
You, along with Sakura and Ino, made your way to Tenten's house the day after the incident had happened. Normally, you didn't see the two younger girls all that much, but since Tenten was your best friend, due to her being the only other girl amongst the Academy graduates, you would put up with the two frienemies.
"Oh, I hope she's okay..." Sakura was the first one to speak, as the three of you were in front of Tenten's door.
"She'd better be," Ino responded with a frown, "if she's not, I'm gonna kick Neji's ass!"
You listened to the two of them talk to each other for the next couple minutes before Tenten answered the door.
"Guys, stop yelling!" She said, alerting the others of her presence. The girls did as asked, and you all went into her room.
"Why are you even here?" She asked you and the others once everything had been settled. "And (Y/N)... you don't usually talk to Sakura and Ino. I'm surprised you tagged along."
"I wanted to see you," you told her, a concerned look on your face, "I know what he meant to you. Are you alright?"
She nods. "I'm fine, yeah... it ended peacefully, so please, don't try and fight him. We just couldn't work things out anymore."
"Why couldn't you?" Ino asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Yeah, why couldn't you work things out?" You saw her fists clench with her words. You had seen firsthand how strong Sakura was physically, you didn't want anyone in Konoha to be the target of her wrath... or at least her fists.
Tenten raised her hands. "Girls, please, I don't... I don't want any trouble. I'm fine, really. Let's do something to take our minds off it, yeah?"
The four of you ended up just sitting in her room and talking. You didn't say much, you never liked to talk in front of people you didn't really know. It was nothing against Sakura and Ino, you just didn't want to accidentally say something you wanted to stay a secret.
When you were spoken to, you would respond as honestly as your conscious would let you. When you were asked who you had a crush on, you simply told them that you liked no one; that no one in Konoha had stolen your heart just yet.
That was a lie, but you didn't want Sakura and Ino to gossip, and you certainly didn't want to mention his name around Tenten.
Yes, you had a crush on the Neji Hyūga, Tenten's ex-boyfriend. You had been classmates at the Academy, but after you were put onto seperate teams, you didn't see him as much anymore. That was fine, you had simply assumed you'd gain a crush on one of your teammates.
You never did.
When Sakura and Ino finally left, you were now alone with Tenten. You walked over to her and enveloped her in a hug, letting her rest her head on your shoulder.
"He said he didn't love me anymore..." she murmured. "He said... that there was someone else."
"Did he say who?" You asked, gently prying her off of you so you could sit next to her on her bed.
She shook her head. "No... no, he didn't. But who could it be? I can't think of anyone it could be..."
You had an idea. But you didn't want to jump right in and confront him about it, Tenten was your best friend! You didn't want to break her heart, so you knew that you'd have to dive in lightly.
"Tenten, I-" you started, and then cleared your throat. "I'm the only one I can think of that he might have moved on to. I'm not going to confront him, but I want you to know that if anything does happen, I don't mean any ill intent."
⠀
It took her a minute to respond. "Oh... well, if you promise to not cause a scene with him, it's alright... thanks for telling me, (Y/N). I appreciate it."
You nodded in response. "I'm so sorry it had to be like this, Tenten. And I really hope I'm wrong, and that it's someone else, or no one at all. Anyways, I should head out... it's starting to get dark out and I don't want to burden your family by staying any longer." You hugged her goodbye and walked out the door.
⠀
When you were in a place where you were sure no one would find you, you let out a deep sigh. Life could be tough sometimes, but as hard as it was for you compared to a civilian, you had teenage problems, too. You couldn't escape drama, even in the shinobi world.
"I had a feeling I would find you here," a voice spoke.
You immediately recognized it as Neji, the one person you didn't want talking to you right now. However, you had promised Tenten you wouldn't cause a scene, so you didn't run away from him.
Instead, you simply turned your head in his direction. "Is there something you needed? It's getting quite late."
He sat down next to you on the patch of grass, looking up at the sky. "Not particularly... but I wanted to talk to you."
You hesitated, but agreed, nonetheless. "Go ahead. Shoot."
"You know how some people feel like home? Like, whenever you're with someone, you just know you're safe?"
You yourself had never felt that feeling, but you knew what he was talking about. "Yeah... look, is this about Tenten? I promised her I wouldn't start any drama, so if we could please refrain fr-"
"This isn't about Tenten. This is about you."
"So... I make you feel safe? I'm your 'home', so to speak?"
"Quite the opposite, actually."
Was... was Neji okay? He was never like this, he was less... deep.
As if reading your mind, he spoke up again. "You're a mysterious person, (Y/N). You bring out a side in me I don't want others to see. I don't know how you've done it, but... somehow, whenever you're around, I feel like I've won. Won at... at life."
"Neji... are you drunk!?"
"I'm the most sober I've ever been."
A few moments pass, and you sigh once again. "So, essentially... that was your way of saying you like me."
"...I suppose."
"What about Tenten? What has she done to make you not love her anymore?"
He sighed, although you guessed that he was probably expecting that kind of a response. "It isn't anyone's fault, (Y/N). Sometimes love just changes."
A few minutes pass before you get up, as well as helping him to his feet as well, despite him more than likely not needing it. "Very well. I'll see you tomorrow, then. We can discover more about this side I've awoken in you."
