Part of the Neji and Tenten Romance Collection: This story is a companion piece to my NejixTenten Romance fanfictions. Does not require you to read the others, but does follow within the same universe. If you would like to read more about their lives as friends, teammates, lovers, and parents please check out (in chronological order):

- Summer in Ginger Village
- Ice Cubes under the Summer Heat
- Mud, an Aphrodisiac
- December for a Hyuga

Author's Note: it's been a while since I watched Naruto, so I'm sorry for any canon inaccuracies! Also don't forget to review your thoughts!

Ice Cubes under the Summer Heat

"Make sure you remember to tell your uncle about the dinner party," The blond-haired Hokage hurriedly instructed as Neji was about to walk out of her office.

The young jonin shifted his weight from one leg to the other impatiently, as he was beginning to get annoyed by being held up in Tsunade's office with his colleagues, for today was supposed to be his free day. He nodded and was about to step out of the office when Tsunade called out behind him again, "And tell Lee that I want him in my office tomorrow early in the morning!" Neji exhaled with an impatience that was alien to his personality and finally, after staring at his feet for several long seconds without Tsunade instructing him anything else, he walked off.

The black-haired teen quickly strolled down the busy hallways of Konoha's main building, often offering a few nods to his fellow shinobi, careful to avoid eye contact with anyone that might ask him of more favors. Today was supposed to be his free day, one of the few he actually got to have nowadays, and somehow he found himself being dragged from errand to errand, delivering messages or items to or for his superiors. His mind was set on only one thing however; earlier today Naruto had gotten hold of him and had told him that Tenten wanted to see him. Of course this was hours ago, and Neji was beginning to worry that perhaps Tenten had assumed that he was standing her up. Neji tsk'ed despite of himself; they have only been together as more than just friends for little over two weeks and he was already starting to mess it up.

The air outside was humid and hot, but by now, being the middle of summer, Neji was well accustomed to the hot temperatures of Konoha Village. After nearly bumping into several people in the bustling street as he was trying his best to dash past everyone, the young Hyuga decided on simply leaping from roof to roof in his haste to reach Tenten's apartment as soon as possible. He thought of all the things Tenten could possibly want to do once he met her, or if she would be mad or troubled for his tardiness, but most importantly he just hoped that he hadn't hurt her feelings in any way. The buffeting wind on his face felt refreshing as he leapt from roof to roof, and within moments Neji was finally standing in the doorstep of Tenten's small apartment.

Neji knocked once, twice, thrice, his face flushed because of the heat and his heart pounding hard against his chest. He quietly waited in anticipation outside of her door, afraid to upset the deathly silence and feeling lame and inexperienced when it came to relationships. The Byakugan user was a seasoned fighter, he was a master of disguising his emotions even in the most challenging situations, yet as of late he found himself unable to suppress the urge to be around his new girlfriend; at the young age of sixteen, Neji just didn't know how to cope with his newly found infatuation.

The boy lingered wordlessly on the hallway leading to Tenten's apartment—his insides shrinking in disappointment as he began to convince himself that Tenten probably wasn't home anymore—when the front door was suddenly pushed open. In front of him stood the brown haired kunoichi, with her face flushed and her hair held up in a messy ponytail, yet his eyes traveled to her lips, which were puckered red, most likely a direct effect of the hot weather. Tenten wore a pretty yellow tank top that clung to her chest and the shortest shorts Neji had ever seen her wear. He quickly cleared his throat once he realized that he had been staring and said, "Sorry Tenten."

"Neji…" Tenten whispered with a pretty smile. She moved aside, allowing him into her small apartment, and after stepping past the door Neji noticed that the unforgivable heat seemed to have multiplied in the confinement of her home. The teenager closed the door behind her and couldn't stop the blush that crept to her cheeks as she said, "I'd give you a hug, but I feel too sweaty."

She held his hand and led him to the living room where they sat on the cool tiled floor next to her coffee table. Her living room had empty water bottles every here and there and a small, broken down fan was poised in front of the coffee table. The brown-haired girl held his hands in hers and stared intently into his eyes for a little while, waiting for him to initiate the conversation.

"I'm sorry for being late, Tsunade was holding me up in the office… I couldn't get away," he felt lame for his excuse; tardiness was something he wasn't fond of, especially if Tenten was involved.

The young kunoichi shook her head and slightly leaned forward to wipe droplets of sweat off her forehead with one hand. This was when Neji noticed that she wasn't wearing a bra, and had he had less self restraint he would have cursed under his breath as he felt his face flush red in embarrassment. "It's OK Neji, I was busy cleaning up after my sister anyways. She had a huge party last night and her friends wrecked the AC and made the living room a mess, I was barely able to pick up everything by the time you came.

"Would you like something to drink though? Fortunately the refrigerator still works," Tenten chuckled as she stood up and headed for her small kitchen, swaying her hips tentatively in her wake.

The black-haired boy didn't have to reply, for he knew that Tenten would prepare cold tea—his favorite—either way without him having to ask. Neji tugged on the collar of his shirt in desperation, now feeling like he was unable to handle the heat any longer. He looked around the house, noting that the balcony door was held open all the way, yet it seemed to make little to no difference in relieving the hot temperature. Soon Tenten hopped to his side and had pressed the cool glass of cold tea against his cheek, which surprisingly felt amazingly relieving. He took the glass gratefully and didn't hesitate before chugging the whole thing down.

Tenten giggled beside him and said, "Somebody's thirsty, huh?"

"How do you manage to stay inside in this heat, Tenten?" He asked her breathlessly.

The girl stretched her arms up in the air in a huge yawn and Neji had to practice great self restraint not to stare at her chest, which had developed considerably since the beginning of their genin days. Tenten pressed her body against the tiled floor and looked up at him, smiling as she replied, "I knew you were going to come, so I decided to stay and wait. It's not so bad anyways, you're just wearing a bunch of clothes."

With this he had to agree, and he inwardly admitted that perhaps wearing jeans and a long sleeved shirt in the middle of the summer wasn't the smartest idea. Neji just shrugged and settled on sucking on the ice cubes inside his glass, simply enjoying her company. His lavender eyes met with her chocolate eyes and his curiosity got the best of him when a fit of giggles suddenly overtook her. "What—" was all he was able to utter as he almost chocked with one of the ice cubes.

"You just look so cute like that," her hand trailed up and traced patterns on his knees idly.

"I'm just too hot, Tenten, and it's like everywhere in Konoha is hot like this, so there's nowhere to run," Neji simply sighed and once again tugged on his shirt, almost feeling suffocated.

The girl smiled and sat up before saying in a sing-song voice, "I have an idea." She crawled behind him and brought her empty glass with her, emptying one of the ice cubes onto her hand. Tenten gently moved the collar of his shirt and his tidy, black mane aside, pressing the ice cube to the back of his neck and making small patterns all around his spine. At first Neji couldn't help but shudder in response to her touch, but he eventually relaxed and began to enjoy the cool relief that the ice cube provided. The teen then leaned his head forward, closing his eyes and sighing in bliss.

After a while, Tenten casually announced, "I ran out of ice, boyfriend."

"You can use my ice, girlfriend," Neji replied simply as he handed her his empty glass.

Tenten took the cup in her hands and blushed as she suddenly had a fleeting, playful idea. The girl leaned away from him, grinning and tugging on the end of his shirt, but eventually mustered enough courage to whisper, "Maybe if you took your shirt off…"

"What?" Her bold statement did not go unnoticed to his trained ears, yet he wanted to hear her say that again, to perhaps convince himself that he hadn't imagined the words that had left her mouth.

"Nothing!" Tenten quickly replied as she leaned forward again, taking an ice cube in her hand and proceeding to continue with her job of cooling Neji off, as if to give the impression that nothing had occurred.

Her actions confirmed his suspicions and Neji's usually stoic expression broke into a wicked grin; perhaps he could mess with her and tease her as much as she was teasing him. He moved away from her and began tugging his long-sleeved shirt off, then he put the piece of clothing aside and leaned back again, revealing his bare back to the girl behind him.

Tenten thanked the heavens that Neji had not turned around to look at her, for she could swear that now her flushed face had at least twenty different shades of red. She took a deep breath and brought the ice cube back onto his nude back, pretending to be unfazed by the heat in the apartment and their closeness and hers and Neji's lack of garments. After a little while Tenten had no other choice but to relax, and their idle game eventually ended once the kunoichi ran out of ice cubes. Tenten leaned away from him in a second's pause, now feeling slightly disappointed that she no longer had any excuse to continue touching his bare back.

"You look pretty today, by the way," Neji's words came out of nowhere, breaking their silence and taking her by surprise.

A smile crept onto her features once she recovered and her only response was to lean forward once again. Tenten pressed her chest against his back, wrapped her arms around his torso, and set her head against his moist neck, giving him a loving embrace. They held each other for a long while, now forgetting the heat and basking in each other's presence. "Would you like me to get more ice?" Tenten whispered into his ear.

"Please."

She happily unwrapped herself from his body and made to stand up, but in her daze Tenten somehow got her feet tangled on the long shirt that he had put to the side. The teen tried to regain balance by placing a hand on the coffee table, but to her misfortune the coffee table also shifted away from her and before Tenten saw it coming she came crashing down on top of her teammate and boyfriend. Neji's initial reaction was to take hold of her torso, but as if in a chain of unfolding events, he felt pushed back by her weight and suddenly he found himself on the hard tiled ground, his arms wrapped around her.

The black-haired teen opened his eyes only to see Tenten merely centimeters away from him and he couldn't stop the blush that settled on the base of his nose at the realization that her ample chest was pressing down on his bare chest. Her cheeks flushed prettily as she was caught in shock, unable to move, and he could feel her labored breathing so very close to his lips. Seconds turned into an eternity as they were caught in each other's gazes, Neji being the first one to recover as he brought his hand up to caress her rosy cheeks.

The girl closed her eyes in bliss and pressed her cheek closer to the back of his hand, relishing his touch and realizing that she could not think of any other place she would rather be. Their faces slowly inched closer and their lips barely brushed each other when suddenly Neji's acute hearing picked up some activity outside of Tenten's front door. This at first he ignored until eventually both teens were alerted by someone unlocking the door. As if overwhelmed by embarrassment, Tenten nearly leapt out of his grasp, taking a seat a little ways away from him on the tiled floor, and in a matter of seconds Tenten's sister's friendly voice echoed from the front door, "I'm back! And I brought the AC repairman—"

The older woman stopped midway at the sight of a shirtless Neji and a flustered Tenten not too far from each other, a wicked grin spreading all over her lips. "Well, well, someone's having fun?" She asked in a sing-song voice as she directed the repairman to the AC by the kitchen. "Hello Neji."

Neji also sat up, his back against the sofa between them and the kitchen. "Hi Mai," he replied, immensely grateful that Tenten's eyes weren't on his blushing face.

His girlfriend then crawled next him once again, also leaning against the sofa and sitting right next to him. They remained silent for a little while until Neji felt her fingers intertwining with his hand; he graced her with his gaze and the brown-haired girl smiled. Neji felt his spirit considerably lightening at the sight of her pretty brown eyes and her puckered-red lips, to him she looked beautiful and irreplaceable. She offered him a playful pout before leaning her head against the crook of his neck, and Neji wished they could remain together like this forever, in the simple comfort of each other's presence, never letting go.

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