Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. This is merely for entertainment purposes and no money is being made off of this.

A/N: Team Gai is around 16 years old here. Everyone is just a Chuunin right now and Neji is still practicing to become a Jounin, but they're already wearing their Shippuuden outfits in here.

Tenten's P.O.V.

It's 10 at night and I'm still training at our training grounds.

Why, you ask?

Because I was trying to practice a new trick involving weaponry. You see, I was on my way back home from a simple mission, when I spotted a small, discreet building hidden by some bushes. Curious, I went to check it out, only to discover that it was just an old, abandoned library. Now, I'm not much of bookish sort of person, but I have been getting tired of my old fighting tricks. Maybe I could find a book about weaponry...

So now, here I was, trying to grasp the concepts of the book I held in my hand.

You may be wondering why I don't just practice with Neji. Well, the thing is, I'm scared.

Yes people, I'm scared. Because just last month, someone had referred to me as "Neji Hyuuga's training partner." Normally, something as trivial as that wouldn't bother me. It was when that same person who had referred to me as that title, spotted me, then proceeded to ask what my specialties were. Did they really not know I was a weapons mistress?

My eye twitched.

So now, I wanted to prove to them that I was more than just his partner. I wanted to prove that I was a powerful kunoichi! So, I figured I would just have to train myself. I would have to learn some new techniques to impress people with! But, even with this stupid, ratty old book, even I was beginning to see that I needed someone to train with, yet I just couldn't bring myself to ask anyone.

I couldn't ask Neji for help because all our training sessions ever consisted of was just trying to help him improve on his techniques. Never once did he offer to help me with anything. But strangely, I was alright with that. I was more of a 'blend in with the background' sort of girl anyway.

I also definitely couldn't go to Gai-sensei or Lee for help, since the two were practically attached at the hip. Seriously, it was kind of sad that I couldn't even go to my own sensei for help.

And I was never really close with anyone outside of Team Gai. I mean, sure, Sakura, Ino, Hinata, and I chatted once in a while, but that was it. We never made any plans to see each other over the weekends, or spend slumber parties at each others houses. Besides, Sakura was busy training with Tsunade, Ino was still training to become a medic ninja, and Hinata trained with Kiba and Shino to help her become stronger.

So now you see why I'm training by myself.

And since I'm still Neji's training partner, I can't just let him down. So, I still trained with him from six in the morn till five in the aft. After that, I'd go home and eat a light dinner, take a shower, and then come back to the training grounds with a book on weapon techniques and jutsu's. Half of the time I spent was reading the ancient thing, and the other half was spent trying to apply the concepts from the book into my practice. So far I've managed to learn a few cool tricks with weapons and even managed to master a foreign weapon technique within one week. Of course I was tired from all the extra training, but what else was I supposed to do? I needed to become stronger if I wanted to be like Tsunade-sama.

Needless to say though, after 3 weeks of practicing on a certain jutsu, I still couldn't get it right.

"DAMN IT!" I threw a dozen kunais at a tree.

"Why can't get it right! What the hell am I still doing wrong?" I proceeded to stomp around and collect my fallen weapons, too much in a bad mood to summon them up via scrolls.

A voice from behind me interrupted my rant.

"I can tell you what you're doing wrong."

I shrieked in surprise before tossing a katana at the intruder.

The intruder, who was leaning against a tree with my book in his hand, merely tilted his head to the side, leaving the katana to embed itself into the tree. In the moonlight, I could see it was Neji who had interrupted my private training session, and by the way he was glaring at me, I could tell that he wasn't a happy boy scout. Well, neither was I!

"Kami, Neji! You scar- startled me!" I placed a hand on my beating heart for emphasis. I can't believe I didn't sense him. That was embarrassing.

"Hnn."

"Anyway, what are doing here? Did you forget something?" I faked a smile at him, hoping it would diffuse his curiosity on why I was obviously still in the training grounds at ten at night. Maybe if I could just act this off as a normal occurrence...

He merely glared at me with his lightly colored lavender eyes. I guess he didn't see this whole late night training thing as normal. Well pooey; That was just a downright shame. (sarcasm)

"I was wondering why my sparring partner was performing less than satisfactory lately."

"Oh." I whispered blankly. It was the only thing I could get out of my mouth now. However, inside I was bristling with the insult. How dare he?

A heavy silence filled the air as I stared at the ground and tried to burn holes into it. Maybe if I just kept quiet, he would go away-

"You need to even out your chakra on your third stage when you're throwing the katana and kunai at the target." He said all of this while looking at a page in the book still clutched in his hand.

"W-what?" I stuttered. Damnit! Why did I stutter? I only did that when I was extremely nervous or confused about something, and right now, I was really confused! Why was he wasting his time trying to help me?

He shut the book and let it drop to the ground before glancing up at me. I felt my breath catch in my throat at the look he gave me.

Oh boy. He began walking towards me now. Super boy.

"What, Tenten? Did you honestly think that you could effectively train all by yourself without someone's help?" he asked.

"Ah, no…I just…"

Great, now I was murmuring.

"Just what?"

Now he was standing in front of me.

I couldn't think of anything to say at that moment, and I felt really compelled to not look at his eyes. What happened to the brave Tenten?

I think he could sense how uncomfortable I was though, and that I was trying to avoid him, because right when I was about to take a step back, he shot his arms out and was pinning me to a tree nearby.

I gasped in surprise when I felt him push his body against mine, before leaning his head down to whisper in my ear.

"Well?" He obviously wanted an answer, and with his hands pinning my upper arms against the tree and his body flush against mine, there was absolutely no way of escaping without giving him an answer.

Although I knew Neji wasn't one for physical contact unless in combat, I still knew why he was doing this.

He wanted to make me uncomfortable. He knew that I was trying to avoid him at the moment and it was making him irritated. Of course, to initiate contact like this must mean that he was really irritated.

Still, I had my pride to uphold, and even though the Hyuuga was better at close combat, I wasn't about to let some male think they could simply restrain me as they pleased! When I tried to push him off with my hands, however, he merely furthered his glare at me before grabbing both of my wrists with one hand and pressing his body even harder against mine. Knowing I couldn't defeat him with my hands, I tried to knee him where the sun didn't shine (a low move, I know), but he predicted this and merely deflected it with his leg before proceeding to wedge his knee between my thighs so that I was practically sitting on his thigh. As if that wasn't bad enough, he proceeded to nuzzle his face against the crook of my neck so that I could feel his hot breath tickle and excite my sensitive nerves. What was going on with him?

I shut my eyes tightly as a heavy blush arose on my cheeks and I started to shake. This couldn't be happening.

If his body wasn't pressed so tightly against mine and if I wasn't practically sitting on his raised thigh that he braced against the tree to hold me upright (he really was stronger than I gave him credit for), I was sure that I would fall to the ground because of weak knees.

I guess he figured that he was winning because I could feel him smirk against my neck. I withheld a shiver. Cocky pig.

I started squirming as a way of defiance. All that seemed to do though was make him stiffen his body. He grabbed my waist with his free hand to still me.

"Stop that." He demanded. I stopped, but not before glaring at him. Honestly, he was acting weird lately (or as weird as Neji let show) and it was seriously beginning to piss me off. Around three months ago, he began ignoring me on and off. As much as I tried to hide it, it hurt, so when his silent-shoulder act would go on for more than two days, I would begin yelling and arguing with him, then I would stalk off and let the days roll by as we both proceeded to give each other the silent treatment (despite still training with each other). Then, after I'd cooled down enough, we would make up and pretend it never happened. Then the cycle would start all over again. The fact that I was coming to our daily sparring sessions every morning tired now lately probably didn't help things.

It didn't seem that he would be letting go of me anytime soon though until I fessed up on why I was training alone and coming to practice tired each morning. As if the asshole didn't know already.

So that left me with a 0% chance of having my way. Great.

I didn't notice that angry tears were starting to come out of my tired eyes until I felt Neji lift his hand from my waist to flick a tear away with his thumb. I looked at him with blurry eyes, trying desperately to glare and plead at the same time with my eyes to just let me go.

He didn't.

This was so humiliating. Honestly, I couldn't remember feeling this much embarrassment since the chuunin exams when I had to go against Temari in the preliminaries. This was almost worse.

"Tenten." He tried saying my name now in a softer tone.

I swallowed my pride and looked away. "What?"

"Why didn't you ask for help?"

"I just didn't want to burden anyone, okay?" My voice became caustic as I bit the last word out, afraid that if I said another word, my voice would crack. I just hope he understood what I meant.

Even though I was trying to hold it in, more tears began to squeeze their way pass my closed lids and down my ruddy cheeks.

Kami, I really was pathetic.

I guess he understood what I meant though, because the next thing I knew, he released his hold on my wrists, lowered his leg, and was hugging me. I tensed in surprise.

"I apologize, Tenten. I didn't know you thought that way." He smoothed some of the escaped strands of hair from my shocked face behind my ear. When did he get so bold? "But you can always ask me for help, Tenten. You don't need to do it all by yourself."

With my hands now free, I could do whatever I wanted to now. But instead of running away like I had initially planned to do, I was hugging him right back.

We stayed that way for a few minutes until my silent tears and uncharacteristic sniffles began to subside.

For a long time, neither of us let go, and I certainly didn't want to. Heh, whatever happened to just team-mates? However, I was getting sleepy, so I stood up and nodded at him, signaling that I wanted to go home now.

The full moon shone down on as we began to walk to my apartment. The walk there was coated with silence until we reached the front door of my apartment.

When I began turning the doorknob to enter, content to call it a night, his voice cut through the air, interrupting my train of thought.

"You know we're going to have to practice that technique of yours tomorrow in training, right?"

Taking a moment to process what he just said, I turned around and let my shocked face quickly morph into softer features. I smiled softly at him before letting that smile break out into a full grown grin. I threw myself forward to give him an appreciative hug.

"Thanks Neji."

"Hnn." Typical.

After waving him goodbye, I closed the door with a soft click before heading towards my room. Of course I was thanking him for his comment, but I was also thanking him for teaching me a valuable lesson. Even though some people may think they don't need help, most things can become so much easier to handle when provided with a little extra help; or rather, when someone else was willing to help. This proved to be true when just two days later, I was able to master the complicated weapon technique with Neji's offered help.

I let out a huge grin and began to do a victory dance when I succeeded, therefore, I did not get to see the slight smile that tugged at the corners of my sparring partner's lips.

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END