Neji never considered himself an avenger. The problems and grievances of others were strictly that. But if there was one thing anyone had learned about the Hyuga, it was that he would crawl through the depths of hell for a certain few people.

Rock Lee. The annoying ninja was almost like a brother to him. Somehow through all the boundless energy that the boy radiated, Neji had grown quite fond of him.

Might Guy. He may have had his irritating moments, but he was Neji's mentor. Throughout his training he knew he had the unbridled support of his teacher regardless of whether he wanted it or not.

Hinata Hyuga. Although the girl had shown she was capable of taking care of herself, Neji would do just about anything for her. Her meek personality made it easy for the tall dark ninja to want to protect her.

The Hyuga clan. He lived to serve it, and anyone who dared to get in his way would be mowed down. It was his life, his family and his world.

Finally, Tenten. The bun headed kunoichi was part of his team when he was first starting out. Often times Neji would think upon the stubborn but spirited girl, wondering where her adventures were taking her.

It was one of the nights in which he lay awake, thinking about his old team and reminding himself to pay them a visit. He still went on missions with them when he could, but they were all so busy that it was difficult to get them all together. Tenten in particular had been scarce lately, the Hokage seeming to assign her for more and more training. She had grown into an exceptional ninja and he was immensely proud of her, even if he didn't show it. He lost his train of thought when he heard a timid knock on his door.

"Enter" he said loudly. The door cracked open and he gave a grunt of acknowledgment when he saw Hinata enter. The kunoichi shuffled nervously for a moment, seeming to try to think of the best way to start her sentence.

"Whats the matter? You look a bit shaken" he asked worriedly, at a quick assessment that she probably didn't even realize he took, he noticed no wounds on her small form. The woman gave out a deep sigh before speaking, seeming to still be coming to terms with what she was about to say

"It's Tenten" she started, Neji immediately sat up straighter

"Do you think you could go to her house to speak with her? Lee and Guy have been trying to get her to let them in but she refuses. Lee came over and asked if you would try" she explained. Neji stood up and slipped on his shoes as he pulled on what could be deemed a regular shirt.

"Whats wrong with her?" he asked as he performed his tasks, trying to quell the worry that was twisting into his gut.

"I'm not entirely sure. All I know is that she went on her first seduction mission today and it went wrong" Hinata said, worried eyes following Neji's every move.

Neji's stomach twisted again. He knew what the responsibilities of a kunoichi were, but it didn't mean he had to like it. Why didn't she tell him she was going on this mission? Did she go alone? Scenarios that nightmares are made of flitted through his mind as he thanked Hinata for informing him and headed towards Tenten's residence.

When he got there he found a worried Lee and Guy slumped over in defeat outside of her doorway. When the younger of the two spotted Neji, he jumped up with renewed hope on his face. Neji ignored the jabbering of his teammate as he pounded on the door.

"Tenten it's me, Neji"

no response

"Open the door"

nothing

"Okay. I will give you to the count of three before I knock your door down"

Nothing except for a few protests from Guy and Lee

"One"

silence

"Two"

small shuffling could be heard

"Thr-"

before he could finish, the door swung open and he was pulled in by the arm so quickly he almost lost his balance. He heard the door slam shut again as he took a good look at the room he was standing in. It was a mess. Plates had been smashed on the wall, there were dents in pots and pans and a vase lay crumbled into pieces on the ground. The furniture was knocked over and a chair lay on the floor, one of its legs laying on the other side of the room. It looked as if a war had gone down. He then looked at the woman behind him, her eyes were bloodshot and her cheeks were puffy. She had cuts on her hands and arms (from all the plate smashing he would bet) and her usual twin buns were frazzled and falling out of place.

Neji didn't say a word. He simply walked into her bathroom where he pulled out her first aid kid, gently pulled her to a chair that he set upright, and methodically began to attend to her cuts. Once he was certain he had covered all of them, he replaced the first aid kit and returned with a brush. He softly untangled her hair and did his best to recreate her buns. Then he sat on the floor in front of her and waited.

Sure enough, after a few more minutes of painful silence where Tenten refused to look at him, she began to cry once more. It wasn't pretty, it was loud and messy and full of garbled words and desperate breathing. Neji silently pulled her from her chair so she would join him on the ground before wrapping his arms around the kunoichi the best way he knew how. She buried her head in his familiar scent and sobbed so loudly he was certain her neighbors could hear it. Inside, Neji's gut twisted and turned as his heart hurt. He didn't like it, didn't like feeling as vulnerable as he was feeling now with this woman in his arms, but he figured if she could soak his shirt with her tears the least he could do is accept the affection he was feeling for her.

It took a while before she calmed down enough to speak, when she did her voice was hoarse and wobbly and Neji felt a pang hit his heart again.

"I am such a failure. I couldn't even do this right…it was supposed to be easy" she said, head still buried in his shoulder. Neji really didn't know what to say, so he did what he did best and stayed quiet.

"It was so simple…it went so wrong, Neji. So freaking wrong. It's all my fault too, if I had just listened to Kiba and removed my weapons this never would have happened."

Neji really wanted to ask why Kiba was there, but he knew that out of everything he could say at the moment that was the one that would guarantee him a one way ticket out of her home. Instead he stayed quiet some more as he let her finish.

"He found me out. He came on to me, and when it started to cross the line and I reached for my kunai I realized it was gone. He pushed me down onto the bed and….and…" she broke out into a few more sobs.

"I was a virgin…why the hell did I take that mission, I'm so dumb. I shouldn't be upset it's my own fault…" she continued. Neji could feel his heart freeze for a second at the revelation, but snapped out of it as he heard her continue to degrade herself. As she continued to mumble about how stupid she was, he placed a gentle hand on each of her cheeks and forced her to look at him

"Stop it. Stop blaming yourself. It is not your fault. You were doing your job and a terrible, horrible thing happened. You did not ask for this, Tenten." He said, speaking for the first time since he was let into her home.

Tenten sighed and her eyes filled will more tears as she squeezed them shut

"How can you stand me…I failed…not only did I fail, but I'm-" she started before being cut off

"I swear, if you say anything like soiled or ruined I will let Lee and Guy into this house and let them smother you with hugs" he threatened. Much to his relief she let out a strained laugh as she hugged her knees. As he looked at her, Neji made a dangerous realization:

He wanted to kiss her.

He wanted to make it better, to show her she wasn't a broken toy that no one wants anymore. He wanted to wipe away her tears and tell her how much he cared about her and how much it scared him to think he was falling for her. Because he was, and he knew it now. But he didn't want to cross a line, not this soon. Instead he stood up and walked towards the door, he saw her hurt expression as he turned to speak and realized how this looked

"I'm not leaving, I'm just telling Guy and Lee to go home" he explained, watching the look of relief that washed over Tenten's face.

"You should both get some sleep. She is tired and will speak to you when she is ready" he explained to the two exhausted looking ninjas who were still slumped by the wall outside her door. Lee seemed like he was going to argue, but thought better of it when he saw the expression on Neji's face. The Hyuga shut the door as the two men began to walk away from the door.

"She is in good hands" Guy said softly, a soft smile gracing his face.

When Neji returned to Tenten she purely worn out. Neji tilted his head for her to follow him, leading her to where he knew her bedroom to be. He couldn't help but notice her posture stiffen as he gestured for her to walk inside, but he just gently led her to the bed and tucked her in. It reminded him of when Hinata would have a nightmare as a child, she would crawl into his bed and shake him awake so that he could protect her from the monsters under her bed. He would lead the little girl back to her room and tuck her into her bed, placing a soft kiss on her forehead. Tenten looked vulnerable as she looked at him, confusion shining in her eyes.

"Sleep. You need it" he said in his typical Neji tone. He half expected her to argue with him, but instead she just whispered her thanks and closed her eyes. Neji exited the room and took a good look at the rest of her living space, much of which was completely torn apart. He wasn't about to leave Tenten by herself right now, so he busied himself with cleaning the broken glass off the floor and setting the furniture upright once more. As the room started to look more and more inhabitable, he began to wonder what to do. He wasn't sure how to deal with a situation like this, not to mention the feelings he had been having for the woman sleeping in the other room. She deserved better than him and he knew it, but the feelings persisted.

"NEJI!" A shrill voice screamed from the bedroom. Neji immediately ran to Tenten's bedroom door and flung it open to find her tossing and turning, eyes squeezed shut as she seemed to struggle against the sheets in the midst of a nightmare. He strode over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her as hard as he dared in order to wake her up.

"Tenten, Tenten wake up!" he said with a slight tone of desperation in his voice. She bolted upright, out of breath as she wildly glanced around the room. It took her a moment before she seemed to recognize him, after she did she looked confused.

"You are still here?" she questioned, glancing at the clock

"Of course" he responded, taking a seat next to her on the bed. He would be lying if he said he wasn't shaken. She had screamed for him during her nightmare, he wondered if she had screamed for him while she was being held down against her will. He wished more than anything that he could turn back time and go on that mission with her, he wouldn't have let her out of his sight. A sigh from the brunette made him look up

"Why do I feel so safe with you…" the girl wondered aloud, Neji didn't respond. He didn't know how to. She scooted a bit closer to him and looked him in the eyes before speaking slowly

"Neji…if I try something, will you allow me to do so?" she whispered.

Neji had absolutely no idea what she was talking about when she suddenly kissed him. His eyes flew open in surprise as the beautiful kunoichi kissed him softly, then harder. He didn't know what to do, he didn't want to scare her away after all she had been through. Tenten took his lack of response as rejection and sat back, avoiding his gaze.

"I- I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking" she apologized. Neji was still at a loss for words, reaching out to touch her hand in a small sign on affection.

"Don't apologize, I just…you have been through a lot and I don't want to make you uncomfortable" he explained. She let out a forceful laugh as she continued to avoid meeting his eyes.

"It's alright, Neji. You don't have to kiss me back, I just wanted to see what it was like I guess" she said, vulnerability in her face as she suddenly looked far from the confident girl he once knew.

Without thinking, Neji grasped her face in his hands and attached her lips to his once again. Tenten gasped as he kissed her gently, only pulling away far enough that their noses touched

"Yeah I do" he said

"What?" Tenten breathed,

"Yeah, I do have to kiss you back"

"No you-"

"I have to kiss you back because I have wanted to for so long now"

Silence filled the air and for a nanosecond, Neji worried that he had overstepped his bounds. He was quickly proven wrong when she returned his kiss with fervor, he couldn't believe what was happening as the ninja kissed down the side of his neck, sucking at his pulse point in a way that made him struggle not to gasp. No matter how good it felt, Neji was determined not to let this go too far. Before he knew it he was on his back, Tenten straddling his waist and kissing him as her fingers fumbled with the buttons on the shirt he had haphazardly thrown on in his haste to get to her house. Neji was so shocked that he didn't move for a second, allowing her kisses to progress to his jawline and venture down his neck to his pulse point. His mind grew foggy as he struggled with his words. He wanted this, but he wasn't entirely sure she did.

"W-wait…" he stammered uncharacteristically, Tenten stopped what she was doing and looked him in the eyes with a pleading expression

"Neji, show me what it feels like. I want to be with you, I have for a while now. Show me what it's really like" she whispered. It was only a split second of hesitation, but it felt like an eternity to the two lovers before Neji flipped Tenten onto her back and straddled her.

"Okay" he said softly. He wasn't going to change his mind about refraining from having sex for the time being, but he wanted to make her feel good. He gently pressed her into the mattress, his dark hair making a curtain around their faces as he kissed her as softly as he could muster. Tenten looked surprised, never having seen the Hyuga this gentle before. He moved down her neck and kissed her as he looked her in the eyes, removing her shirt slowly.

She was enraptured as he began to unwrap her bindings and place a kiss on each breast as he took her in. It hurt Neji to see the bruises that had formed on her collarbone and breasts, he ran his fingers over them lightly in regret but all it did was serve to make the woman underneath him shiver. Tenten didn't know how she could ever associate Neji with the man who had stolen her innocence, they were so different and she felt safer than she had ever been. This is the man who had been by her side since the beginning, who had trained her and protected her, this is the man who worked harder than anyone she knew but still had a heart (no matter how much he tried to hide it). She felt warm as he lavished her breasts in attention, letting out a soft moan as she felt herself react.

Neji was in between heaven and hell as he kissed down her stomach and removed her pants and underwear inch by inch. He never thought he would be here and he planned to etch every bit into his memory in case it never happened again, however his erection was making it hard for him to take in all the beauty before him. He kissed the bruises on her hips and looked in her eyes for any sign of hesitation, when he saw nothing but pure unadulterated desire he gently guided her legs apart. He was so hard that it hurt as he slowly traced a finger along her wet lower lips, inserting his middle finger and moving it in and out slowly as Tenten gasped. Neji barely knew what he was doing anymore as he inserted another finger and brought his lips to her clit and sucked, making her cry out in pleasure. He combined the attention he was giving her with his tongue along with his fingers pumping in and out of her heat as his ears were attacked with her whimpers and moans. He could hear them slowly pitching higher and higher until she was on the brink, a few more pumps and she was falling apart in his arms. She shuddered as a final cry left her lips, Neji slid back up her body to hold her. He ignored his throbbing member as he moved to the side and held her as she recovered.

She thought that she would be left with a bad taste in her mouth after what had happened during her mission, but while the memory was still there she now had this one to help her through. It felt so much better than she ever could have imagined, she had never felt so open and vulnerable and she was glad it was with Neji.

Neji sighed and moved to get off of the bed and head to her bathroom to take care of his little problem, not wanting to freak her out with his erection. Before he could stand up a small calloused hand grabbed his wrist

"Where do you think you are going?" Tenten asked, he could almost hear the veiled threat in it.

"Bathroom, I just need to take care of something really quick" he explained gruffly, not wanting to meet her eye for fear of making it worse. She tugged him back onto the mattress

"You still have not showed me everything yet" she said bravely, trying to meet his gaze. She wrapped her toned arms around his shoulders and buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent as he battled with himself. Noticing the look on his face, she placed a palm on his cheek and forced him to look at her

"I trust you, Neji. More than anyone. I want this to be with you because I love you" she explained. His eyes widened slightly at her declaration and he let out a long breath as he replied

"I…I love you too" he said quietly, it was hard for the Hyuga to admit it out loud after so long. Tenten smiled widely and he couldn't think of the reason why he hadn't told her sooner and she kissed him. As it happened so often with them, she had broken him down into doing what she wanted. Even without trying, his world was centered around her. Now he knew that the feeling was mutual.

He rolled on top of her once more as she opened her legs so he could kneel between them, he pressed his member against her opening and stared at her as he nervously searched for any sign of discomfort. All he saw was affection in her gaze as he slowly pushed into her.

It wasn't a perfect fit, it never had been with them. It had taken a few grunts of pain and twisting around to find the right position, but when they did it was ecstasy. Neji opened his mouth in a silent grown as he buried his face in her shoulder, slowly thrusting into her. She felt incredible, her walls were tight around him and he knew right then that jacking off in his room would never be the same. Tenten was a relatively quiet lover, letting out a few moans and whimpers as both their breathing quickened. He longed to hear her cry out like she had earlier, he was no more experienced than she was but he would be damned if she wasn't going to cum first. They finally found their rhythm and words were lost as they stared at each other, the only sounds coming from them were their panting and groans.

Nothing existed anymore. Her mission did not exist, his clan did not exist, their team didn't exist, the only thing that existed to Neji was Tenten and for Tenten it was Neji.

It didn't last long, neither of them expected it to. It was too emotional, too full of pent up feelings, too new and pleasurable. One after the other they fell, Tenten crying out a garbled version of his name as he gave out an embarrassingly loud groan. They fell next to each other, both shined with sweat and panted as if they had been jogging. Hands were still all over each other, but it was no longer lust that drove them.

As Neji and Tenten wrapped each other up in their arms and drifted off, they both thought the same thing.

It would take a while, it wouldn't be easy, but she was going to be fine. They both were. They are a team in every sense of the word and that meant they had the other's back.