[Fanfiction] A Beautiful Mind
A Beautiful Mind
Author: shizuyuki (@ shizuyume)
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Neji x Tenten
Rating: G
For 30_romances's 27th theme - Garden Vista ; Elysium El Dorado
A Beautiful Mind
this is the world through the eyes of a child
It had been a long time since the graduation of Hiashi's youngest cousin - and when the head of the clan entered his nephew into the Academy, there was much talk within the teachers' common rooms. Apparently, this Hyuuga Neji was the son of the head's deceased twin - quiet, good-looking (even at such a young age), and very brilliant. The Sandaime had advised the teachers to discreetly watch out for this boy - he was a genius, and genius had their own problems of extreme introversion and depression.
Yet there was nothing about the Hyuuga that caused any of the teachers to worry. Unlike other specimens of aspiring ninja, he was calm, composed and carried the detached air that all exemplary shinobi possessed. Admittedly, Neji was indifferent towards many things and relatively cold to the fellow children, but he would oblige sparring or training with the others, albeit with a little displeasure.
Iruka brought the class out for kunai-throwing on their fourth day in the Academy. Neji was standing at the end of the field, his vision pinned upon the bullseye of a target some considerable distance away. With a swift flick of his wrist the weapon shot towards the red mark, narrowly missing it by roughly a centimetre. The class cheered and looked in awe at the boy - who was even able to land on board when others had their kunai sail past or simply fell before it hit.
The prodigy however was not satisfied - he retrieved another kunai and set it off in another motion. This time the kunai struck left of the target, and he stared, displeased but not ruffled by his failure. Before he had the chance to try again, the mark was deftly struck by another kunai. Its handle trembled slightly due to the aftermath of a strong throw - and he turned to his side sharply, to see a girl smiling.
He eyed the intruder suspiciously, from the buns at the top of her head to the long, greyish pants which she wore. Ever since the death of his father Neji regarded most people with a sort of detachedness and animosity. She was peculiar, definitely - and she was certainly skilled.
"Stop staring at me," she said, cutting into his thoughts. "I know who you are, Hyuuga Neji. I can remember you from the first day's introduction."
Neji didn't look away but continued staring straight at her. He was not paying attention during the previous day's introduction and could much less remember that someone like her even existed.
"Tenten. You probably don't remember," she started. "Most people don't remember, anyway." The girl grinned, her brown eyes widening. "I saw a little of you during the last few days. But there were too many girls watching, so I couldn't really see the genius that they were all talking about."
The boy had reached for another kunai, twirling in his hands with a sort of quaint arrogance. He had always known that there was something special about him, early on in the Hyuuga compounds. This difference was not simply the manji on his forehead (he dared not to think about it), but the way he could throw weapons, dodge fists and control Chakra. By the third day of his official schooling he confirmed the fact that he was indeed more talented than other children his age - (but what good would it be, he thought bitterly). So here he was, an exemplary example of a cool Hyuuga descendent, possessing a childish pride to prove his weaponry attacks better than an otherwise nameless girl.
He held the kunai, preparing to throw it at yet another target when Tenten laughed and shook her head, a few pieces of stray hair flowing with the transient breeze. "You can control chakra and anticipate movements well," she said, "But your wrist is too stiff when it comes to throwing weapons."
The stoic Hyuuga Neji found himself being taken aback by such an honest, blunt statement. He continued eyeing her, his face a supressed show of disagreement. Inwardly he hoped that she would explain herself, for a small part of him acknowledged that her weapon attacks were indeed superior. Yet even at that tender age Tenten was a determined, undistracted kunoichi, and she walked off unruffled, returning to where she had begun her own practice.
So Neji stood in the affluence of his genius, reeling back at the unspoken tension which had threatened to make itself present at that point of time. It had instead disintegrated into a peaceful aftermath of calm, and it disturbed him greatly when he thought of the girl's words. Iruka-sensei was walking around, and he could see very clearly the teacher's nod of approval when he stopped in front of the intriguing kunoichi.
On one hand he was annoyed at being so deftly outdone by another (furthermore, a female) with mere words. On another hand he saw an elite member of the ninja being moulded - and the pragmatism of her words was what set her apart the most.
Iruka-sensei then came over and requested a demonstration of skills - the boy spinned the kunai adeptly before setting it off. It missed the spot by a margin again, but Iruka nodded his head, impressed, and told him to rest. The boy's initial irritation returned for a reason he could not exactly pinpoint. Neji tossed his head and sat down by the side, watching the others try over and over again.
If he had even bothered to utilize his Byakugan then, he would have noticed Tenten smirking slightly at the other end of the field. But the Hyuuga sat stubbornly with an undetectable air of immaturity, still silent and calm when he thought about their encounter. Unconsciously, Tenten's form had already began to implant itself into his mind, and when he watched another of her weapons sail past, his admiration of the kunoichi had already begun to manifest.
Neji touched the grass absently, taking out a kunai and holding it in his hand. He could hear the sound of metal hitting the ground when the other children missed their targets, attempting to achieve the intended. Spinning the kunai skilfully in his right hand contemplatively, the prodigy watched the blade dissolve into a silver whirl before it came to rest again.
He wondered how would it be like if she had not spoken to him - would he be the same dissatisfied boy trying vainly to correct a simple mistake? Or would he, being the intelligent child he was, figure it out, leaving Tenten to be only an inexistent figment of his first class? Neji watched the rapid turning of the kunai with an unfitting curiosity, his mind whirling in the exact same pattern as the sharpened blade.
Additional Notes:
& From 30_romances: Garden Vista - a garden is a garden (xD) and a vista is "a distant view or prospect, especially one seen through an opening, as between rows of buildings or trees" or "an avenue or other passage affording such a view", or " An awareness of a range of time, events, or subjects; a broad mental view".
In essence, a garden vista is a place with beautiful scenery. Seen through an opening? Yeah. Something like that.
& A Beautiful Mind - Title is inspired by that beautiful, beautiful movie :) In a different context here - but children's minds think so differently, and even as cold as Neji is, I believe that any child at that age would be moved by the strangest things.
& All comments are greatly appreciated.
Fic challenges intimidate me. 29 more NejiTen to go!
(And since this is Neji-related, I shall pimp out my Neji icons here.)
Friend for fanwork updates?
Author: shizuyuki (@ shizuyume)
Fandom: Naruto
Pairing: Neji x Tenten
Rating: G
For 30_romances's 27th theme - Garden Vista ; Elysium El Dorado
A Beautiful Mind
this is the world through the eyes of a child
It had been a long time since the graduation of Hiashi's youngest cousin - and when the head of the clan entered his nephew into the Academy, there was much talk within the teachers' common rooms. Apparently, this Hyuuga Neji was the son of the head's deceased twin - quiet, good-looking (even at such a young age), and very brilliant. The Sandaime had advised the teachers to discreetly watch out for this boy - he was a genius, and genius had their own problems of extreme introversion and depression.
Yet there was nothing about the Hyuuga that caused any of the teachers to worry. Unlike other specimens of aspiring ninja, he was calm, composed and carried the detached air that all exemplary shinobi possessed. Admittedly, Neji was indifferent towards many things and relatively cold to the fellow children, but he would oblige sparring or training with the others, albeit with a little displeasure.
Iruka brought the class out for kunai-throwing on their fourth day in the Academy. Neji was standing at the end of the field, his vision pinned upon the bullseye of a target some considerable distance away. With a swift flick of his wrist the weapon shot towards the red mark, narrowly missing it by roughly a centimetre. The class cheered and looked in awe at the boy - who was even able to land on board when others had their kunai sail past or simply fell before it hit.
The prodigy however was not satisfied - he retrieved another kunai and set it off in another motion. This time the kunai struck left of the target, and he stared, displeased but not ruffled by his failure. Before he had the chance to try again, the mark was deftly struck by another kunai. Its handle trembled slightly due to the aftermath of a strong throw - and he turned to his side sharply, to see a girl smiling.
He eyed the intruder suspiciously, from the buns at the top of her head to the long, greyish pants which she wore. Ever since the death of his father Neji regarded most people with a sort of detachedness and animosity. She was peculiar, definitely - and she was certainly skilled.
"Stop staring at me," she said, cutting into his thoughts. "I know who you are, Hyuuga Neji. I can remember you from the first day's introduction."
Neji didn't look away but continued staring straight at her. He was not paying attention during the previous day's introduction and could much less remember that someone like her even existed.
"Tenten. You probably don't remember," she started. "Most people don't remember, anyway." The girl grinned, her brown eyes widening. "I saw a little of you during the last few days. But there were too many girls watching, so I couldn't really see the genius that they were all talking about."
The boy had reached for another kunai, twirling in his hands with a sort of quaint arrogance. He had always known that there was something special about him, early on in the Hyuuga compounds. This difference was not simply the manji on his forehead (he dared not to think about it), but the way he could throw weapons, dodge fists and control Chakra. By the third day of his official schooling he confirmed the fact that he was indeed more talented than other children his age - (but what good would it be, he thought bitterly). So here he was, an exemplary example of a cool Hyuuga descendent, possessing a childish pride to prove his weaponry attacks better than an otherwise nameless girl.
He held the kunai, preparing to throw it at yet another target when Tenten laughed and shook her head, a few pieces of stray hair flowing with the transient breeze. "You can control chakra and anticipate movements well," she said, "But your wrist is too stiff when it comes to throwing weapons."
The stoic Hyuuga Neji found himself being taken aback by such an honest, blunt statement. He continued eyeing her, his face a supressed show of disagreement. Inwardly he hoped that she would explain herself, for a small part of him acknowledged that her weapon attacks were indeed superior. Yet even at that tender age Tenten was a determined, undistracted kunoichi, and she walked off unruffled, returning to where she had begun her own practice.
So Neji stood in the affluence of his genius, reeling back at the unspoken tension which had threatened to make itself present at that point of time. It had instead disintegrated into a peaceful aftermath of calm, and it disturbed him greatly when he thought of the girl's words. Iruka-sensei was walking around, and he could see very clearly the teacher's nod of approval when he stopped in front of the intriguing kunoichi.
On one hand he was annoyed at being so deftly outdone by another (furthermore, a female) with mere words. On another hand he saw an elite member of the ninja being moulded - and the pragmatism of her words was what set her apart the most.
Iruka-sensei then came over and requested a demonstration of skills - the boy spinned the kunai adeptly before setting it off. It missed the spot by a margin again, but Iruka nodded his head, impressed, and told him to rest. The boy's initial irritation returned for a reason he could not exactly pinpoint. Neji tossed his head and sat down by the side, watching the others try over and over again.
If he had even bothered to utilize his Byakugan then, he would have noticed Tenten smirking slightly at the other end of the field. But the Hyuuga sat stubbornly with an undetectable air of immaturity, still silent and calm when he thought about their encounter. Unconsciously, Tenten's form had already began to implant itself into his mind, and when he watched another of her weapons sail past, his admiration of the kunoichi had already begun to manifest.
Neji touched the grass absently, taking out a kunai and holding it in his hand. He could hear the sound of metal hitting the ground when the other children missed their targets, attempting to achieve the intended. Spinning the kunai skilfully in his right hand contemplatively, the prodigy watched the blade dissolve into a silver whirl before it came to rest again.
He wondered how would it be like if she had not spoken to him - would he be the same dissatisfied boy trying vainly to correct a simple mistake? Or would he, being the intelligent child he was, figure it out, leaving Tenten to be only an inexistent figment of his first class? Neji watched the rapid turning of the kunai with an unfitting curiosity, his mind whirling in the exact same pattern as the sharpened blade.
Additional Notes:
& From 30_romances: Garden Vista - a garden is a garden (xD) and a vista is "a distant view or prospect, especially one seen through an opening, as between rows of buildings or trees" or "an avenue or other passage affording such a view", or " An awareness of a range of time, events, or subjects; a broad mental view".
In essence, a garden vista is a place with beautiful scenery. Seen through an opening? Yeah. Something like that.
& A Beautiful Mind - Title is inspired by that beautiful, beautiful movie :) In a different context here - but children's minds think so differently, and even as cold as Neji is, I believe that any child at that age would be moved by the strangest things.
& All comments are greatly appreciated.
Fic challenges intimidate me. 29 more NejiTen to go!
(And since this is Neji-related, I shall pimp out my Neji icons here.)
Friend for fanwork updates?