Beautiful Phoenix
Written by BokchoiBaboy

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
A/N: Soo, it's another one of these long oneshots. I hope you like it.

You are a Branch member. You must protect the main family at all costs.

That is your sealed fate.

He was the prodigy of the Hyuuga clan, possessing strength, stamina, and his amazing ability to learn techniques given an ample amount of time to do so. He held the promise to be a great ninja, failure not written anywhere in his path. He was going to succeed, and he was going to make the clan proud, or so his naïve, little six-year-old self thought.

It all changed when his father died to replace his uncle, the head of the clan. He felt the harsh realities of being born into the cursed Branch family. He wasn't going to succeed; his fate was to protect the Main family. He wasn't allowed to succeed. He wasn't going to make the clan proud; the idea of him being a prodigy already seemed absurd!

He had the skills, the talent, the abilities, everything, to make them proud.

But fate born him into the cursed Branch family, and his skills went unnoticed as he fell deeper and deeper into a dark, locked cage.

He was everything they wanted in a ninja, but fate told him that he couldn't be recognized and acknowledged the way he wanted.

He was going to be acknowledged as Hinata-sama's protector and guardian.

And that was all that he was going to get.

You're stupid. You'd never be able to compare to Neji-kun!

You're ugly! Neji-kun would never want a ugly hag like YOU!

Get away from him! You stain his beauty!

She was growing tired of their high-pitched, annoying voices. All their screams, yelling, attempts to taint her and get her away from him, were always in vain. She was his classmate, his partner, and his friend. She had a duty to him, even if they hardly knew each other. They were friends.

It was surprising, however, to know that this tomboy, an idol for those who have trouble with pointy things (especially when she was only six), was hurt whenever they disapproved of her. Countless times she would tell herself that it didn't matter about what they thought; they were only two-faced bimbos loving someone for their looks and not for their heart.

She felt so alone and like such a monster when they disrespected her.

Those girls would never understand how they made her felt.

Her past was scarred and bloody, and they could never understand.

He trained and trained, studied and studied, and he prevailed to all the happy people. He was the Hyuuga prodigy with a sealed fate. So many times he deserved recognition for being a natural, brilliant ninja; but he was cast away, knocked even farther down into his cage.

He was from the Branch family. His fate was sealed.

Each year he would watch as parents picked up their children, their looks of pride and joy evident when their child expressed that they had done something right.

Every day he would watch a child fail, and still get praise from their loving mother and father.

He refused to be weak and cry. He could live without a father, with a cursed seal on his forehead.

One day, he would get rid of the sealed fate that the Branch members were forced to carry.

She quietly watched him the shadows as he trained, ever since she had laid her eyes upon him the first day of Academy. She watched, as the glints in his eyes seem to grow more and more distant, how his lips were almost always formed in a deep frown. The first time she heard his voice, she sensed a small tone of hope and happiness, and she found herself admiring his looks, talent, everything about him. But the next time she heard his voice, it was distant and cold, the flicker of hope long gone.

She watched as he had fierce determination, but such a wrong view of life and power. She found that his mind was undoubtedly corrupted by the horrible fate that he had held. She found that he was emotionless, and even cocky and arrogant at times. But she sensed a new flicker of light burning with him. He was growing determined.

She wished that she could possess the strength and acknowledgement that he had received. She felt weak comparing herself to him; he was powerful, strong, and unfaltering, and she was average and hesitant.

They were so different from another, but strived to accomplish the same goal – they wanted to gain acknowledgement for all that they have done.

He stared at her with stoic eyes when she walked up to him, a happy smile present on her lips. She held out a hand for him to shake, and he hesitantly shook it.

"I'm Tenten."

He nodded. They were in the same classroom in the Academy, and were now on the same team, along with Rock Lee and Maito Gai. He was surprised when she pulled out her kunai, a devious smile replacing her innocent one.

"Want to spar?"

He complied, and they became sparring partners, learning to test each other's abilities and limits. It made her feel stronger and acknowledged, knowing that he would spend time with her to allow her to somewhat test her abilities. But she found herself striving for a new goal, a new dream – she wanted to unlock him from his cursed cage, and set him free, like any beautiful phoenix deserved to be.

He silently watched her as she struggled to get up from the forest floor, bruises and blood found all over her body. Her hair was tattered, her face covered in mud. He found that she was feeling weak, her limit already passed long ago. He took one step forward to help her; worried that he had permanently damaged her for good. He abruptly stopped with surprise when he heard her piercing tone.

"Don't. I can do this."

His pearl orbs watched her as she struggled for only a few more seconds before she was able to push herself off the floor into her standing position. She abruptly leaned towards the side, almost falling over once more, but soon caught herself. She smiled and pulled out the last of her kunai.

"We're...not done yet."

He was amazed by her willpower and determination, especially after he knocked her down countless times, trying his hardest to not make his hits and jabs fatal to her.

He found that she had a trait that so many people and ninja lacked.

When she fell, she would always get up.

She was a phoenix that held brilliance and elegance, but was cast away by the evident beauty of others.

She quickly turned around from him, hastily wiping away her tears. The girls were beginning to grow jealous of their somewhat close relationship as sparring partners, and their cutting words and finally broken her calm, tomboy façade. She felt embarrassed, knowing that he found such show of emotion weak and unnecessary. It was especially embarrassing when she was already sixteen, her name soon becoming renowned as the Weapons Mistress.

Her eyes widened with shock when she felt his calloused hand gently place itself on her shoulder for comfort. She turned around and was met with a tiny, nearly invisible smile, present on his lips. She fought back her urge to blush, the upward curve of his lips giving his naturally handsome features an even handsomer tint. He hesitantly took a seat next to her, his hand never leaving her shoulder. She stared at him, silently questioning him with her chestnut orbs. He looked away from her, uneasiness evident on his face. She let him be, knowing that a hand on her shoulder was enough for her. She was surprised when she heard his voice.

"It's okay to cry sometimes," he whispered.

Her eyes widened in surprise. It was said in a tone unlike him, and the fact that he would approve of her showing weakness was astounding. He seemed to sense this in her, and the upward curve of his lip became more evident. He turned to face her, his pearl orbs shining with newfound reason.

"I don't like to see you cry."

She returned his smile, her tears not daring to flow down her chestnut orbs.

His eyes widened with amusement when she had spoken to him when they were finished sparring for the day. They were both eighteen, both quickly gaining acknowledgement for their skills and prowess as ninja.

"Are you able to love?"

He stared as she gazed at him with intensity, her cheeks becoming a faint rose. Her lips were formed into somewhat of a smile as she awaited his answer. When he remained silent, she continued.

"Is it your fate to be emotionless?"

His eyes once again widened, surprised that she was able to read him like a book. But it occurred to him that he should not be surprised; they had nearly spent a lifetime with each other, and it was no doubt that they had become the best of friends. He also knew that ever since his fight with Naruto, he had long ago ditched the idea of fate. But he knew she still wondered if it still had a lasting impression.

"Why do you ask?" He was finally able to say.

He was met with innocent laughter and a shining smile. He stared at her, bewildered. She managed to laugh for few more seconds, and broke her intense gaze from him, instead watching the blue sky.

"You have all your fan girls that I'm just wondering how you remain so unfazed by it."

He too stared at the blue sky, wishing that he were as free as the birds that were soaring on the winds. He closed his pearl orbs, ever watching her with his Byakugan.

"They don't know me."

She smiled.

He was surprised to see his teammate kneeling in front of his father's graves, white hyacinths gently thrown onto his tomb. Her eyes were closed in thought and concentration, and he softly watched her, astounded by her show of admiration and care. When she finally opened her orbs, she was surprised to see him, a rose blush on her cheeks.

"Oh, Neji."

He knelt next to her, his assortment of irises thrown into her arrangement of hyacinths. She smiled when he took a place next to her, his eyes closing in prayer.

"Why are you here?" He finally asked.

She traced the engraving on the fading tombstone, a soft, innocent smile playing on her lips.

"...I was...just speaking with him. I was...telling him something."

"Something that you couldn't tell me?"

She laughed at his almost too-quick reply and shook her head, a gentle smile present on her lips.

"I guess you'll figure out in the long run."

He decided to leave it at that, and he got up from his kneeling position, a gentle smile on his pale lips. His father's final resting place used to be the only place where he ever smiled. He outstretched his hand for his teammate to take, which she quickly took with pleasure and gratitude. He watched her give her last condolences and patiently waited for him to finish, her hand never leaving his.

But he knew that as long as she stayed beside him, a smile would be always present on his pale lips.

It was her turn to be surprised when she had arrived at the training grounds, only to see him in the lake, his well-toned upper body visible to her. She fought back her urge to blush, and watched him quietly. The petals of the cherry blossoms and the flowers of the water lilies surrounded him, giving him an ethereal look of a god. She was surprised when he had used his Kaiten, the water swirling around him, the petals and lilies swirling with him. When he had finished, the water gently fell back to the earth, seeming to rain down upon him.

When he looked at her for the first time that day, he smiled at her.

"What were you doing?" She managed to ask him, the beautiful display still caught in her mind.

He got out of the lake, pulling on his shirt and spinning again in an attempt to dry his pants. He smiled at her once more as she stared in bewilderment.

"Since your family has no tombstones, this was the best I could have done for them."

She stared at him in surprise, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. He had never showed such compassion for anyone else before. He seemed to sense her speechless, and again smiled at her.

"You are like water. And so I paid a tribute, using an object that expressed this quality in you."

She smiled at him, deeply touched by his actions. She was surprised, however, when he once again continued talking. He wasn't one of words, and she found that it was impossible for him to ever be.

"You are more like a key, but I can't exactly...use a key anywhere."

"A key? For what?"

His smile grew genuine this time.

"You freed me from my cage."

It was getting ridiculous to her; even after ten years of the same fan girls that attempted to stop her, the Weapons Mistress of Konoha, they still didn't give up!

"You! Just what do you think you're doing, hanging around Neji-kun all the time?! Even after ten years, you still don't get it, huh?"

They'd always scream that together, like they were scared to scream it alone. She smirked at them, her chestnut orbs shining with amusement and pity for the girls. The smirk seemed to tick them off even more, and after a few seconds, they began to run for her, like a stampede of wild bison. Before she was able to kick off the ground and nearly kill off some good population of women in Konoha (the other good sum being the Uchiha's fan girls), a firm wrist held her firmly.

The girls' eyes widened, both with surprise and grief. There, standing in all his glory, was Hyuuga Neji, holding Tenten's hand – well, wrist. Tenten, too, was surprised to see him make such a show in public, in front of such a large amount of girls, no less. She turned to face him.

"Neji, what are you doing? I could do you a big favor by killing off these girls!"

He smirked, making sure that only Tenten was able to hear him.

"You can't kill them; Tsunade will kill you for that. I've got a better idea. And this one hits the Uchiha hard."

Tenten's eyebrow rose with interest.

"Oh?"

Neji let off a tiny nod.

"Follow my lead."

She nodded, and waited for him to begin.

"Tenten..."

She almost blushed at his seductive voice.

The fan girls gasped in extreme horror, and they watched as the seemingly impossible happened. Neji kissed Tenten. Tenten's heart fell at first, thinking that this was only a way to win his eternal rivalry with the Uchiha, but soon dismissed the thought when he felt all his compassion and love in the kiss. She returned timidly and smiled against his lips. When they had finally broken apart from each other, the fan girls had looks of horror on their face.

He gazed into her orbs with an intensity that she had never experienced before, and she was growing increasingly curious about his sudden change of heart around her. She smiled when he whispered into her ear so only she could hear him.

"I love you."

Her eyes widened with surprise, threatening to release salty liquids from her precious eyes.

"I love you, too," she murmured, knowing that giving him an embrace would push his limits too far.

One kiss in public was enough; she understood that he wasn't quite ready for anything more.

"Oh-oh my GOSH! W-WAIT! SASUKE-KUN IS STILL FREE!"

At that, the fan girls ran to find the other horde of fan girls. She let off a devious smile as she stared at the rising dust around them.

"Neji, you sly fox. I would hate you forever if I were Sasuke."

His eyes widened in surprise when he once again found her at his father's tombstone. It was two years ago when it had happened, and they were soon to turn twenty years of age. Many times he had seen the hyacinths on his graves, knowing that it was her. But he was surprised to see that even after such a long time, she still persisted to come here.

Again he threw down his assortment of irises, taking his position next to her. Her eyes opened from prayer, wide with surprise and embarrassment.

"Oh, looks like you caught me again," she said, a small smile on her face.

He smiled at her, and closed his eyes in prayer. She said her last condolences and got up, leaning on the cherry tree that was in full bloom next to his father's grave. She respected his silence and waited patiently.

"Why do you keep coming here?" He finally asked, after several moments of silence.

She remained silent, unsure of what to say. A gentle breeze blew, breaking the petals off the tree, swaying them with the wind. Her bangs swayed with the wind as she looked away from him, her eyes watching the ready sunset. After a moment of silence, she averted her gaze and watched him.

"...Is it so bad to come here to talk with your father?"

He smiled, averting his gaze from the beautiful woman standing before him. His pearl orbs watched the sunset.

"No."

She smiled, and shrugged.

"Then there you go."

He looked at her quickly and averted his gaze once more. Her eyebrows rose with surprise, her eyes catching a new gleam in his precious orbs.

"That's not the answer I was looking for."

She left off a soft giggle and glanced at him. It was then that she realized how similar their lives had been. Her eyes met his, finding a smirk on his lips. She turned away to face the sunset once more, the world almost ready to be encompassed by the tranquil, dangerous night.

"I was telling him all about you. I know you're not one to speak to him about what you are; you speak to him about what you've accomplished and gained. I told him how much you've changed, and I told him a few details that for sure you wouldn't tell him."

"Oh? And what are they?"

She slowly walked towards him, a devious smile enticing him to claim her rosy lips.

"I told him you were a phoenix, who so longed to be freed from the darkness of your cage. I told him that you are almost as sly as a fox, but arrogant and cocky..."

She stopped when she was directly in front of him, her head tilted upwards so she could look directly into his eyes.

"And I told him that I loved you."

She leaned up and claimed his lips, smiling when she felt his fierce response. When they had finally broken apart, the stars and the moon were above them, providing them with a source of enchantment.

"You're wrong, you know."

She looked at him, puzzled. She missed his smirk; too busy trying to read a new shine in his eyes.

"Of course I would tell him that you loved me. It is the greatest feeling in the world."

He claimed her lips again, a gentle breeze passing them by. They broke apart when they both heard a joyous whisper through their ears.

You have learned to fly...I'm...so proud...
They both smiled.

They had grown up without parents, thrown out into the harsh world.

They had, at first, shared the same dream – to be acknowledged for their prowess.

After spending time with him, she wanted to free him from his cage, letting him fly off into the blue skies as a beautiful phoenix.

She had changed him for the better, making him realize that everything he wanted was right in front of his eyes.

And they would continue to love each other silently, knowing that outward, public bursts of love and passion weren't exactly their style.

They were both phoenixes that helped each other sprout their wings.

A/N: I'm sorry for another long oneshot. Though, chances are, I'll most likely make more of these, with different pairings. I guess I'll keep them separate for now, but I might just start a drabble/oneshot collection or something. –shrug-

Anyway, I'm not sure if this one's as good as my NaruHina one (Forever Intertwined), but I do hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you for reading!