Things I'll Never Say

Disclaimed! Song nor characters are mine.

I'm tuggin' at my hair
I'm pullin' at my clothes
I'm tryin to keep my cool
I know it shows

Tenten pinned her hair up into her customary buns. She straightened the gleaming Konoha forehead protector compulsively. She shined it as much as she shined her beloved weapons. She buttoned up her Qui-pao blouse and smoothed out the wrinkles. Her brows furrowed as she examined herself in the mirror. She took steady, deep breaths as she thought about her upcoming training session with her genius teammate, Hyuuga Neji. Finally telling herself that she was being stupid for thinking that he'd actually care about how she looked, she jumped out her window and headed for their training ground.

I'm staring at my feet
My cheeks are turning red
I'm searching for the words inside my head

"You're late," Neji's monotonous, yet hypnotizing, voice said as Tenten walked up to him.

"Gomen," Tenten answered quickly, a faint tint of red appearing on her cheeks as she gazed down at the Byakugan master's meditating form. If the blush was coming from shame or from the feelings for her teammate she had developed, Tenten couldn't tell.

She's nervous, Neji observed through his closed eyes as Tenten pulled out a kunai and began to twirl it around. "Are you ok?" he asked, allowing a faint hint of concern to show itself into his deep voice.

Tenten opened her mouth and closed it wordlessly. She nodded, instead. "Are you ready?" she finally decided to ask.

Neji smirked as he stood up. "Byakugan!" he said confidently as he went into his Jyuuken stance.

Tenten disappeared into the trees.

'Cause I'm feeling nervous
Tryin' to be so perfect
'Cause I know you're worth it, you're worth it
Yeah...

Kuso…I need to focus, Tenten thought to herself furiously as Neji effortlessly evaded the dozen shuriken she had thrown at him. It's normally not this easy for him to dodge my weapons…

"What are you doing Tenten? Don't tell me you're already tired," Neji sneered as he remained unruffled from the past to bombardments of various projectiles from the weapon mistress.

Tenten hissed in frustration and pulled out a scroll. Biting down on her thumb, she jumped into the air and showered a storm of scythes, kunai, shuriken, and fuma shuriken at her sparring partner.

"Kaiten!" Neji spun like a top and released a large amount of chakra, effectively rendering the flying weapons useless on the ground. He stopped gracefully and registered the grudging look of admiration on his teammate's face with his trademark smirk.

If I could say what I want to say
I'd say I want to blow you--away
Be with you every night
Am I squeezing you too tight?

"Hahh!" Tenten yelled as she attacked Neji from above with a pair of tonfas she had summoned. Just this one time…maybe…just maybe…if she could win this spar…she could win his heart…

"I will not back down!" Tenten roared suddenly and landed a punch on Neji's surprised face.

What? Her eyes have changed…what's driving her to fight so hard? Neji wondered as he ducked under the slashing tonfas. Taking advantage of her briefly exposed chest, he sent Tenten flying with a quick push from his chakra-laced palm.

Tenten grunted as she flipped backward. She landed awkwardly squatted on her legs, her right arm keeping her balanced as she skidded farther away from Neji. She spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at him.

Her eyes show pure determination. Come, Tenten. Show me what you can do... Neji thought to himself as he once again went into his Jyuuken stance as his teammate pulled out two scrolls.

If I could see what I want to see
I want to see you go down--on one knee
Marry me today
Guess I'm wishing my life away
With these things I'll never say

"You're going down, Hyuuga," Tenten huffed as she pulled out two scrolls. Neji raised an elegant eyebrow. Tenten crouched down and performed a few seals.

"SHOSHORYU!"she said ominously. There was a loud bang like a cannon as the scrolls exploded in a huge blast of smoke. Two dragons erupted out of the cloud of smoke and intertwined themselves before separating once more and becoming scrolls. Tenten launched herself between the two scrolls and bombarded Neji with scores of weapons.

"Kaiten!" Neji said again as he once again executed the Divine Whirlwind. His ultimate defense stopped the weapons in their tracks.

"I'm not done," Tenten proclaimed as she started to run around him. Neji kept his eyes trained on his teammate.

Tenten sprung off the ground and flipped higher up into the air. Suddenly, all the weapons on the ground began to move.

Chakra strings! Neji thought to himself in surprise. "Kait-"

"Hah!" Tenten yelled as she redirected the weapons at Neji again.

A grunt of surprise issued out of Neji's mouth as he earned himself a few cuts from Tenten's last attack. He quickly took out a kunai and blocked Tenten's katana that she was currently using. Her ferocity had taken him off guard. Her legs swept him off his feet. He fell backward, grabbing onto Tenten, determined to bring her down as well.

"Argh!" Tenten yelped as Neji's weight fell on her ankle. As it didn't snap, she hoped it was merely sprained.

"Uh…Tenten?" Neji voice said quietly. His voice sounded strained…as if he was uncomfortable.

"Eh?" she asked, looking down at him. She gasped as she noticed the compromising position they had tangled themselves in and managed to maneuver herself off of Neji's form.

She avoided his gaze as her cheeks burned. She had enjoyed seeing the great Hyuuga Neji pinned under her. I am NOT turning into a pervert… she thought wildly to herself.

It won't do me any good it's just a waste of time
What use is it to you what's on my mind
If it ain't comin' out we're not going anywhere
So why can't I just tell you that I care?

Silence stretched between the two teammates as Neji examined Tenten's injured ankle. Tenten was still blushing slightly and Neji was still wondering what had drove his sparring partner so hard.

"You fought well today…" Neji finally said.

"Thank you," Tenten murmured. From him, that was high praise.

"Any particular reason why?" Neji asked, stealing a glance at her. She was opening and closing her mouth like a goldfish.

"Not really…" she decided to say. Tell you that the reason why I fight is you? Highly unlikely, Neji-kun…

Neji nodded, but she could tell he didn't believe him. Maybe I should just tell him…No! She could take cuts and bruises just as well as the next shinobi, especially if that shinobi was Hyuuga Neji, but she wouldn't be able to stand it if he rejected her. She stood up at once after Neji finished bandaging her ankle.

"I have to go now," she blurted out. She needed to get away from him before she did something incredibly stupid. Her weapons vanished as she opened up her scrolls again. She turned on her heel. "I'll see you tomorrow!" she called over her shoulder as she hitched a smile on her face.

Neji wordlessly watched her as she practically ran away from him…well, ran away as fast as she could with a sprained ankle.

'Cause I'm feeling nervous
Tryin' to be so perfect
'Cause I know you're worth it, you're worth it
Yeah...

It was a sigh of relief that escaped from Tenten's mouth as she slid down to the floor behind her closed door.

What are these feelings? she mused to herself as she made herself a cup of tea. Her cheeks heated up again as she remembered that moment she stared into Neji's pale lavender eyes as she pinned him down.

"Ouch!" she suck her burning finger into her mouth and cleaned up the boiling water she had slopped over her kitchen counter.

"Me and the great Hyuuga prodigy, Neji…a wonderful fairtale, that would be," Tenten said aloud, a bit harsher than she meant it to be. I'm just a konoichi that specializes in weapons. No family jutsus, no bloodline...what could I possibly give to him?

If I could say what I wanna say
I'd say I want to blow you-away
Be with you every night
Am I squeezing you too tight?
If I could say what I wanna see
I want to see you go down--on one knee
Marry me today
Guess I'm wishing my life away
These things I'll never say

"I could give you my love…and no one on this earth would love you like I could," Tenten whispered to herself. She smiled ruefully. She was being stupid as those two sappy Sasuke fangirls. She was better than that, wasn't she?

"Tch…I'm still human…" Tenten grumbled to herself.

A resounding knock came from her door.

"Neji?"

What's wrong with my tongue?
These words keep slipping away
I stutter, I stumble like I've got nothing to say

"What are you doing here?" Tenten asked weakly, serving him some tea. Her heart was pounding loudly in her chest.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Neji coolly informed her. Tenten smiled at him.

"Well, I'm fine, as you can see, so-"

"You're keeping something from me," Neji interrupted. He fixed his hawk-like gaze on her.

"Wha-what are you talking about?" Tenten stuttered. Great, now I sound like Hinata…

"You're keeping something from me," Neji repeated. He patiently took another sip of tea, waiting for an answer from his stunned teammate.

'Cause I'm feeling nervous
Trying to be so perfect
'Cause I know you're worth it, you're worth it
Yeah...

"I…uhh…" Tenten said.

"Tenten, do you not trust me? You've told me things that bother you before," Neji said, his pale eyes shining at her with concern. Tenten could feel herself melting at that gaze.

"Of course I trust you," Tenten answered, shocked.

"Then tell me," Neji said, a hint of pleading in his voice.

I guess I'm wishing my life away
These things I'll never say

"Why are you acting like you care?" she whispered miserably.

Neji pulled her down onto the couch next to him. She angled her face so that shadows were covering her eyes.

"I'm not acting, Tenten," he said gently. He cupped her face and peered into her chocolate colored eyes. "Tell me," he urged her again.

If I could say what I want to say
I'd say I want to blow you--away
Be with you every night
Am I squeezing you too tight?
If I could say what I want to see
I want to see you go down--on one knee
Marry me today
Guess I'm wishing my life away
With these things I'll never say

Tenten stared into his mesmerizing eyes. She wanted to tell him everything…how she felt about him since the first time they ever sparred together…how her heart fluttered every single time he got close to her when they weren't trying to pin the other down on the ground…how she was ridiculously in love with him.

She opened her mouth uncertainly.

"Tell me."

"I…I can't tell you," she whispered. She was scared. She was supposed to be a konoichi! She shouldn't be scared.

"I see…well, I shall leave you then," Neji said as he placed his teacup on her coffee table.

These things I'll never say.

"Anou…" The Byakugan master turned back to his teammate.

"Oh hell," Tenten grumbled. She suddenly lurched forward and kissed Neji full on the lips.

"Well, she didn't exactly tell him anything," Rock Lee giggled outside Tenten's window.

"That's right, Lee. She's a konoichi of her word," Gai said proudly. "Now let us leave these two to feel the BURNING PASSIONS OF YOUTH!"

"Hai!"

And the two green spandex-clad nins disappeared.

"Did you just hear Gai-sensei?" Tenten asked breathlessly as she broke the kiss abruptly. Neji looked at her with cloudy eyes.

"Doesn't matter," Neji said and pulled her down again to get back to business.

A/N: ehhh…it turned out differantely than what I wanted, but ok for me. r and r please?