Realization

by royza-hawkstang

If she really thought about it . . . she didn't want to get over the fact that he was seeing someone. She just didn't feel like sharing him. NejiTen

Realization
by OtakuEntertainmentInc

She sat alone underneath her usual tree at the training grounds, arms wrapped around her legs and eyes closed as she waited. It wasn't that she was completely against getting up early to train with Neji; it was just that she needed to learn to go to bed sooner.

The two of them had been seeing a lot more of each other recently. Not just in training; occasionally, one of them would suggest going for something to eat or drink. That eventually led to conversation, and before they knew it, an entire afternoon was gone.

"Tenten?"

Opening her eyes, she smiled. "Hey. I was wondering when you were going to turn up." Getting to her feet, she dusted herself off. "You ready?"

His eyes immediately shifted down and to one side. It was automatically a bad sign. "I'm sorry, Tenten. I just came to tell you that something has come up."

She shrugged easily. "No problem. What's up - something with the clan?"

"You could say that, I suppose." Neji shifted uncomfortably. "Uncle has been talking recently about the future of the clan; more specifically, about my future. So . . . he's arranged for me to meet for breakfast with a girl -"

She waved a hand, smiling again. "Don't worry about it. We'll just reschedule for another time. Just let me know when you're available, okay?"

If he weren't so bloody good at keeping his emotions to himself, Tenten could've sworn that his normally stiff posture melted a little bit in relief. "Thank you. I'll send you a message tonight." Muttering a quiet goodbye, he turned and left, leaving his teammate to stare at his retreating back.

Leaning back against the tree, she folded her arms, turning her attention to the sky above. Light streaks of pink and cream were starting to inch back toward the horizon as blue took dominance and the sun rose higher.

Well, perhaps she could grab something quick on her way home - she could use the time off to clean up her little apartment before getting in some solo target practice . . . .

. . . . .

The message came that night just as Tenten was getting out of a long, relaxing shower. Perhaps it was the lack of something to do, but she had been keyed up all day. The hot water helped soothe tense muscles, the humidity causing her hair - now unbound - to form deep waves that reached to just below her shoulder blades.

Even through the bathroom door, she heard the knock. "Coming!" she yelled, hurriedly pulling on a faded bathrobe. Tying the sash as she walked toward the front door, she paused to brush her hair back over her shoulder before opening the panel of dark-stained wood.

"I'm not interrupting anything, am I?" Neji asked, keeping his gaze well above Tenten's shoulders. Not that the bathrobe revealed anything more than a pair of bare feet peeping out at the bottom, but more on the general principle of being a gentleman.

"Of course not. Come on in." Stepping back out of the entranceway, she gestured him inside. Pausing long enough for him to remove his sandals, they headed into the living area, settling onto the overstuffed couch.

Tenten was the first to break the silence. "When you said you'd send me a message about training, I didn't think you'd deliver it personally."

Neji moved one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I needed to get out of the house for a while. Uncle was interrogating me about this morning."

"Oh, fun." She wrinkled her nose in a sympathetic grimace.

"Don't get me wrong, it went just fine. She's a very nice girl; very sweet and charming. It's just that Uncle was really pushing me for answers."

Nodding, Tenten looked down at her lap, tugging at the overlapping folds of fabric to make sure nothing showed that wasn't supposed to. "That sucks. Hopefully he'll get the picture."

They sat in silence for a moment before she spoke again. "So. Training?"

Neji seemed to shake himself out of a daydream - uncharacteristic for him, especially with just the hint of a smile on his face. "Oh - right. The next three days are all right, but after that, Tsubame is coming back from a trip outside the village and I'm expected to meet with her again."

"Okay. That should be fine; I haven't got anything major going on. Maybe, if you're not going to be around, I'll snag Lee for a little while."

"That's good - it's always you and I training together. He and you need to work together as well."

Her eyebrows rose as she gave him a look of mock anger. "Are you trying to pawn me off on Lee? Just so you can have more time with your new 'friend?'"

Neji's cheeks coloured at her expression; this registered as odd. He'd never had that reaction to a statement known to be sarcasm. "No! No, of course not, I just -"

"Whoa, Neji, relax! I was kidding!"

The rest of the conversation, though seemingly normal, held some sort of charged energy to it. There was a tension that hadn't been there before, brought about by the feeling that there was something taboo about the two of them being alone in the same place.

. . . . .

"So is it true? Neji's got a girlfriend now?"

Tenten looked up from the map in front of her. "Um, Ino? This is supposed to be a mission-planning. Not a gossip session."

The blonde grinned, blue eyes twinkling in the overhead light as she leaned forward, chin propped on both hands. "Oh, I know. But there's a lot of rumours going around, and I'm really curious. And Hinata won't tell me anything!"

"That's because you're weirding her out with all your gossip-queen dramatics," Sakura said absently, going over a list of provisional equipment. The four girls - in a rare case of team shuffling - were to set out in a week to provide security for a fashion display in a nearby village. The town was known for it's mastery of textile making and beautiful clothes, displayed every year at a major festival. The organizers felt that kunoichi - blended into the crowd as visitors - would attract less attention than men.

"I'd stop the gossip-queen dramatics if someone would just say yes or no," Ino said slyly, looking from Tenten to Hinata and back again. The young Hyūga heiress blushed red and busied herself folding four beautifully embroidered kimonos into garment bags, where they wouldn't become wrinkled.

Tenten sighed. "Fine. Yes, Neji has a girlfriend. Are you happy?"

Setting her list aside and picking up another, Sakura cast the older girl a rueful smile. "No, she isn't. Because now she has a whole whack of other questions."

Ino stuck out her tongue at her longtime friend/rival, before zeroing in on Tenten once more. "So - that's one myth confirmed. Have you met her yet? What's she like?"

Fighting the urge to snap at the blonde, Tenten reached for an ink pad and brush, keeping her eyes on the map route they were to travel. If she could trace it out now, it'd make it easier to follow. "All he said was that she was sweet and charming and a very nice girl." She touched the tip of the brush to the map, beginning to follow the roads marked there. "There was something about the three of us doing something together. Said she wants to meet me."

"WHAT?i"

The loud exclamation - coming from both Ino and Sakura - caused the unexpecting Tenten to give a violent jump. Her brush skittered away across the map, trailing ink behind in a dark slash.

Huffing in irritation, she looked over - annoyed - at the two girls in question. "What what?"

Ino's eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "Neji's girlfriend really said she wants to meet with you? That the three of you should do something together?"

"Yeah, but -"

"That's definitely not a good sign," Sakura said, wincing sympathetically. "If it was her idea, it means she's jealous."

Looking askance at the two of them, Tenten said, "What are you two chattering about? How the heck does that means she's jealous? And why would she be in the first place?"

Sakura set down the new list she'd picked up. "You have to think about it from her perspective. Here's this great guy - he's from a good family, he's nice, he's not bad to look at either. And he spends a lot of his time with this girl who he's known far longer and has a much stronger relationship with."

Tenten's forehead furrowed as she thought through it. "So, she's jealous of me because she's the new girl on the block and she thinks Neji will decide he likes me more than he does her?"

Ino nodded. "Exactly. So what did you say to this little invitation?"

"I told him thanks, but no thanks. I'm not big on being a third wheel."

The blonde took inhaled through her teeth, making a soft hissing sound that was at odds with the slight wince on her face. "Oops. Not a smart move."

Rolling her eyes, Tenten gritted her teeth against her rising annoyance. "Well, I'm sorry for not being up on the latest ins and outs of female politics. Exactly how was it not smart?"

"Um . . . Tenten-san?" All three turned to face Hinata's soft voice. The girl blushed, looking down. "If Neji-nii-san's girlfriend is jealous of you and wants the three of you to meet, it means she's evaluating you . . . . A-as a threat, right? So if you say no . . . she'll think you have something to hide."

Two weeks passed. The fashion display went smoothly, as did the journey there and back. However, by the time she reached her apartment the night they returned, Tenten became aware of a disturbing notion wriggling around in her mind.

This 'Tsubame' of Neji's . . . she wasn't the only jealous one. Maybe it was a reaction to the discussion with the girls; maybe it was her own mind simply overthinking the situation; maybe she was simply mistaking her own irritation at the whole jealousy concept for something else.

Yet Tenten couldn't shake the idea that maybe - just maybe - she was jealous of Neji and Tsubame.

The sound of an object whistling through the air was her only warning. Ducking, she shucked her pack and rolled to the right, twisting as she did so to come up facing her attacker.

"Welcome home, Tenten!" Lee beamed, grinning from within the dim shadows, one foot planted on the ground where she had been moments earlier.

Shaking her head with a smile, Tenten hit the light switch, bringing illumination to the living room. "What are you doing here - just lying in wait, waiting for me to come home?" she said, retrieving her pack from the floor.

"I wanted to be the first to welcome you back," the green-clad teenager explained, bouncing to a seat on the couch. "I asked Neji if he wanted to come along, but he said he had other business. So I came by myself."

"I see." Her mood had begun to lift at the antics of her teammate; for some reason, the very mention of Neji brought it sinking down again.

Lee's eyebrows drew together in a frown. "Tenten? Are you all right?"

Waving off the concern with a smile, she moved toward the small kitchen. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm going to make some tea; do you want some?"

Following, the exuberant shinobi said, "Yes, please. But are you sure you are all right? You seemed so until I mentioned Neji, and then -"

TANK.

Setting the water-filled kettle on the stove with more force than necessary, Tenten turned to face him. "Okay, fine. You win - I was fine up until then. Neji's just . . . kind of a touchy subject right now, okay?"

Drawing himself up to his full height, Lee lifted a determined fist. "What did he do? Tell me, and I will make certain he pays for his mistake!"

"He didn't do anything, Lee," she replied, growing exasperated. First the girls, now Lee - did everyone need to know about her personal stake in this?

Now puzzled, the green-clad boy tilted his head to one side, looking at her in confusion. "If he did not do anything . . . then why would he be a touchy subject?"

She explained it all in as few words as possible. "Neji got a girlfriend, said girlfriend is possibly jealous of me because Neji and I get along so well, I'm possibly jealous of the two of them."

Lee's eyebrows shot up. "Tenten . . . you . . . and Neji?" Lunging forward, he caught her up in a massive hug. "This is wonderful! I told Gai-sensei that the two of you were made for each other!" Dropping her back onto her feet, he took her by the shoulders. "When are you going to tell him?"

Tenten blinked. "Lee? Did you miss the part where I told you he had a girlfriend?"

"One insignificant romance cannot stand in the way of true love!" was the dramatic reply. "I shall -"

"Show me just how full of hot air you are," Tenten muttered dryly. "Look, I'm glad that you approve, but there's still the fact that Neji has someone else. I'll just have to get over it."

"Do you want to get over it?"

She looked at him blankly. He stared back, completely serious. The more she thought about it . . . the more she hated her answer. No - she didn't want to get over it. That's what the selfish, jealous, female side of her wanted to say. But the tomboyish attitude that made up so much of the rest of her wanted to scoff and deny it, say that she didn't need anyone and that this was just a temporary thing that'd pass in a week. What to say . . . .

Finally, she dropped her gaze to the floor. "No. I don't want to get over it."

In the short silence that followed, the kettle started to boil, steam whistling out. Lee reached over and moved it to a different burner so that it could begin to cool, before breaking the quiet.

"Would you like some advice?"

Looking up, surprised, Tenten studied him for a moment - advice from Lee that didn't involve taijutsu or the mention of the word 'youth?' "Uh . . . okay."

"If you are serious about Neji, do not let his having a girlfriend discourage you. Do not give up - he and you are far better together than anyone his uncle could find. What you must do is continue on as though nothing has happened, and at least pretend to be happy for him. At the same time, be the girl that his girlfriend is not and let him see what he is missing. Eventually, he will come around."

Openly staring at him, Tenten tried to make sense of the current moment. Lee - hyperactive, training-obsessed, usually-spouting-nonsense Lee had just given her a piece of love advice?

". . . . Where do you come up with this stuff?"

"Sai let me look at one of the books he reads last week in the the hopes that I could win Sakura over." His expression became one of uncertainty. "Was it not something that fits the situation?"

After a long pause, Tenten smiled, turning away to retrieve the tea leaves from their storage container. "Actually, Lee, that made perfect sense."

. . . . .

She was nearly cornered just three days later. Hinata had just been promoted to Chûnin, and in celebration, her father had allowed her to invite several of her friends to the Hyūga compound for what he described as a 'calm, quiet get-together.' However, with rivals like Naruto and Kiba or Sakura and Ino present, the gathering wasn't liable to remain calm and quiet for long. Both Tenten and Lee were invited because of Neji; Hinata had asked her older cousin to come, and bring his teammates as well.

"I'm telling you, all the signs are there," Ino whispered excitedly, having dragged an unsuspecting Tenten to the corner of the room where The Eleven had gathered. "How many times in total has he mentioned Tsubame around you?"

Rolling her eyes, the brown-haired kunoichi moved to turn away. "Ino, this is pointless, I don't -"

A hand gripped her sleeve, holding her back. "How. Many. Times?"

"I don't know - five or six?"

"Yes! The less he talks about her, the more he doesn't want to hurt your feelings, in case you're holding a torch for him!"

The blonde faltered as a pair of angry eyes locked on hers. "Ino, I swear on my aim that if you don't let this drop, I'm going to hold a torch to you."

Pulling free from the now speechless gossip-queen, Tenten stalked away, over to where Hinata was talking with Kiba and Shikamaru.

She hadn't been there for thirty seconds before a hand touched her shoulder. Gritting her teeth, she spun to face the person. "Ino, I told you that -"

Neji lifted one eyebrow. "The last time I checked, I was neither blond, nor a girl."

Smirking just slightly, Tenten said, "I know; sorry. She won't leave me alone, and I thought you might be her." She tilted her head to one side. "Besides, blond hair would clash with your eyes, I think. Make you look too washed-out."

He gave a soft 'hn' of almost-laughter before sobering again. "Regardless; I need to speak with you." His eyes shifted to Hinata and the other boys before coming back to her. "Alone, if possible."

"Uh, sure." Puzzled, she followed him out of the room, onto the walkway outside. He slid the door closed, turning to face her in the dim light.

"Something's wrong. What is it?"

Tenten blinked in surprise. Where had this come from? Neji had never been one to beat around the bush, but to simply blurt out a question was to catch almost anyone off-guard. "What do you mean?"

"You don't think I haven't seen the other kunoichi in the group whispering to each other while looking my way?" he countered. "That I haven't noticed how they keep coming up to you after they finish whispering? Something's going on, Tenten, now what is it?"

Oooh, he was really not happy about this.

"Neji, it's nothing - just girls being girls. Don't worry -"

"Tenten." The pale eyes narrowed, staring her down. "Don't lie to me."

Her mind raced as she swallowed hard. Crap, what could she tell him? She couldn't just blurt out the fact that there was a possibility she liked him - not when he wasn't single. That would cause far too much trouble.

"Well . . . . They know there's a guy a like," she said at last. "But I found out that he's got a girlfriend, and that he probably doesn't like me the way I like him." She looked up, meeting his gaze. "I told you it was just girls being girls - they like to gossip."

"And why were they looking at me?"

Frick - an angle she hadn't covered. Think fast, Tenten . . . . "Well, they're the only ones I've told so far, but they don't know that. If I had to guess, I'd say they're trying to figure out whether or not you know." She moved one shoulder in a shrug. "I guess now you do."

"Yes," he mused, looking thoughtfully out into the gardens. "I suppose I do . . . ."

They stood in silence for a moment before he spoke again. "This other person - is he here tonight?"

Her eyebrows lifted. "Ah - yeah. He is."

A small motion at his side caught her eye - his hand curling into fist. "I see. In that case, let me know which one it is, so that I can drag him out here and beat some sense into him."

That did it. Tenten burst out laughing, doubling over and holding her sides. Neji watched calmly - if a little perplexed. "I really don't see how that's funny."

"It's - it's just that you were so serious when you said it," she informed him, straightening at last. "Still - I don't think beating on him will do any good. He likes the girl he's with and for me to mess that up makes me the villain. Besides, Lee gave me a plan to follow, and I think it'll work."

"Lee . . . ?" He looked at her incredulously. "If you're about to start wearing the green training suit, I'll have to seriously question your sanity."

Still grinning, she shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that. He just said that I should continue as though it doesn't bother me, and give the hint that says, 'This is what you're missing.'"

Neji paused, thoughtful. "Hmm. That actually sounds plausible." Hesitating only slightly, he reached out, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Whatever happens, you have my support."

Smiling, Tenten returned the gesture, giving his shoulder a light squeeze as a sign of gratitude. "Thanks, Neji. Same to you." And now we'd better go back inside, because five more minutes, and I might do something I'll regret.

. . . . .

Frowning, Tenten turned off the burner on the stove, setting the boiling kettle to one side. The knock sounded again from the door, more urgent this time.

"Coming!" she called, cinching the belt of her bathrobe a little tighter as she moved toward the entrance. Withdrawing the lock, she was surprised to find an agitated-looking Neji on the doorstep. "Ah . . . ."

"I'm sorry, Tenten, I know it's early, but may I come in?"

"Sure . . . ." Allowing him access, she closed the door behind him, waiting as he removed his sandals before leading him into the living room - almost an exact replica of nearly a month earlier, when he'd first told her about Tsubame. "I have tea on the go if you want some."

"Please."

As she prepared the two drinks, she racked her brain, trying to think what would cause Neji to turn up at her place at a little after seven in the morning. They hadn't scheduled training, there was no mission she was aware of . . . . Maybe something had happened to Lee or Gai-sensei?

Returning to the living room, she passed one steaming cup to Neji, settling down across from him on the couch. "So what's got you so wound up? Is everything all right?"

He shook his head, staring into the depths of the green tea in his hand. "No, everything is just the opposite of all right." Inhaling deeply, he looked up. "You recall that the night of Hinata-sama's celebration, I was slightly late?"

Tenten nodded. "You'd been out with Tsubame. Touring the Tea Avenue, right?"

He mimicked her nod. "Yes. However, while the two of us were out, I came to the realization that I may have to tell Uncle that Tsubame is . . . not an ideal match for me."

For just one instant, Tenten nearly forgot to breathe. She arranged her expression to one of sympathy. "Aww, that sucks. I thought you seemed pretty happy with her."

"As I said, she's a sweet girl," Neji answered, before taking a cautious sip of his tea. "But her interests and mine are quite diverse from one another, not to mention our lifestyles - she has been raised to be the perfect lady and wife; I've been raised to fight."

"Yeah, I can see how those to would clash a little bit." Sipping at her own drink, she took that moment to study Neji's expression. That, not surprisingly, yielded nothing. He was obviously tired - just a hint of shadow ran under his eyes. Had he been up all night, stewing over this problem? "How do you think your uncle will take it?"

"I'm not worried about Uncle," he said, swirling the contents of his cup. "He knows that the first match isn't necessarily the right one. I'm more concerned about how Tsubame will react."

Tenten bit her lip. He had a point - to break off the courtship was to potentially insult Tsubame's family. If they were particularly touchy, they may see it as a sign that their daughter wasn't good enough for even a member of the Hyūga Clan's branch family and go so far as to begin a feud. With Neji at the centre of it, it would bring dishonour onto him, and for that to happen after he'd worked so hard for recognition . . . .

"Neji?" As he looked up, she gave him a reassuring smile. "Remember the other night? I meant it - whatever happens, I've got your back."

After a short pause, he returned the smile. "Thank you. I appreciate it." The two of them lapsed into a comfortable silence, listening to street noises begin to slowly increase in volume as the Hidden Leaf came awake.

"Tenten, do you mind if I ask you something personal?"

Looking over at him, mildly surprised, the brown-haired kunoichi frowned. "Of course I don't - what's on your mind?"

". . . . This boy you like . . . ." Looking off to one side - clearly not comfortable enough with the question to face her directly - Neji said, "I hope you don't think it's pretentious of me, but . . . it isn't me, is it?"

This time, she did forget how to breathe, for a full second. Then her mind was working, trying to come up with an answer that wouldn't require flat-out telling him. She couldn't tell him now - not when he was still technically in a relationship with Tsubame. She didn't want to be the catalyst in the break-up; that was having an unfair advantage. She needed more time to formulate an answer.

"Why do you ask that?" she said, her voice surprisingly calm.

Neji raised and lowered one shoulder in a half-shrug. "I was talking to Lee the other night about the advice he'd given you. He let slip a couple of hints about who it is, as did you."

Oh, he did, did he . . . . Making a mental note to slaughter the exuberant sensei-clone the second she got a chance, Tenten maintained her outward composure. "I suppose that's like him, isn't it. And these clues led you to believe it might be you?"

He nodded, one short movement. "Yes."

"And what hints did I give?"

"You said that he already had a girlfriend and was at the party." He was watching her closely now. "Out of the others there, Shikamaru's the only other one, besides myself, with a . . . romantic interest. It comes down to him, or me."

She had no choice. If she told him now, Neji would be forced to choose between her and Tsubame; that was something she didn't want to put him through. Besides, it would spare him the pain in the long run.

"Ah . . . well, you might want to think it over and guess again," Tenten said. She made sure to choose her words carefully - just because she said to think it over and guess again, didn't mean he wasn't right the first time.

Neji's gaze dropped back to the cup in his hand. "I see. I'll let you know what I come up with." Drinking the last of the liquid, he set the cup on the coffee table before getting to his feet. "Thank you for the tea. I suppose I'll see you at training tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll be there."

She didn't move from her spot until well after the door had closed behind him. Tenten, you may be a smart cookie, but when it comes to guys, you have the brains of a mud puddle.

. . . . .

She was at the training field long before their session was due to start. Having spent a near-sleepless night, debating whether or not to tell Neji the truth, Tenten had fallen prey to her worst enemy: paranoia.

Suppose that, during the night, a crisis arose and Team Gai was sent on a mission. Suppose that during that supposed mission, something happened to her or Neji, and she never told him the truth. Suppose that she had to live the rest of her life, knowing she'd lied to him. Suppose he lived the rest of his, without knowing the secret she'd been keeping from him.

Tenten hated having to lie, and to lie to Neji or any of her friends was particularly painful. Friends demanded and deserved honesty.

Neji deserved honesty.

At twenty minutes past midnight, she'd gotten up, and written a short letter to him. She detailed everything she wanted to say, read it through, then tucked it into a drawer of her desk.

Finally, at one in the morning, she'd curled into a ball under her covers and fallen into fitful sleep.

Waiting for the others to arrive, she shifted her weight from foot to foot, hoping that Neji would be the first to show up. Neji, remember yesterday when I said the guy I liked wasn't you? I'm really sorry, but I lied.

Folding her arms, Tenten scoffed under her breath. "Yeah, right. Like that's going to work. He'll probably use Heart Explosion on the spot."

"Why would I do that?"

She jumped at the quiet voice approaching from the side, whipping her head to see Neji closing the gap between them.

"Ah . . . Gosh, I'm sorry. I was . . . running tactics in my head." She paused. "Um . . . good morning, by the way."

Shoot. Another lie.

He smiled faintly, shaking his head in mock exasperation. "Not a problem. Good morning to you as well." He regarded her for a moment. "Are you all right? You seem . . . distant."

Now's your chance. . . tell him! "I'm okay, just a little tired is all." She hesitated, and in that second, a new thought occurred. She couldn't tell him now, not before training. If it went badly, they'd both be distracted, and neither would perform their best. It would be too awkward. She'd have to wait until after.

They lapsed into silence for the five minutes before Lee's arrival. He came bouncing up a slight rise in the terrain, as eager and cheerful as usual. This time, however, Tenten could see an extra bit of alertness when he caught sight of them. Dark eyes gauged body language, the space between her and Neji, and facial expressions. He kept moving toward them, with no indication that he knew something was wrong.

"Good morning! Another beautiful day to be alive!" he greeted, smiling broadly. This earned him a nod of return greeting from Neji, and a smile from Tenten; she wasn't feeling much like speaking anymore.

The bad feeling she had only got worse when Gai-sensei arrived. As he approached, he studied her and Neji exactly the same as Lee had. Tenten nearly groaned and covered her face with her hands. He knew. Lee, you blabbermouth, when I get my hands around your neck, I'm gonna-

"No time to waste!" Gai-sensei declared, drowning out the rest of her thoughts. "Let's get to it! Nothing like a little sparring to get warmed up in the morning!" Looking between his students, his eyes came to rest on Tenten, with just the hint of a sly smile. "Well well . . . our youthful flower seems a little tense this morning. Perhaps you'd like to go first?"

She seized her chance. "Of course. But only if it's against Lee."

Both green-clad man stared at her for a moment; they'd clearly been expecting her to choose Neji as an opponent. It had been a chance to force the two of them to be in close physical contact. Well, that was just too bad.

She didn't want to throttle the living daylights out of Neji.

Moving out into the open space of the training field, she faced Lee with a determined smile. "Are you ready?"

"I am always ready!" was the fervent answer. "Come at me with everything you have!"

Tenten took him at his word. Two kunai were away, zipping in his direction, with her not far behind. Lee dodged to one side, but this she had already anticipated. Being the slowest of the four of them, she'd found other ways to counteract their speed; one was to put them off-balance and attack in the interim, the other was to get angry. The angrier she was, the more determined she became to land blows.

Right now, Tenten was very angry indeed.

Lee had time to raise a hand as her right hand wielded a kunai, slashing downward. He blocked the blow by catching her wrist with his, then shifted his weight as his leg rose for a kick. Her free hand moved to meet it, a muffled clang! sounding as her second blade bit through the orange warner to clash off his ankle weights.

Taking advantage of their closeness, Tenten hissed, "I can't believe you told him! It was supposed to be between you and me!"

He seemed confused. "But I tell Gai-sensei everything! It builds trust between teacher and student!"

"And what about trust between teammates?" Breaking contact, she jumped backward, out of his range. Lee settled into a stable stance, waiting for her to attack again. Reasoning that even trying to hit him would be a good way to blow off steam, Tenten obliged.

For the next five minutes, she rained blow after blow on her opponent, all of which he blocked. At one point, catching her with by an over-extended arm, he said quietly, "I am sorry; I should have realized you wanted me to keep your secret. But I know Gai-sensei will not tell anyone."

"You're right," she said, after taking an extra second to breathe; the exertion had her slightly winded. "Okay; apology accepted. Sorry for beating on you like that."

"Apology accepted." The two of them stepped apart, and turned to face the rest of their team.

Gai-sensei was beaming. "An excellent display of youthful energy and enthusiasm! Well done, both of you! Now, which one of you gets to spar with Neji?"

. . . . .

With training over for the day, and nothing to distract her from her plans, Tenten could feel her nervousness returning. Arms folded, she stood looking up at the sky overhead, like it could offer some answer as to how she was supposed to tell him.

Neji approached from the left. "Tenten? Are you all right?"

Her attention returned to earth; she gave him a smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. What is it?"

"It's been a while since you and I went someplace together," he said, still watching her with some degree of concern. "Would you like to get something to eat before going home?"

"Sure, but -" she paused, eyes shifting to glance over his shoulder. Gai-sensei and Lee were slowly but surely drifting off, trying to to appear inconspicuous about it. When they saw her watching, they sped up considerably. "- um . . . . Well, there's something I need to talk to you about first."

The look of concern returned to his expression. "Of course." He followed her to one of the thick-trunked trees surrounding the training field, sitting down as she did. "Is something wrong?"

She nodded. "Something's wrong; very wrong. It's been bothering me since yesterday, and if I don't get it off my chest, I feel like I'll explode." She paused. He waited. "Have you talked to Tsubame?"

Neji seemed slightly taken aback. "I . . . yes. I spoke to her yesterday; she said that she understood, that . . . . Well, like I said, the first match isn't always the right one. Why do you ask?"

A mountain of weight disappeared from somewhere above Tenten; she almost sighed in relief. She wasn't encroaching on another girl's territory anymore . . . but now, she was even more nervous.

"Well . . . ." She couldn't look at him. Her eyes dropped to the grass between them. "You remember how yesterday, you said that, based on the hints Lee and I had dropped, you thought the guy I like was you . . . ."

"You told me to think it over and guess again," he supplied. His tone didn't reveal anything; that worried her. When Neji's voice went like that, it usually didn't mean anything good. It meant he might be angry.

"Yeah." Swallowing hard, she forced herself to say it. "I lied. You guessed right."

Silence.

She had to break it. "I mean . . . . I guess it's not really lying, because I said 'you might want to guess again,' and that doesn't mean you should. But I couldn't tell you then because you were still with Tsubame, and that'd just create more problems than it's worth." He still said nothing. "Neji, I'm sorry, I should've just told you from the start, no matter what. You deserve honesty like that, and -"

"Tenten. Stop."

His voice was still emotionless. Clamping her teeth together, Tenten could feel her face turning red. She'd been babbling; she hated to listen to other people do it, and now she had as well. This was a disaster. He was angry, he had to be. What right did she have to put him in a position like this? He'd just broken up with his girlfriend; she should have waited a couple weeks, given him time.

"You deserve honesty, too. But I'm not going to give it to you unless you look at me."

The words surprised her. Surprised her so that she looked up without thinking; her blush deepened, despite her efforts to fight it down. Those pearly eyes watched her, unreadable . . . before visibly softening. A rare, small smile curve his mouth.

"I'm glad I guessed right." Some little light of private amusement appeared. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"Because of Tsubame!" With most of the tension past, Tenten rolled her eyes. "If you like a guy who's taken, you don't just march up to him when he's on a date and say 'Hey, you know what, you should go out with me instead.' That's called being a homewrecker, genius."

The private amusement strengthened. "So instead, you be the girl his girlfriend isn't. I understand." He shook his head. "I hate to admit it, but for once, Lee had some sound common sense to give you."

Her tension renewed itself. "And . . . what do you mean by that, exactly?"

Neji got to his feet, offering a hand to help her up. "Tenten, I can honestly say that you don't need to worry about the person you like not liking you back. He most definitely does."

Allowing him to pull her to her feet, she smiled. "Glad to hear it."

Neither spoke for a moment, not sure how to proceed. At last, tentatively, Neji carefully hugged her. Not too tight; still lightly so as not to be invasive. "Thank you, for the support you gave me yesterday, and during the time Tsubame and I were together. I don't think it would be easy to see me with someone else; I appreciate it."

She smiled, returning the hug. "You're welcome. Thanks for not being mad at me for lying to you. And for understanding why I couldn't tell you sooner."

They stood that way for a moment, before Tenten stepped back, offering another smile. "I think you said something about getting something to eat?" Neji merely smiled in return and offered her a hand. Together, they began making their way back toward the village.