Honor to live- Neji and Tenten fan fiction. I do not own Naruto nor their characters
"It'd be an honor to die," that's what Neji said before they departed for their mission.
For Tenten it was strange how those same words would turn against him.
The rain was soaking everything, and even the air was shivering. Her bangs were dripping water to his face as his eyes were closed stiff, unmovable. Dead.
"Neji," her voice urged as she shook his limp shoulders.
His eyes barely fluttered open as his mouth worked for words. "Let me rest."
"No," her voice said hollowed as she shook him again. "Everyone knows that if I don't you'll die."
He didn't gave a sound. And she started to shake again but instead he managed to raise a weak hand. "I'm not dying."
"You. Have. Sword. Stuck. In. Your. Body. Try to contradict me now?"
"It's okay," his voice quivered, "we knew what we were up against."
As Tenten thought back she couldn't find him anymore wrong than that. On these types of missions there was always some kind of unknown threat. They never knew what to expect. Three days ago the Hokage asked for Team Guy. From somewhere outside the village a priestess was in need of some attendance because they had received a warning that if she didn't declare war some rival was going to assassin her. So they left and three days later some nameless ninjas attacked. They had handled them as Guy Sensei took the priestess to safety in an unidentified area that was only classified to those worthy.
Everything was fine until the worst happened. Tenten didn't witness it because it was one of those moments when things were good and then horribly bad. Neji was fine the second she turned away but when she looked back he was almost bleeding to death. Though she did witness as he fenced away all of the black covered ninjas with a silver sword hanging from his stomach. And just as he was finishing he collapsed to the floor.
It was evident that she and Lee started to panic but before all got worse or worser she took the initiative. Everyone had evacuated, request of the priestess, so all their best chances of finding medical attention were obliterated. Their best chances were sending one of them to look out for their Sensei, so he could bring help. And since Tenten had the best chance of protecting Neji with the advantage that she could actually do some type of jutsu it was clear that she was the one staying. Even if so, she would rather stay here.
Thirty minutes have passed since Lee left, Neji lying on the ground, the rain falling and Tenten was getting agitated.
"No," she protested. "We knew what we were dealing with, not what we were up against."
From an angled it appeared as though Neji was trying to shrug. "It's all the same…"
She looked around the small battlefield outside the priestess compound and village. There was nowhere to take cover from the rain. Then she looked back at Neji. He was staring to close his eyes again. "You're so stubborn."
He opened his eyes again, somewhat insulted. And she continued because if calling all truth could keep him from slipping away then she would. "And cynical. Cold. Hard. Hypercritical. And you don't have a sense of life."
"Whatever." He just simply said. "You don't…know… what you're talking about."
Tenten shook her head. "You're wrong. You just don't understand what I'm saying."
"Tenten," he said her name weakly. "Upsetting me won't keep me alive."
"I think my efforts are paying me nicely."
His lips twitched to the side for an attempt of a smile. "For the meantime."
She rolled her eyes trying to keep them from stinging as she bit her lip hard trying to keep them from quivering. "I'll take my chances." She replied her voice small.
Neji's eyelid started to descend again and Tenten started to panic again. "When I say stubborn, I mean, how stubborn you are in accepting all this."
Neji squinted. "That's what we were trained to do, if you haven't notice for the last few years."
"When I mean cynical," she continue ignoring his comment, "I'm trying to say how sarcastically you get when I'm trying to prove my point. When I say cold, what I'm trying to let you know is how cold you can get when your team is trying to save your life. When I refer to hard is how inflexible you are when you see I'm struggling to keep up. When I mean hypercritical, I'm letting you know how honor you are to die when you are scared almost to nothing to reach death." Her voice cracked. "And when I tell you that you don't have a sense of life, I'm saying how you can die without even trying to live."
Neji looked up, appearing as though he was considering this. But then he turned to glare at her. "It'd be an honor to live, Tenten. But when we're leaving for a mission we know the cost to our expense. At least, I do. And it'd be a greater honor to die for those who have the greater courage to live."
Tenten quickly gave his back to Neji as she cover the rush of tears streaming at her cheeks. She tried to gather herself as she took in on his words. "I would have never thought you'd be a coward. I've heard of people who were afraid to die but not of those who were afraid to live."
"Fear and fearless are two different concepts."
Tenten winced around. "Then why aren't you brave enough? Tell me why aren't you fighting? Why are you so terrified? Imagined that? Neji Hyuga, genius, prettified."
Neji scanned her face as he said the words slowly as if she couldn't comprehend. "If I had the recourses to undo this I would. But look around. There's nothing."
Tenten couldn't deny it any longer but it didn't mean she couldn't try to see it differently. "What about me?"
Neji raised an eyebrow. "What about you?"
Tenten inhaled. "I mean I'm not good and maybe if I give it a shot you'll die but if I
don't you'll die still and I'm your best shot." She exhaled. "What if I use my medical jutsu?"
Neji took a moment. "Guy Sensei told me you didn't know how to control you're
chakra. But maybe I can help."
"Yes, yes," she started to point a finger trying to figure out something. "I pull the sword out and you control my chakra as I use a jutsu to stop the hemorrhage."
Neji hesitated. "It'd be long shot-"
"Are you seriously taking this to consideration?"
"Fine, let's do this before I lose the last bit of strength I got."
Tenten smiled feeble. "Can we just take a few moments?" But she didn't wait for his response as she started patting his wet air out of the way. Neji didn't protest or was too weak to because he just stared at her as if she was a stranger. "It was my privilege to have known you, to worry and care about you and-" now it was her tears which splashed on his face. "-if our attempts fall in vain, I'll make sure you're death won't run down the same fate. It was a privilege to have you as a member of our team." She bent down and kissed his forehead and then tumbled down for a hard embrace.
"Let's begin," Neji said and Tenten pulled away cleaning her tears away as she looked somewhere else. "And Tenten-" her head snapped at him. "-it was an honor to have known you too. But it'd be a bigger honor to live… because of you."
Tenten smiled as she cracked her knuckles and twisted her neck. "Time for business. It has to be quick before the bleeding worsens."
Neji nodded. "When you pull the sword make sure to give me your hands so I can control the chakra."
"Okay, let's start." Tenten said as she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes concentrating. Some seconds past before she snapped her eyes awake. She gently reached for the sword, grabbed its handle and quickly pulled away. When the blood started to shoot up front Tenten tried to steady herself as she located both her hands on top of the wound and gathered her chakra. More seconds past and Neji's hand were controlling hers. Then the wash was starting to close. It was working!
Tenten didn't know when but the rain had stopped. Tenten didn't know when but it was over. Her high pitched breathing was the only indication of what happened.
"Did it work?" Neji asked.
"Yeah," Tenten replied, amazed at how her voice trembled. "At least I think it did."
"Great." Neji only said as he closed his eyes.
"Neji."
Neji opened one eyes. "I'm not dying."
Tenten started to laugh as she raid and eyebrow. "Life is a wonderful lie and death is a painful truth. But I prefer to be lied to."
From a distant she could heard Lee's footsteps with other behind it but she had all the attention to what Neji was about to say. "What an honor it is to die but what an honor it is to live."