So, I took a break from my other story and wrote this. I got the idea from a book I read, and I decided to run with it. But as I read it again today, I realized that if I did submit this, I would have to write something with a happier tone, and a happier ending!

Anyways, that's all I've got to say now. So, I hope you like it, even if it's sad...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, I wouldn't have to repeat myself for the sake of those who might think I do...when I don't.

For the Best

Promises were meant to be kept, but every now and then, they were broken. Secrets were meant to be kept, but one slip and it was no longer a secret; it was open information for anyone. Hearts were meant to be happy, and made to feel invincible. But sometimes, it could shatter like glass and never be the same again.

So how do you tell someone that you love them, without blowing a secret, without breaking a promise you made to yourself saying you would...eventually, and without fear of them breaking your heart so it would never heal again? Why was it that all around him, people could do it so easily and act like there was nothing to it? So, maybe they were friends, and it just came natural, but to him, he felt more comfortable telling a complete and total stranger his feelings than he did a friend he had known most of his life.

Then again, he was Neji Hyuuga, the one everyone looked at as the silent yet determined ninja who could take on any challenge given. So why couldn't he brave seeing her? It got to the point where he couldn't even train with her there because he got so nervous. She thought he was sick, and Neji just used the excuse of his lack of sleep or intense training with Hiashi or on his own. Then, he would take his leave, leaving her behind with a hurt look on her face.

But everyone has a breaking point, and after so long, Neji had his. Unable to sleep at night or to train without her in his mind, he made a promise to himself that he would tell her how he felt. He would not be driven to insanity because of it. So, after leaving his house in the morning to meet with his teammates at the training grounds, he tried to think of something to say or do. Walking along the road with his head down, he came up with the words he wanted to say. He knew it would work, and he held that confidence in his heart as he walked into the small clearing of trees where they trained.

He ended up walking away without saying a word.

He cursed himself when he got home that night after he walked off. He felt like a coward, which was not a word people would use to describe him. He walked away, and Neji Hyuuga never walked away from anything.

He fell on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Turning to his side, he still couldn't get his failure out of his head. Finally, he stood up and walked out of his room and the manor. He was not a failure. Trying and failing was better than not trying at all.

So, late into the night, he knocked on her door. He had no clue what he was doing or what he was going to say, but he needed to get it off his chest. He sat and played with his hands out of nervousness until he realized it was Hinata's habit, then stopped.

She opened the door, clearly frustrated to have been woken up so late at night. But when she saw Neji, she smiled.

He hid his hands behind his back so she wouldn't see them shaking. Why was this so hard, and why was he so nervous? He had asked her harder things before, so why couldn't he tell her what was on his mind? He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't say what he wanted.

"Will you be at training tomorrow?"

However, Tenten was much smarter than that. "What do you want? It's one in the morning, so surely you didn't come all this way to tell me that."

He shoved his hands in his pockets. "...Something has been...bothering me."

'Bother' wasn't the word he would have liked to use, but it was too late now. He looked up at her and she raised an eyebrow. He looked away. How was he going to do this without looking at her?

She took him by surprise when she laughed. "Did you have a nightmare? Because I just can't see you getting up in the middle of the night screaming and running over to tell me about it."

"Will you shut up and listen to me?!" he yelled out of anger, and then he realized he had said too much. Now he was going to have to tell her. She crossed her arms and leaned against the frame of the door.

"Well, can't this wait until tomorrow? I'm tired."

He did not walk all the way here to just turn and go back. But she mistook his silence as an answer and began walking inside to shut the door. Before she did, he held his hand out to stop it from closing.

She glared at him. "Neji, I want to go to bed..."

"Will you listen to me? I have to say this now or I will never be able to say it again." He didn't know where to begin, but in the end, he told her that he had some feelings for her that he had for no one else. He was about to tell her that it could have been 'love', but she laughed before he could get it out.

"I think you're tired, Neji. Go home and I'll see you in the morning."

But he did not leave, nor did he show any signs of leaving. Instead, he did the stupidest thing he could have done at that time, and kissed her.

Before she could even say anything, he turned his back and left.

-----

They didn't talk for days after that night, more like Neji didn't talk to her after that. It wasn't until his eighteenth birthday that he saw her again. She walked up to him, even though he turned away, afraid that she was going to degrade him for his actions. However, she grabbed his arm and turned him to face her.

"Happy birthday," was all she could say after a few moments of silence. Neji forced a smile and a thanks, but as he turned to walk away, she wrapped her arms around him, holding onto him like the wind would blow him away.

"I never thought you liked me."

He turned in her arms and smiled, a rare moment from him. "I always have."

-----

They had been together for a year before Neji had the guts to take things to the next level. He had been saving his money for years to buy the girl of his dreams the ring that would make her his. And since he wanted it to be a surprise, he did it all by himself.

A week after he bought it, he set a date to swallow his pride and ask her to marry him. She more than likely saw it coming, given the fact he wanted to take her somewhere nice, but he noticed something in her eyes that didn't seem right. When he asked what was wrong, she didn't say anything.

The night before, Neji wanted to take her to her favorite restaurant. He walked to pick her up, and when she opened the door, he knew something was wrong. He could tell by the way she looked.

"What's wrong?" he asked, but she turned and walked away from him. He was worried. She didn't act like this...hardly ever. He asked again, but she just shook her head. However, Neji wasn't going to let her go so easily. She finally looked at him, her eyes glazed with unshed tears, and for the first time in his life since his father died, he felt his heart break.

"I can't do this anymore. I look at you as a brother, Neji, and I can't lose that bond with you."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

She dropped her head into her hands to hide her tears. "I know what you want to do, Neji, and all my life, I have been waiting for something like this to happen to me. But, I can't. I can't dedicate my life to you and face the fear of losing you. I can't do that to you...and I can't live with that fear."

He couldn't believe what he had heard. This whole time, the whole relationship with her was bothering her. He almost fell to his knees from the shock he felt, but he found himself walking to her side and pulling the hands away from her face.

"Why...why didn't you tell me?" he asked, his voice cracking from the strain of his throat. "I never wanted to hurt you."

She looked away. "I didn't want to hurt you, Neji. You mean too much to me."

His voice became a desperate plea. "Please, don't do this to me. I need you, and I want to be able to come home from missions and see you, to be able to hold you."

She cried harder. "I can't...I don't want to lose you..."

He held on to her for dear life, hoping that at any moment, he would wake up, and this whole thing would be over. "You won't...I promise. I will stop going on missions. I will do anything! Just, don't leave me!"

She sobbed into his chest while he tried to get her to see what would happen to him if she wasn't there.

Finally, she looked up, tears still falling from her eyes. "I love you, Neji, I really do, but I grew up with you, and I have always thought of you as the brother I never had. I...I can't marry you with me looking at you like that."

It hit him then, and only then, that he had lost her forever.

-----

Neji sat up against a tree and stared at the moon's reflection in the water. It had been months since Tenten denied his request for marriage, and he couldn't have felt worse. He began asking Tsunade for more challenging missions, up until the point she asked him if he was okay. When he was on missions, he was able to get the pain off his mind until he stepped into the village again.

He hadn't seen her a lot in those months. They would occasionally pass by each other on the road and smile, but hardly any words were exchanged. He missed those times, when he would hold onto her and they would spend all night talking about anything they could think of. He missed the looks she gave him when she was mad, and even missed the fighting, yelling or trainingl, they did in the span of their time together. He couldn't have asked for a better past.

But he sure as hell would ask for a second chance, to get her to see that he was nothing without her.

He tossed a rock into the river to stop his thoughts. He was being sent on a mission the next day, so he needed to be mentally and physically able to handle it. He stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes, and just as he was about to turn, he heard a voice calling after him.

He turned around and saw Tenten walking towards him, her head looking down.

"Hi," was all he was able to say. She didn't respond, even as she stood a few inches away from him. He wanted to look into her eyes, to see if she was suffering as much as he was. But she wouldn't look at him.

"...Neji...I know you're mad at me...and I'm sorry..."

He stopped her before she could go on. "I'm hurt, yes, but that comes with every denial." He tried to force a smile, but she tears formed in her eyes. "But I can't be mad at you, ever, for whatever you do."

Silence surrounded them, but after a minute, she looked up at him. "I'll always be here for you, Neji. You know where you can find me."

He wasn't going to get a second chance; he could tell by her body language that she wasn't ready. But over time, maybe she would change. He would wait; he would wait forever to be with her.

Before as she left, she turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Maybe this was all for the best. You'll move on, but just don't forget me."

He couldn't find his voice, so he nodded, and she disappeared into the night just as quickly as she came.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring that was meant to be for her. He imagined placing it on her finger, proclaiming to the people that she came in contact with that she was taken, and taken by him.

In the end, he tossed the ring into the river, knowing that maybe one day someone would find it and think of a love that was never meant to be.