A/N: hi again! This is another one- shot 4 my fav. Naruto pairing- NejixTenten! (big surprise, huh?) ;) anyway, hope ya like it!
Kunai stung the trees as shuriken pierced the ground. Run, jump, aim, and throw. Her body was so used to these movements, it was as if she practiced them in her sleep. She could not feel, nor could she stop.
She had to be strong. She had to fight to her fullest. Heart pounding, lungs screaming for oxygen, for release, her muscles, protesting any more movement, her body moved as one.
She did not stop, nor did she slow her actions. Every movement was pronounced, every pulse strong. Yet she felt herself slowing down to weakness. Suddenly, she felt her pulse pick up, faster than before; adrenaline was the only thing she fought off of now. If that ran out, the fight was lost.
The enemy ninja disappeared into the leafy trees, and she followed, faster than a bolt of lighting, yet as silent as the shadow it cast. Catching up to the enemy ninja, she flung three kunai towards him. Unaware of the kunoichi's presence, the ninja turned only to catch his last glimpse of sliver shooting towards him.
Tenten walked towards the now dead Grass Ninja, and took a scroll from one of his pockets. She tucked the scroll safely away, and went off in search of her other team mates. She found them locked in combat with the two other enemy ninja. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out two shuriken, and aimed it at the two grass ninja who, like their comrade, fell to the mercy of the kunoichi and her weapons.
"Tenten! Our beautiful flower of youth has returned!" her green- clad team mate shouted as he saw where the shuriken had come from. Tenten jumped down from the tree she had positioned herself in, and landed gracefully beside her team mates.
"Did you get the scroll?" was Neji's first question. Hands shaking slightly from the sudden rush of adrenaline, she pulled it out and handed it to Neji. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and the three Chunin looked towards the east.
"We better get back to Konoha," Neji said, decisively. The three ninja made their way swiftly back to Konoha and entered Tsunade's office just as the first raindrops began to fall from the onyx colored sky.
"Good work," Tsunade said as she was handed the scroll. "I will send for you when I need this taken to the Snow Country." All three Chunin bowed respectfully, and left the office.
Once out of the office, all three went home. Neji and Tenten bid Lee goodbye after being blinded by his pingy smile, and walked home together since their homes weren't that far apart. The rain was falling more heavily now, and it weighed down upon Tenten due to the amount of strength she had used up in the chase with the grass ninja. She winced as she felt the icy raindrops touch her skin and roll off onto the ground. She stumbled on a small rock, and fell to her knees, her strength fading in her legs. Neji looked back at her, and offered her his hand. She took it, gratefully, and pulled herself up.
"You okay?" Neji asked her as thunder rumbled softly against the clouds.
"Yeah," Tenten said, managing a small smile, "I think I pushed myself a little too hard today on the mission."
"There's no such thing as pushing yourself too hard when it comes to a mission," Neji stated. Tenten rolled her eyes at her stoic friend. The rain poured on, still more heavily. When the two got to Tenten's house, she hesitated a moment before going in, and turned toward Neji.
"Um… do you wanna come in until the rain stops?" Neji looked at her, and was about to reply with his usual 'hn' and walk away until a bright flash of lightning lit up the sky, and thunder roared across it, echoing in his ears.
"Hn," he nodded and walked toward her house. Tenten smiled. She was glad to have some company tonight; she wasn't exactly afraid of thunderstorms, just needed to have someone else around so she didn't jump at every little sound in her small apartment. She opened the door, and went to the closet and got two towels to dry themselves off with. She handed it to Neji, and went into the kitchen to make some tea. Neji looked around as he dried himself off. The living room was tiny, but cozy with beige walls, and various weapons mounted upon two bookshelves. He sat down on a couch that was almost the same shade of beige as the walls, but a little darker. Beside the couch was a table with some magazines, a small lamp, and a picture of Tenten and two people- a man and a woman who Neji guessed must have been Tenten's parents. Tenten came into the room with a tray carrying two cups of tea, and laid it down on the coffee table. Neji laid his towel aside and put the picture down, reaching for a cup of tea.
"Are those your parents?" he asked after a few minutes of silence. Tenten took a sip of tea before answering.
"Yeah. That was taken just a few days before they went on their mission to the Sand country." Neji saw that her hands clench her cup of tea to stop shaking, and didn't press the subject anymore. Outside, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. The lights in Tenten's apartment flickered for a few moments, then went off completely.
"Crap," Tenten muttered. "The lightning probably shorted out a circuit." She set her tea down on the coffee table, and got up to check the fuse box in the kitchen. As she stood up, she tripped over Neji's legs, making her fall.
"Uh, Tenten?" Neji said as he got up to help her, and ended up tripping and falling on top of her.
"Ow!" both teens yelled as he fell on her.
"You're lucky I was here to break your fall," Tenten said, annoyed. She thought that she could see, just barely, Neji's pearl eyes narrow in the present darkness
"I wouldn't have fallen if you were more careful," Neji said, grumpily as he stood up, but tripped again over his feet. His eyes sought her out in the darkness as he heard Tenten laugh.
"What is so funny?" he asked, propping himself up with his elbow, turning to face Tenten who was lying on her back, gasping for breath.
"I… I never thought I'd see the day when the great Hyuga Neji would trip over his own two feet!" she said in between gasps of breath.
"Tell anyone, and you're dead when we train tomorrow," he said, and her laughing ceased immediately. The two were silenced by a flash of lightning that lit up the room, and a thunderclap that seemed to shake the floor, making Tenten jump about three feet into the air, and scooted closer to Neji. She heard him laugh softly in her ear.
"What?" she asked, turning to face him.
"I never thought I'd see a great weapons mistress like you jump at a little thunder," he said. Tenten thought she could see him smirk.
"Since when did I earn the title of 'great' weapons mistress?" she asked softly. The question hung in the air as the two looked into each others eyes, watching them glint in the darkness.
"You always were a great weapons mistress," Neji said softly into Tenten's ear. She had never heard him speak like this, and it made her skin crawl with pleasure and excitement to hear him do so.
"You were always the best fighter, though," Tenten said quietly. "You take command of a situation, and always come out on top. You always know what to do…" she grew silent as Neji shortened the distance between them even more so that they both looked into each other's eyes. Cautiously, but surely, Tenten raised her head, as their lips met for the first time as the two lay there, cloaked in darkness. By the time the two broke apart, the lights had flickered back on again, and Tenten's phone was ringing. She got up, on the third ring, and answered it while Neji picked himself up off of the floor.
"That was Hinata," Tenten said as she hung up, "she said she didn't know where you were, and I told you that you were over here."
"Did you tell her –" Neji began, but was silenced by Tenten pressing a finger against his lips, shaking her head.
"Uh, you have to be home in, like, two minutes," she said, smiling. "Apparently, Hiashi isn't very happy with you for some reason or other."
"Doesn't matter," Neji said. "I'm used to it." Tenten laughed softly as she walked him to the door, and embraced him.
"Thanks for," Neji began, but was cut off by Tenten pressing her lips against his. Both stood in the doorway, moonlight now washing over them now that the storm was over.
"Anytime," she said with a smile as she watched him walk home.
A/N: So? How was it? Loved it? Hated it? I'll never know unless you press that little button that says "go" and review! PLEASE REVIEW!YOUR OPINIONSAREIMPORTANT TO ME!