Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto; all right belong to its respective copy right holder. Believe me, if I did own Naruto the Sand siblings would have been back on long ago and Neji and Tenten would have more scenes together.
I swear I'm fine
Tenten sneezed, rubbing her eyes hard to rid them of the gritty sleep that had formed a layer over her eye lids.
"What's wrong?" Neji called, batting away a kunai Tenten threw at him with apparent ease.
Nothings wrong, Tenten attempted to say, but due to her blocked nose and rather sore throat it came out "Chothings tong."
"Hn."
Tenten sniffled, unsheathed another kunai and tossing it with all her might at Neji. Her usual good aim and somewhat diminished and she missed by at least four meters, spearing a leaf from the tree behind Neji as she did so.
"Ah… Tenten?"
"I'm chine." She stuttered, staggering sideways as she tried to reach her shiruken, and would have toppled over if Neji had not caught her, gently lowering her to the ground.
"I don't think you're in any condition to spar today." He frowned, taking a step back and getting down on his knees beside her.
"I told chu Nechi. I'm chine."
Neji raised an eye brow. "No. You're not. Don't argue." He added as Tenten opened her mouth.
"What are chu? A dochur?" She said sarcastically as Neji studied her sleepless, somewhat bloodshot eyes.
"No." He said, completely ignoring the intended sarcasm.
"Chen Leave me alone."
"Hn." Neji placed his hand on her forehead. Tenten leaned away, pushing him aside she attempted to get back on her feet.
"I'm all good. Chets keep choing." She spluttered.
'"You're burning up." Neji growled, catching her as she swayed unsteadily. She yanked herself free.
"I hate people worrying about me."
"I'm not worried. I just don't think you should continue." Neji muttered as she gasped for breath, receiving no air through her blocked nose.
"Not worried? That makes me feel so much better."
"You're rather irritable today? In my opinion -."
"– Which I chon't want." Tenten said bitterly. Neji ignored her.
"- You've got the flu." He said, sighing as he yet again prevented her from falling to the ground and splitting her skull open.
"Wow. Very chood analyses." She snarled, giving up after a brief struggle in which Neji wouldn't let go of her arm.
"I either walk you home or take you to Konoha hospital. The choice is yours." Neji said sternly to his teammate.
"What do you care?!"
"I've never seen you so bitey." Neji commented.
Tenten growled and muttered incoherently under her breath. "Fine. I'll go home." She chose.
"You're not walking their on your own. You'll never make it five meters."
"Try me."
Neji let go of her arm and watched with mild amusement as she staggered maybe three meters before toppling over.
Neji darted forwards and caught her, slinging one of her arms around his neck he began to guide her down the path to her apartment.
It was a long and tiresome walk, with Tenten's unresponsive feet snagging on rocks and tree roots, an eventually on the stone pathways of the village, her feverish skin pressed up against Neji's stone cold skin providing some measure of relied. Tenten reluctantly admitted much to Neji's amusement that she never would have made it back on her own.
"Tenten?"
Neji looked down at the prone Kunochi hanging from his shoulder, having realized it had been a while since he had heard her muffled complaints, and was shocked to see Tenten had either passed out or simply gone to sleep.
"Great." Neji muttered, retrieving the spare key from the small dent in the bricks by her door he unlocked it and pushed it open.
Tenten's apartment was cluttered with books, furniture, old newspapers and photos. It was no small feat for Neji to skillfully maneuver his way through the packed room to Tenten's bed where he proceeded to tuck the girl beneath to covers.
Unsure
if she would be alright left on her own Neji sat down in an over
stuffed armchair, watching her uneven breathing.
Neji occasionally
got up to drape wet cloths over Tenten's forehead, but other whys
stayed in the armchair, where he eventually fell asleep.
Neji's eyes fluttered open sometime that night, it took him a moment to recall where he was and even longer to remember why.
His eyes strayed to Tenten's bed where he saw her sitting up watching him, cloth tossed casually on her bedside table.
She frowned. "This is the first time I've seen you sleep. I thought it would be more enlightening somehow. When ever we're on missions the watches always work out so I never see you asleep."
Neji smirked. "Disappointed I look just like I do when I'm awake only with closed eyes?"
"Actually, you look… More relaxed and care free."
Neji raised his eye brows but didn't acknowledge the comment. "So I take it your feeling better. Your words make sense, your not bright red and you're not attempting to detach my head via biting."
Tenten looked slightly ashamed. "Sorry about that. You didn't have to stick around, you know."
"I was worried you might have a fit in your sleep."
"Hmm… That's funny. I seemed to recall somebody not being worried."
"I didn't mean that."
"Didn't stop it from hurting."
Neji looked surprised. "It hurt? How does that work?" He inquired, shifting himself into a more comfortable position.
Tenten blushed. "Ahh… Forget about it. What time is it?"
"It's nearly three in the morning. Don't attempt to change the subject. You don't have a gift for tact."
"Hack! Your one to talk you hypocrite!"
"Tenten." Neji said in that patronizing tone of his. Tenten narrowed he eyes at him, squaring her shoulders she did the stupidest thing she had ever done. She attempted to out stare a Hyuuga.
She lost.
"Well… Think about it. If someone you care about immensely tell you they're not worried when you're sick… It doesn't exactly warm your heart."
"Care about immensely?" Neji blinked, than slowly smirked.
"What's so funny?" Tenten demanded indigently, offended her comment from the heart had drawn a smile from the stoic Hyuuga.
"Hn."
"Neji…"
Neji's smirk grew more pronounced and he relaxed back in the chair. "Ah. That works out well than." He said.
"Are you trying to frustrate me? Because it's working." Tenten growled, her brown eyes gleaming in a moon beam.
"Not really. It's just a coincidence."
"What's a coincidence?"
"That you're also a person I care about immensely." Neji answered. "All though sitting for hours in a stuffed chair doesn't really appeal to me." He muttered, stretching, trying to rid himself of the kinks in his back.
"Sorry about that." Tenten said, pushing the covers back and walking over to where Neji sat.
"Hn."
"So you do one nice thing and go back to brooding."
"One nice thing?"
Neji reached up and much to Tenten's surprise he pulled her down into his lap, gently he took her hands in his and kissed her softly on the lips.
"All right. Make that two nice things." She said her face crimson. Neji smirked. "Red really suits you."
"Shut up or you'll lose an eye - - Wait. You do realize that I'm sick."
"Hn."
"So by kissing me you're guaranteeing that you'll fall sick."
Neji smirked. "It's worth the risk. This way you can't complain that I'm never nice."
"I guess… But tell me how you feel about this tomorrow."
"Achoo!"
Tenten grinned at the incredibly pale Hyuuga as he backed into a tree, resting his head in his hands.
"Neji, I hate to say I --."
"Than Don't."
