In Love with a Witch

By: DemonClowSorceress

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of the characters associated.

Wow, I just keep writing NejiTen! Meh, I like the pairing, so whatever!

Summary: How can you protect the man you love from his own family's curse?

There was no way they could've known. Nothing could have tipped them off.

It happened while they were training. Neji had just started his Kaiten defense to block Tenten's barrage of weapons when he screamed like an animal. Kaiten dissolved mid-spin as he dropped to the ground, clutching his head and screaming.

Tenten raced to his side in panic. She knew it wasn't because one of her weapons had hit him; Neji was far too good at dodging them. In the six years she'd known him, she'd never heard him make such a sound.

"Neji, what's happening?" she yelled over him, trying to see where he was hurt. "Neji, Neji, Neji! Talk to me!"

But all he could do was scream. This brought Gai and Lee running from wherever they were training. Lee pulled Tenten back and away from Neji. She fought viciously, watching helplessly as their sensei picked the prodigy up and raced off towards Konoha. His screams didn't fade from her mind even after they were gone from the air.

Lee released her when he deemed it safe. "Dammit," he cursed, his normally jovial face damaged with a scowl. "Goddammit..."

"Lee, what's going on?" asked Tenten. Every fiber in her body was thrumming with energy, urging her to go to Neji. Neji needs me, he shouldn't be alone now kept repeating in her head. "Tell me what's happening!"

The Green Beast of Konoha looked at her, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. "Tenten...I would tell you, you know I would, but you should ask Master Gai and Lady Tsunade. They swore me to secrecy."

"Secrecy on what?" She grasped his shoulders to keep him from running. "What's happening to Neji, Lee?"

Those large round eyes stared at her with unbelieveable sadness and pain. "I can't tell you. I'm not sure myself. All I know is that it's got something to do with his curse seal."

A wave of icy fire flooded Tenten's body, burning her skin as it froze her insides. She knew what he was talking about. The green mark under Neji's headband.

"Neji?"

Tenten waited patiently. They'd only been a team for about a month, but her teammate always meditated while he should've been training. His reasoning was because Lee wasn't enough of an opponent for him. She'd been passed over without a word simply because of her gender. Not that she cared - Hyuuga Neji had always been an ice cube, even in the Academy. So she never bothered him. But now, she had a reason to.

She waited until his pale eyes opened before continuing. "Neji, um...your mark is showing."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "What mark?"

"That one under your leaf headband." She pointed to the bit of green visible above his slipping forehead protector.

Faster than thought his hand shot up and covered it. Tenten blinked in surprise. Not at his speed, but at his expression. The usual stoic look was gone, replaced with horror and loathing. Then it was gone just as quickly. He bent his head forward and retied his headband to completely cover the mark again. "It's none of your business," he said curtly as he returned to his meditation, closing his eyes. Dismissal was cold and rude.

Despite having very little knowledge about such jutsu, Tenten wasn't an idiot. She'd known that Neji was a member of the Branch House, and she'd heard the older villagers talking about him. How it was such a shame that he wasn't in the Main House, how he couldn't develop his full potential. How he was fated to live under such a curse because of his birth.

She didn't believe that fate could be so cruel to such a person for no reason. She couldn't. Pursing her lips, she vowed to try and get him to see beyond that fate, to try and free him from the burden of that mark he hated.

She would free him from his curse, even if she couldn't escape her own.

So she held out her hand and said, "Hey, wanna train with me? I need a moving target."

His brand had been what had made her take the first step to friendship with him. A mark that bound and cursed him, for the longest time, to hate the Main House. A mark that had never before been used against him.

Until now.

"Who is it?" she snarled like a tigress. "Who is making Neji suffer?"

At the Hokage's Office

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN, YOU DON'T KNOW!"

Tsunade looked at the slender, deceptively gentle-looking girl in front of her and reminded herself that this was the renowned Weapons Mistress of Konoha. Of course she would have reacted badly to this information. Tsunade herself was still pissed at the latest intel.

Neji was not the first Hyuuga Branch member to fall victim to this random attack. Five other curse seals had been activated without the Main House's knowledge or authorization. Of those five, three had died from severe brain damage. One was in a coma. And Neji...Neji...

Tenten fixed blazing brown eyes on the Hokage. "How is Neji?" she asked, trying to stay calm.

The blonde shrugged as she read a report. "The attack ceased after we got Lord Hiashi in to override it, but Neji was violently ill. He's stable now, hooked up to an IV to replace the fluids he lost." She glanced up at Tenten. "We're interviewing the Hyuuga Main House members to see who could have a grudge against Neji and the other victims. We're also speaking with the Hyuuga Elder so we can try to reverse the brain cell damage done by the seal. The issue right now is damage control."

The weapons mistress forced herself to calm down. Losing her grip would not help catch whoever was hurting Neji. "How can I help?"

Tsunade shook her head. "There's no way you can, Tenten. I'm sorry, but you're not a medic-nin and you aren't an expert in curse seals. We need expertise, not brute force."

And that hurt most of all. The fact that Tenten was unable to help the man she loved.

Yes, Tenten loved Hyuuga Neji.

And the only one who didn't seem to know was him.

In Neji's Room

Hours later, she sat beside Hinata as they kept a vigil at Neji's bedside. The prodigy was still unconscious, but his eyes twitched beneath the closed lids as if searching for enemies. His entire body was tense as a windup spring. Tenten bit her lip and wrapped her hands around his clenched fist, trying to will her strength to him.

Hinata laid a hand on her shoulder. "Neji will pull through, Tenten," she said reassuringly. "He's a fighter. You know that."

"But he can't defend from this enemy, Hinata," Tenten said bitterly. "This is something he can't fight. It can kill him and he won't even be able to fight it." She stared at the Hyuuga heiress with a disbelieving look. "How can your family do this to their own? Brand them like cattle and cause pain with just a single sign?"

Obviously uncomfortable, Hinata nevertheless matched Tenten's stare; clearly her time with Naruto had given her spunk. "It was before my time, Tenten. I hate it just as much as Neji does. It served as a tool to force submission in a time when the Main House felt they were superior to the Branch House. One hand sign, and they could prove it." She turned to glare out the window. "If someone in the Main House is abusing that tool now...rest assured, they will not escape my vengeance. I shall never forgive them."

Yes, clearly her relationship with Naruto was changing her. For the better, Tenten thought with admiration.

Hinata left soon after, promising to bring back updates on the investigation. Tenten thanked her and returned to watching Neji sleep, wishing she could help him somehow. Vaguely she recalled reading something about the mind being able to hear and record things said to the unconscious person.

So she talked to Neji. She talked about nature, how the sky was so blue and the trees blossoming with their spring plumage of flowers and fruits. How the birds were flying free in the sky, singing their songs and making her smile. How the wind blew the sweet fragrance of spring into the room, brightening up the place and making her resolved to bring him a flower to give him something to look at when he woke up. Tenten talked and talked and talked until she felt Neji's hand relax in hers, his eyes stopped twitching, and his breathing evened out. Exhaling a breath of her own, she smiled fondly and stroked his hair back from his face.

Her fingers traced along his hairline just above the wretched curse seal. Her smile was replaced with an annoyed set of pursed lips and furrowed eyebrows to match. Curious, she let her fingertips drift down to trace the pale green lines of the mark. Closing her eyes, she opened herself to sense the chakra of the seal.

It was strange, a totally different kind of curse from what used to reside on Uchiha Sasuke's neck. It lay dormant, like a sleeping dragon curled in its cave among its jewels. Tenten examined the curse's power with interest, but caution as well. This was one dragon she could not awaken. Its treasure - Neji's very mind - was too precious.

As Hinata had alluded, the curse needed a trigger. That hand sign she mentioned, thought Tenten absently. Once activated, the dragon would destroy its own hoard until told to sleep again, leaving Neji writhing in pain without a way to recover. Again Tenten seethed against the sick individual who had thought up this curse seal. She took her hand away from the seal, unwilling to touch it anymore.

"Tenten?" came a whispered breath.

"Neji?" she whispered, leaning forward as his moon-pale eyes opened slowly. "Neji, take it easy. I'm here."

"Where am I?" he asked slowly, looking around in confusion.

"The hospital. Remember? You collapsed on the field." Tenten took his hand in hers again. "You scared the living heck out of me."

Neji looked at her hazily. "I remember...my head, it hurt. Like it...like it was being stabbed with kunai from the inside." His other hand started to reach up for his head, but stopped when he saw the IV. "What the hell? Why is this in my hand?"

"You lost some fluids. Threw up a bit." No need to sugarcoat it; Neji wouldn't have liked that. "It was really bad."

"I'm hungry."

"Doctors want your stomach to stay empty." In case you're attacked again, she didn't add.

Her best friend looked up at her. "Ten, you're not telling me everything," he said, using his rarely-used nickname for her. "What is it?"

She bit her lip. "Neji...someone activated your curse seal."

The result was instantaneous. His expression darkened into hate so fierce that Tenten actually recoiled from him. "Why?" he whispered, hoarse with rage. "Who?"

"Don't know yet." A shudder rattled through her body. It wasn't often that she was scared of Neji, but she was now. Understandably, he wasn't angry at her, but still...she hadn't felt him hate anything this much since before his life-changing fight with Naruto. It scared her.

It made her worry that he'd regress.

He must've noticed her expression, because Neji quickly erased the hate from his face. "Tenten, what's wrong?" he asked, reaching for her hand. "What is it?"

I have to stop this, thought his teammate firmly, pasting a smile on her lips. "Nothing. I was just worried about you. I've never heard you scream like that before."

Neji snorted. "It was surprise, nothing more. I've felt worse, like on that one mission we had to Taibu. I got friggin' shot through the chest by that spider-guy, remember?" He waited for a clever retort, but when none came, he looked over at the pale face of his best friend. "What, what's wrong now?"

"Nothing," she lied again, standing up. "I have to do some things, but I promise I'll be back later. Get some rest, okay?"

At the Hyuuga Estate

Hyuuga Hiashi was reading in his private rooms when the sound of explosions and clashing blades broke through the calm day. He could hear shouts as several Hyuugas gave orders to subdue the intruder, then more shouts when they were blasted away. Heaving a sigh, he put his book down and made ready to expect his guest.

He actually had a good idea who it was. Frankly, he was surprised it had taken so long.

The door slammed open to reveal one very angry brown-haired kunoichi. "Lord Hyuuga," she said formally, dusting off the black soot from her pants before entering the room. "May I have a moment of your time?"

"Of course, Miss Tenten." Hiashi offered her a seat. "I have been expecting you for some time. Would you like some tea?"

"Please," said Tenten, making herself comfortable. Hiashi poured the tea and offered her a cup, which she took gratefully. Battling her way into the inner sanctum had been a long and tiring fight and she was happy for the refreshment. She took a small sip and sighed - as with everything in the Hyuuga family, the tea was strong, but elegant and refined.

Neji's uncle drank before speaking. "So, may I inquire as to the reason for your visit?"

Tenten nodded politely. "Lord Hyuuga, I'm worried about Neji. He's...a little confused."

"How so?" he asked, leaning forward in concern.

"He's mixing up his memories. He thinks his fight with that spider bastard Kidomaru, which happened three years ago, occurred when we had a mission in a backwoods village six months ago." She gripped her teacup tighter, trying to stay calm. "I've heard that prolonged use of the curse seal can cause...brain damage."

Hiashi nodded sadly. "Yes. It destroys brain cells. That's what made it useful; there is no way to block it."

Panic swiftly grabbed Tenten's heart, squeezing tightly. "Memory loss?"

"In some cases."

"And...more severe injuries?"

"Unfortunately, yes. There are records of minds being broken during the activation of the seal for long periods of time."

Tenten had to steel her will before she snapped and went on a rampage. Think of Neji. Think of Neji's well-being. "I hope this is not too forward of me, but I would like to ask about your family's curse seal."

His pale eyes, so very like Neji's, narrowed. "I cannot reveal the secrets of our clan."

"I did not ask that," Tenten assured him. "I only wish to ask about how it is activated. There is a hand sign involved, yes?"

"Yes."

"And only Main House members know of it?" she affirmed.

"Yes."

She raised a questioning eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow of his own. "What do you mean by that?"

Tenten hated to point out the obvious, but there were lives on the line. "Well, Neji was able to reverse-engineer that Hakke Rokujūyon Shō (Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms) technique. If a Branch Member could do that, isn't it possible for a Branch Member to also learn how to activate the curse seal?"

But the Hyuuga head was certain that wasn't the case. The hand seal, he insisted, was one of the most closely-guarded secrets of the Main House. Tenten was inclined to believe him, so she thanked him for the information and stood to leave.

"Miss Tenten." She glanced back at Hiashi. "Believe me when I say," he insisted, "that the seal was never intended for this use. And I never wanted this to happen to Neji."

Her voice was cold. "Well it's happened, so better get on making it stop."

Suddenly the air was filled with a scream. "TENTEN!" She raced to the window and saw Lee standing outside the compound, waving his hands like a crazy man. "Tenten, emergency!"

There was no unit of time short enough to measure how fast she moved.

In Tsunade's Office

Thankfully, Neji was stable by the time they arrived. Sakura and Ino reassured Tenten that yes, he was fine, and no, she couldn't stay with him. So the weapons mistress stormed off to Tsunade's office just as Hiashi arrived, his family walking behind him in procession.

"This has gone on long enough," said Tsunade. "Lord Hiashi, with respect to your clan, we cannot afford to tiptoe around this issue. I want each Main House member to submit to interrogation."

The Hyuuga head nodded. "I understand. Do as you see fit."

But Tenten wasn't satisfied. "What if he or she cheats it? It's possible. It's been done."

"Tenten, if you aren't going to be helpful, then get out," Gai said firmly to his student.

Glowering, Tenten stalked into the hallway and out of the building. Almost instantly she ran into a robe-clad figure who snapped irritably, "Watch where you're going!"

The weapons mistress straightened up. The person was about her height, pale, and dressed in a flowing kimono in the Hyuuga style. Her pale Byakugan eyes were tinged a light pink, her face was stunningly beautiful, and she possessed the grace and bearing of the Hyuuga clan in spades. Seeing no Branch House mark on her forehead, Tenten could only assume that she was a member of the Main House. "I beg your pardon," she said cordially. "I didn't see you."

"Who are you?" sneered the unknown girl.

Annoyed at the lack of apology, Tenten's voice grew an edge when she replied, "Who are you?"

The girl drew herself up haughtily. "I am Hyuuga Mitsukai, and you would do well to remember that." Those rose-touched eyes glanced over Tenten again, and one eyebrow lifted in distaste. "Judging from your outlandish attire, I would presume you are Tenten, Neji's female teammate?"

"Yes, but how do you know Neji?"

Mitsukai smiled like a cat in a creamery. "Oh, didn't he tell you? He is my fiancee."

Shock made Tenten freeze. She knew that the Hyuuga clan did arranged marriages, but she hadn't thought they would cross the Main-Branch line. She certainly hadn't thought of Neji having a fiancee. She didn't know which hurt more - the fact that he had someone like Mitsukai, or that Neji didn't even tell her about it.

"How...nice," she managed to choke out. "Please excuse me." Before the tears could fall Tenten bolted down the hallway and raced as fast as possible for home.

In Neji's Room

Neji could tell that an annoying person had entered his room even without needing to activate his Byakugan. "What do you want, Mitsukai?"

That girlish giggle set his teeth on edge. "My dearest, I wanted to come and visit you in your time of need," she tittered. He heard her long robes slide over the tiles of his floor as his cousin moved to sit in the chair at his bedside. "How are you feeling? Do you require anything?"

I want you to leave me the hell alone, he longed to snap, but refrained. If what Tenten had told him was true, then any Main House member was suspect as his attacker. Until she was excluded, that included Mitsukai.

Neji wanted to know what higher power he'd pissed off to warrent getting her as his fiancee. Mitsukai was the picture of feminine grace and beauty, possessed the poise and manners of a high-class lady of quality, but she wasn't his type. He liked tough girls, girls who were rough around the edges and willing to get their hands dirty. He liked simple, not aristocratic, beauty.

Mitsukai was weak and helpless, having never undertaken a day of ninja training in her life but raised from birth to be the perfect bride. Neji didn't want a perfect wife, he wanted a wife who would deal with his crap and dish it back.

He wanted...he wanted...

"What are you thinking about, Neji-sama?"

He never wanted his wife to call him that. It gave him the creeps. Breathing a sigh, Neji said, "I'm tired, Mitsukai. Can you please leave me alone?"

"But why, Neji-sama? I have merely come to tell you the wonderful news!" She sounded excited - too excited. "I am not your attacker. I have been cleared by the Hokage and Hiashi-sama! Is that not a relief to know?"

I'll feel relieved once you go away, Neji thought angrily. Staring out the window of his room, he vaguely wondered where Tenten had gone. He'd been thinking about her when the second attack had hit, so she was still on his mind. He hoped she wasn't too worried. She always worried about him and Lee, especially after - after that mission last week with - with -

Why can't I remember? Neji thought, frowning in confusion. It wasn't that long ago, just last week. So why...why can't I...

Mitsukai leaned closer to him, making the cloud of perfume around her waft into his bubble of air and sting his nose. "Neji-sama? Are you in pain? Should I fetch a - "

"Mitsukai, get the hell out of here!" he finally yelled, irritated at both his memory loss and her annoying voice. "If you want to be useful, then ask Uncle Hiashi to get in here. Then LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Her expression went from shock, to disbelief, to settle on outright scandalized. With a huff she stood up and flounced out of the room, her robes swishing angrily behind her. Sighing in relief, Neji leaned back and closed his sore eyes. Finally, some peace and quiet.

He only got it for a few minutes. Hiashi came in and sat down beside him. "You made Mitsukai upset," he said.

"She gave me a headache, and I don't need another one," Neji retorted. Tired pale eyes looked up at his uncle. "Why do I have to marry her?"

Hiashi sighed. "Neji, we've been through this. It will help unify the houses. Mitsukai is a well-bred lady of the Main House - "

"But she's not my type," Neji interrupted. "I can't find anything in common with her. I can't - I can't see anything but disappointment in that future. Isn't there someone else?"

The head of the Hyuuga clan raised an eyebrow. "Do you have someone in mind?" Neji averted his eyes as a light blush dusted his cheeks. "I take that as a yes. Tell me, is she a certain kunoichi who's only stellar achievement is her ability to hit any target you put in front of her?"

"She's got more than that going for her, Lord Hiashi," Neji insisted.

But his uncle shook his head. "Neji, we've been through this. You know I want your happiness, but the will of the clan - "

"Is the will of the clan," recited the prodigy. "I know, I know." That was the way it was.

It didn't mean he had to like it.

The Next Day

Tenten immediately collapsed on her bed when she arrived home. The stress of the last few days caught up with her, so she screamed into her pillow until her throat was raw.

The last two Branch House Hyuugas were dead. One final attack, and they died from brain damage.

Neji had been attacked again.

The kunoichi shuddered. Needing comfort, she hugged her stuffed panda bear tightly. But she couldn't get the screams out of her mind. They kept echoing and repeating, chilling her body to the bone. She'd been down the hall when the attack happened, and had to be forcibly restrained when told she couldn't go in to Neji's room.

She saw her fortune-telling cards lying on her desk, all snug in their velvet pouch. Dragging herself over, she pulled them out, shuffled them, and laid out a basic formation for past, present, and future. But nothing definitive. She was about to put them back when something caught her eye.

She'd drawn three cards from the top of her deck, and they had all been dealt image-side down. The next card was face up, displaying the image of The Lovers.

Tenten blushed. That card had been coming up more and more frequently, and it showed up when she was thinking about Neji. She shuffled her cards again and laid out another spread, not really paying attention.

But when she saw what was there, she paid attention.

Now concentrating, Tenten shuffled her cards deliberately, focusing on the problem and what facts she knew. I know I can find out who's behind this, she thought, drawing the cards and laying them face-down. Ninja techniques can only do so much. I think it's time to bring in a few family techniques of my own.

It was late in the day when Tenten finally leaned back from her desk, exhausted by her findings. She hadn't used her family's techniques in a long time, so she had to practice a few times before they'd yielded results. But what she'd found hadn't been good.

Someone close to Neji was orchastrating the attacks. Someone from the Main House.

A niggling feeling had Tenten reaching over to her deck and drawing the top card. Flipping it over revealed the image of the Tower card. She checked the time, then hurriedly scrambled to get back to the hospital.

Neji was in danger.

Neji's Room

He knew his assailant even before the man entered the room.

"Hello, Musashi," he said, opening his sore eyes as little as possible. His migraines were blinding, and any sort of light made them worse. "What brings you here?"

"You know why I'm here," his visitor snarled.

"To finish the job." The other five Hyuugas had been misdirection. Neji had been the intended target all along. This was personal.

Musashi's footsteps came closer, then stopped. "The great Hyuuga Neji," he sneered. "In the end, this is what you are. Just a servant of the Main House. Powerless against the might of your betters."

"I told Uncle Hiashi that I didn't want to marry Mitsukai," Neji sighed, not bothering to plead. This man didn't want that. "You should be glad that I won't taint your honor by marrying your sister."

The pain came from nowhere, agony that stabbed his brain and paralyzed his body. Neji tried to scream, but a hand clapped over his mouth to stifle him. He writhed and thrashed in his bed until the pain ceased and he collapsed, limp as a dishrag.

"You should be honored," hissed Musashi. His fingers dug into Neji's face cruelly. "You were given this honor, and you dare to reject my sister! You disgrace yourself even more!"

By now the pain was a dull haze in Neji's mind, blunting every other sense he had. Musashi's words were barely audible above the roaring in his ears. Thanks to the repeated abuse of the Hyuuga seal, he was only able to do the most basic functions, like breathing, without pain. Every other command he gave his brain was stonewalled and denied. Essentially, he was helpless in his bed.

So when Musashi made the sign to inflict more pain on him, Neji didn't even try to fight back. He knew this time would be the last time. His mind couldn't take the pain any more.

And he sure didn't want the last thing he saw in this world to be his murderer's face.

Instead, he closed his eyes and remembered Tenten. Despite the confusion and memory loss because of his attacks, for some reason, Neji was always able to recall Tenten perfectly. Her expressive face, her beautiful eyes, the way she almost seemed to glow whenever she trained with him. Her hands brushing his as he handed back her weapons after a training session. Her smell, a flower he wasn't familiar with, coupled with the sharp scent of metal. The sound of her laugh. The sight of her hair on the rare times he'd seen it out of her buns. The way her soft voice would float through the air like a graceful butterfly...

"Take your hands off my teammate before I cut off those protruding appendages."

...Or, when she was pissed, scorch the air like a vicious dragon's roar. Neji looked over and saw his best friend standing in the doorway, her eyes aflame with rage and dressed in clothes he'd never seen her wear before.

Her usual outfit was obviously foreign, but this one just re-affirmed how different she really was. A cheongsam dress of ink-black silk, it was decorated with silver dragons that wound over her body in fiery grace. The skirt was straight and followed her legs straight down, with slits up the side to allow free movement. Long sleeves cuffed with crimson extended down to almost cover her hands. The mandarin collar had an opening in the front that showed the barest hint of cleavage and a blood-red stone that hung from her throat. Her hair was pulled back into a single bun, with wisps of chocolate brown hair dangling around her face like streaks of darkness.

"Maybe you didn't hear me," she said coldly. One black-slippered foot extended to step forward. "I said, take your hands off him."

Musashi didn't move, but he was obviously unsettled by the sudden appearance of the weapons mistress. "Who the hell are you?" he said.

"My name is Tenten," she responded, pulling out a handful of blank tags. "Hēi Wū Tenten." A fingertip glowed, lighting up flowing kanji on a blank tag. "Now, I'm only going to say it one more time. Get. Your. Filthy. Hands. Off. My. Neji." She flicked her wrist and sent the tag flying, nearly catching Musashi's arm before it attached to the window. It glowed pink, then disappeared, taking a small portion of the surrounding glass with it. "Leave now, or the next one goes on your manhood and renders you unable to reproduce."

Needless to say, Musashi fled. However, he fled right into the waiting arms of the ANBU squad headed by Tsunade that was just down the hall. "A witch!" he blubbered, panicked and crazed. "She's a witch!"

Tsunade quickly had the ANBU take him away, but her curiosity got the better of her. So, being extremely quiet, she edged towards the door to Neji's room and peered in. She saw Tenten in her black cheongsam standing beside Neji's bedside, speaking in a low, tender tone of voice. The outfit seemed familiar to Tsunade, but she couldn't quite place it...

"What was...that, Ten?" Neji murmured, his eyes half-closed in a drowsy state of pain and exhaustion; Musashi's attack had severely drained him, mentally and physically. Tsunade was actually surprised he could still recognize Tenten. Their relationship runs so deep...

The clanless girl gave him an awkward smile. "I told you once how my family came from another land, right? Well, I come from a clan of specialized ability users in that land. You could say it's like a kekkai genkai, but that's like saying ninjas are normal people." A small blush came to her cheeks. "The Hēi Wū clan only teaches and raises females that have the powers of the clan. Those who don't are...cast out. My mother had the power, and so do I. She taught me what she recalled from my grandmother."

"Knew there...was something..." Neji nodded. "Always knew...you were...differen...t..."

"Shhh, Neji." Tenten put a finger on his lips, silencing him as his energy ebbed and his eyes fluttered shut. In her other hand, a tag appeared. Glowing fingertips illuminated the kanji on it, reading, as well as Tsunade could see, REVERSE. "It's going to be all right. The Hēi Wū powers specialize in the reversal of time." She gently placed the tag over his forehead, smoothing it on with her fingers. A light pink glow emanated from the writing. "Reversal," she whispered. "Heal his mind. Return his memory. Reverse to time before the pain of Hyuuga Musashi."

That soft pink light crept over the slumbering Neji, flickering like a firefly's abdomen on a starry summer night. Tsunade, sensing that now would be a good time to speak with this now-mysterious Tenten, walked into the room and said, "I must say, I never would have expected a member of the Hēi Wū family to be in Konoha. Your parents hid you well."

"I never wanted this power," Tenten admitted. Her eyes never left Neji's face. "Mama taught me, but I never wanted to use it. I didn't want my family's legacy to be the reason I succeeded as a ninja." Her hand smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle in her dress. "But when the cards showed me danger, I knew I had to use my gifts to protect Neji. My accuracy's no match for a Hyuuga; Neji's proved that hundreds of times."

"You love him, don't you?"

The weapons mistress smiled a sad little smile. "Yes," she admitted quietly. "I love him. But that's irrelevent now."

Tsunade adopted a tone of disbelief. "Is that so?"

"Lady Tsunade, the Hyuuga clan has already chosen Neji's bride. As far as they're concerned, I'm his clanless teammate." A slight barb of irritation wormed its way through her tone, but she quickly discarded it. "He deserves better than that. He deserves someone who will bring him honor." Her eyes softened. "He deserves a chance at happiness."

"So do you," said the Hokage. "You deserve to be happy."

The smile turned bitter, as did Tenten's voice. "This curse keeps me from that."

And before Tsunade could reply, Tenten was gone.

"Neji."

Hyuuga Hiashi stood in the doorway of his nephew's room, arms crossed over his chest and a stern look on his face. Pale eyes looked over the younger Hyuuga. "You seem to have made a full recovery."

"Yeah," Neji said, nodding absently. "But, Uncle, I think there's...something I may have forgotten..."

"Forgotten?" repeated Hiashi. He'd been informed about Tenten's abilities by Tsunade, but he played ignorance to see exactly what their extent was. "About what?"

"Black..." Neji's eyes slightly narrowed as he tried to think. "Something about black...and pink...and Tenten..."

"Your clanless teammate?"

Right away his confusion vanished, replaced with sparks of anger that lit up his pearly eyes. "Don't call her that!" he snapped hotly. "Who cares if she doesn't have a clan? She's my friend and strong enough to not need to depend on a clan name!"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow as Neji, who hadn't fully recovered yet, reclined against his pillows to catch his breath. Hiding a tiny smile, he remarked, "What does "Yuè" mean, Neji?"

The boy's entire body went rigid. "What did you say?"

"The word "Yuè." What does it mean?"

"Where did you hear that word?" asked Neji, his eyes wide.

Hiashi shrugged. "Something Miss Tenten told me to say." He made a show of thinking about it. "Let's see, it was...Ah yes, "Good-bye, Yuè." She said that."

A memory washed over Neji, clear and concise and bright as day...

"We need to go in there and not give ourselves away," Tenten said in a hushed tone. "I think we should have cover names."

"Okay," Neji agreed. "How about Roku and Hikari?"

She made a face. "Ew, no, let's not." She thought for a moment before her face lit up with inspiration. "I got it. You be Yuè, and I'll be Hēi."

The words were unfamiliar to Neji, as was the lilting accent she used to pronounce them. "What do they mean?"

Tenten's grin was breathtaking. "It perfectly describes us, Neji," she said. "Yuè is the moon, and Hēi is black. I'm the black behind the moon." She tapped his shoulder for luck, and they headed in.

"Yuè means moon," Neji whispered, frowning. "Moon against the black...Yuè to Hēi."

"Hēi?" repeated Hiashi.

Neji's eyes widened again. "Where is she? Where's Tenten?" When his uncle didn't respond, Neji sat up and screamed, "DAMMIT UNCLE, WHERE IS SHE?"

She was almost to the gates when she heard someone behind her calling her name.

And not just her given name.

"Tenten! Hēi Wū Tenten!"

She turned around in surprise. "Neji!" she yelled, unable to believe her eyes. "What the hell are you doing here, you moron? You're supposed to be in the hospital!" She dropped her bag and caught him as he ran right into her, his face glistening with sweat and his breathing labored from running. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Wo ài ni."

Those three words stopped her heart. Her chocolate brown eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "Did you just - "

"I almost lost you, Ten," he whispered, gripping her arms as if afraid she'd slip out of his shaky grasp. "I almost died last night, and I...I couldn't bear the idea that I was going to die before telling you how I feel."

Tenten was sure she was dreaming. Or he was being incredibly cruel to her. But Neji was never cruel. Cold, aloof, and unsure about expressing what he wanted, but never truly vicious to her. "W-What about Mitsukai?" she stammered. "Your fiancee."

That crooked grin she loved so much appeared, giving him a boyish look of mischief. "Uncle managed to convince the elders to change their minds about that. Something about a new candidate showing up - someone from a prestigious foreign clan. Know anything about that?"

He was unexpectedly shoved away, and Tenten turned her back on him. "Stupid!" she shouted. "That's why I didn't want people to know who I was! Or what I was! Because all they care about is the stupid clan of Hēi Wū, and not about me as a person!"

That was her curse. It wasn't tangible like Neji's, but it was just as heavy a burden. The curse of her family's past - the burden of bearing the legacy of the Hēi Wū in her blood. She shed the name to prevent anyone from expecting that power from her.

"I don't use that name," she bit out, "because then people will only see me as a Hēi Wū, not as Tenten. They'll expect my powers, not my prowess. I'm a ninja, not a Hēi Wū practitioner! That's not who I am!"

Strong arms, warm arms - arms she'd only dreamt of holding her - wrapped around her. "Stupid," he sighed against her neck. "Do you think I care about your heritage? I loved you for long enough that I don't really give a rat's ass what clan you're from. You're Tenten, and you're mine, dammit."

And before she could respond, Neji spun her around and kissed her so tenderly that her heart broke. Tears leaked from her eyes as she kissed him back, arms pulling his body closer to hers. Years of dreams, of fears, of panic, and of sheer want to belong melted away.

"Marry me, Tenten," he murmured against her lips when they parted for air. "Please."

She met his moon-pale eyes. "Do you know how long I've waited for you to ask me that?"

"Too long?" he guessed with a teasing smile.

"Way too goddamn long." Tenten leaned forward to touch his forehead with hers. "Wo ài ni," she whispered. I love you.

Hyuuga Tenten. It sounded nice. And perfect.

Perfectly bewitching.

This has been sitting on my laptop for god knows how long. It's okay, for being a major plot bunny creation.

Please let me know how you like it.