Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or the song mentioned.

Summary: Love is one of the most abstract, unpredictable concepts known to mankind. She thought she had it all figured out, but nothing in life can really be for certain...

A/N: I originally wrote this as a songfic (with the lyrics in between), so the story as a whole may be choppy. The plot probably moves too fast as well. I apologize for that; I'm a bit too lazy to go back and revise everything. xD I didn't want to just leave it in my computer though. Yes, it is a one-shot.

The song I was basing this short fic on was "The Only Exception" by Paramore. If you want, you can go listen to it or look up the lyrics to better understand the theme of the story.

Only You

It began when she started scolding him for being too involved in his work. He just never seemed to have any time for her anymore, not after that failure of a mission. Protesting and saying that it was to support the family, he buried his head in his armory despite her claims that she would bring money back from successful missions.

Living with the looming possibility of her never coming back from a mission only heightened her scorn and his aloofness.

She demanded that he return his attention to things other than work – the family, dinners, parties...her. He wanted her to give up on kunoichi life, because he couldn't bear the foreboding and clenching in his heart every time she left, and the knowledge that he might never see her again if it weren't her dead body.

They wanted to prove something to the other...to prove that, indeed, one could support the family, although they seemed to forget that two heads were better than one.

It was the day after a rather nasty fight, ending in her leaving and demanding a long-term mission from the Sandaime, that he received the report.

His worst fears had been confirmed – her body was found bloody and broken on a belying gently sloping hill. She, as the nin had reported, had set off late at night and had been too tired to defend herself from the enemies who had attacked her.

His body was stiffened, his back was straight, and his eyes were dry as he heard the news from the messenger.

Two weeks later, after being pronounced K.I.A., she was seen by spies consulting with the Raikage and seemingly starting a new life in the Lightning Village.

He wept then. She was gone already – there was nothing he could do about it. But it was the knowledge that she had chosen to leave him rather than being forcefully taken away that caused so much grief.

Ten-year old Tenten wondered to herself as she comforted her dad, What happened to the love? The marriage? ...What about me?

Her father died the following week from anguish-induced illness. Tenten recalled much whispering about the famed, dedicated blacksmith – that even her long-time idol, the legendary healer Tsunade-sama, could not cure heartbreak. How ironic that the one disease that couldn't be cured struck the aspiring kunoichi's family.

Even if Tsunade didn't, Tenten had a cure. It was amazingly simple, really, but it didn't seem to dawn on too many people.

The cure?

It was to never love in the first place.

So she focused everything – her willpower, her strength, her determination – on becoming a great kunoichi like Tsunade. Why? Because if she were as strong as Tsunade-sama, and she had the one cure the aging blond woman did not, she would be the ultimate kunoichi.

What she didn't expect was having teammates in her life.

"Are you awake?"

Tenten's eyes flickered open with built-in alacrity to meet white ones. She yawned and started rubbing her right eye when it couldn't adjust to the brightness of the clearing. A warm hand grabbed hers and lowered it slowly. "Don't do that," he admonished.

She ignored his warning and answered his first question, teasing playfully, "Thought you had your all-seeing eyes."

He snorted and retracted his hand, unaware of the small shiver the girl gave when he did so. "Why expend chakra when I can simply nudge you awake?"

"True..." She turned her gaze to the sky and seemed slightly surprised at seeing it in a pale orange and purple cast. "How long did I sleep?" she asked, glancing around at the weapons still lying around the craters.

"Three hours." He arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow with an upward quirk of his lips when her mouth hung open slightly in disbelief. "Is it that surprising?"

"Are you calling me a lazy, deep sleeper?

He opened his mouth to reply, but hearing a flute play in the direction of the village, she leapt up abruptly but gracefully. "Crap, the summer festival and Hokage Ball! I completely forgot. See you in half an hour!" She dashed off through the woods after grabbing her pack before he could answer.

He glanced around at the scattered weapons in the clearing and sighed. Typical.

Tenten stepped out of the shower hurriedly, grabbing a towel off the rack. After wringing her hair as thoroughly as she could under the time allowed and blow-drying it, she wrapped the towel around her torso.

Sensing a familiar presence just outside her door as she exited the bathroom, she called, "Just use the spare key!" There was a pause. Then two knocks.

"Stupid gentleman...he won't even use the key I gave him," Tenten muttered exasperatedly while entering her room. "Then what's the point of having it?" Dropping her towel gracelessly on the floor, she dug out her acquired outfit for the night. Dressing in the attire, she grabbed a hair tie off her table and ran to the front door, yanking it open.

"I've already told you a million times to use the spare key!" she crossed her arms and pouted.

He didn't answer, but merely stared at her for a moment and coughed, turning away.

"What? Is my bra visible?"

He turned back to her with a strange look in his eyes. "Your hair is down," he said quietly.

"So? It's not like you haven't seen it down before," she said and shrugged, reaching up to tie it into buns.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her by the wrist. "No."

"No?"

"I think you look better with it down."

Tenten looked down awkwardly. It was uncommon for him to compliment her on her appearance. "Thanks." Then she looked back up, noticing that he actually looked even more handsome than usual in his formal outfit and his hair tied slightly lower.

Gazing into her brown eyes all the while, he slowly extricated the hair tie, prying open her fingers, as she remained frozen in place. Tenten shuddered a bit when she identified the unusual emotion as pure, unadulterated lust. For her, his tomboyish teammate.

She figured it was just because she looked different that night – he had hormones too, after all. But gut told her that he really loved her.

So she remained silent, not wanting to make their relationship awkward, as his fingers gently intertwined with hers. He squeezed her hand once and walked away, leaving her rigid by the doorway. She sighed after a moment and followed him, wondering why she had an enigma for a best friend.

As the answer, the remaining half of Team Gai popped into her mind.

She walked quickly to catch up to him, falling into step by his side and trying to dismiss the somehow horrifying thought that she had had a tiny, impulsive crush on Lee for her admiration of his industriousness and skill with taijutsu. They were more like brother and sister anyway, she constantly reminded herself.

Seeing that they had arrived near the center of town, he produced a wallet that seemed as exquisite as his clan. He walked over to a store selling dango and turned back to her.

"Do you want something to eat?"

"No, but thank you." She fidgeted anxiously and clasped her hands behind her back while he moved on to the next stall. Why was she so nervous? There was nothing to be afraid of – they were at peace with all the villages after the Fourth Ninja World War a year ago, and she was being accompanied by her best, most trustworthy friend at the summer festival. Surely she wouldn't do anything preposterous...except accidentally fall in love with him, that is.

He turned back to her again, raising an inquiring eyebrow when she simply stood in front of the dango stall and stared at her feet. "Are you alright, Tenten?"

Hearing the way he worded the question reminded her of the time he had saved her from drowning in Kisame's water prison. The way she had felt in his arms...safe and secure. There had been nothing but concern in his eyes, and the same applied now.

Sensing that she was in a troubled state of mind, he walked back and pulled on her wrist, forcing her to keep up with his strides. "Come on, let me take you somewhere."

"Where?" She allowed him to pull her along.

"You'll see."

Listening to the sound of the flutes grow louder and then gradually dim, Tenten watched the ground below her turn from pavement to dirt to grass that was lightly tinted yellow. The grass grew longer as they went uphill, and suddenly there were hands on her waist, sitting her down gently. She obliged and finally looked up, gasping when she saw the street lined with the festival stalls bathed in a beautiful plethora of reds, oranges, yellows, and purples.

"I usually sit here and meditate through the sunset," his voice explained at her side. "This is one of the first times I've actually seen it from here, since my eyes are always closed."

Tenten turned to see him gazing tenderly at her. "But now, I can see it. It's always been there," he said quietly.

Forcing himself to break eye contact with her, he shifted slightly to make himself more comfortable on the ground. He said ambiguously, "But I'm not sure if I can see the dawn. Can you?"

The way he started staring at her again rather than the sky caused Tenten to doubt. "What are we really talking about?" she asked softly.

He turned back to watching the sunset and said, "I'm sorry. Forget it – I shouldn't be asking."

They sat for a few moments in a tense silence as the sun dropped below the horizon. Tenten sighed when the pressure became unbearable and looked back at him, noticing the way his bangs framed his face perfectly and how the fading light accentuated his features.

Tenten placed a hand on his shoulder gently.

"I don't mind if you love me."

He glanced at her hand for a moment, and his lips twitched upward slightly in a sincere, but pained half-smile. "That's good to know. I'd rather see the sunset than not anway."

Smiling back at him, Tenten stood and tugged on his hand. "Thanks for bringing me here, but let's get back to the festival."

"Alright."

With him following obediently behind her, Tenten walked at a leisurely pace down to the lit-up street as twilight began to take hold of the day. The flute-players played on emotionlessly at the side of the road.

It was a silent walk to the Hokage's tower, where a mass of people was crowded in the grand ballroom. There were tables of refreshments on the side, and the lights were dimmed. There were more flutes near the center, along with the Hokage's best friend, Haruno Sakura, supervising the party.

"Wait, Tenten."

The girl turned around and looked at him questioningly. "Yes?"

As the crowd flowed in two ways around them, he approached her steadily, ignoring the curious stares aimed at them. He held out a hand to her and bowed slightly.

"Would you like to dance?"

Tenten glanced at him amusedly. "Okay." She took his warm hand and put the other on his shoulder. His other hand found its way to her waist.

After a moment of swaying slowly back and forth, she felt something squirm its way into her hand.

"Here's your hair tie."

Her hand left his and she looked down in surprise. Then she turned her gaze back to him, bewilderment in her eyes.

"I broke it because I prefer you with your hair down," he explained and smiled a bit sheepishly.

Tenten laughed as his hand enveloped her petite one again, and they continued their slow dance. Trailing her other hand to the back of his neck, she leaned forward to rest her cheek near his collarbone. Extracting his hand from hers, he placed it on the back of her head to stroke her hair softly.

She was almost sure of it when she looked up to see his face mere centimeters away from hers.

"Tenten..."

The name was a question – an inquiry for permission. She inclined her head the slightest bit, but he got the message. He leaned forward hesitantly.

She watched as he waited for her to make a move, and made her decision. Her eyes fluttered shut.

Maybe I'll let myself love him...just this once.

FIN

A/N: Did anyone notice that I never used "his" name? o.O Experimentation. I'm not sure if that affected the reading or not.

If you want, feel free to leave me a review! That would make my day. ^_^