Neji sighed for the umpteenth time as he sat unmoving on the only portion of the couch that wasn't littered with junk. His eyes shifted to the pile of haphazardly sorted books and files on the coffee table, pausing to note how some had a few pages nearly falling off the spine, while others clearly had stains from a liquid he didn't particularly care to identify. The sofa he sat on was strewn with random weapons, some he failed to recognize. Scraps of paper and tags and of all kinds were littered on the floor, and the walls had photos and notes of weapons that were fashioned in a jumbled family tree that would make anyone question the sanity of the person who had done it.

Neji's observation was cut short when a piece of shuriken fell onto the pile of books on the table, bouncing off onto the floor, before lazily rolling under the sofa. Neji eyed the ceiling and clicked his tongue in disapproval as he eyed at least a hundred weapons embedded on the chipping plaster.

Neji couldn't understand how Tenten could be organized in everything other than her research. Her kitchen was spotless and systematized for efficiency, her bathroom was flawless no matter how many random times he'd use it, and her bedroom was neat, orderly and always smelled of lavender and chamomile. So he could not fathom how her living room, which basically served as her study, never failed to look like a storm had just passed through. Once he could no longer bare it and offered to help her sort her things out. He was just about to grab a book when a senbon needle nearly hit his hand before impaling itself about an inch deep into the floor. Apparently Tenten was the disorganized organized type when it came to studying. He never made any comment on her living room ever since.

Of course he was welcome to wait in her bedroom. He always was. Yet he found it inappropriate being in the premises of such a private space without Tenten in the vicinity. He glanced at his watch. He'd been waiting for about 15 minutes now. She was rarely ever late so he began to wonder what exactly was happening during her mission debriefing. He ran into her earlier just as she got back in town, and they both agreed to meet in her apartment after 30 minutes. She assured him that her meeting with the Hokage would be brief so he agreed. He sighed again. He hated waiting, and it seemed the longer he stayed in Tenten's chaotic living room, the greater the compulsion to tidy up gnawed at him.

Standing up, he made his way to her bedroom. The kitchen would have been fine, but it still showed him a clear view of the living room. He wanted the offending area out of his sight. Opening the door slowly, Neji felt a twinge of guilt as he invaded her personal space. He decided to shrug it off by thinking he would allow Tenten the same courtesy as well. It was a matter of trust and he knew they both trusted each other with their lives. After all, there was nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of.

Neji eyed the bed and clicked his tongue at the poorly folded blanket. It seemed Tenten had been in a hurry and resorted to rolling the piece of cloth around repeatedly before chucking it off to one side of the mattress. Making his way towards it, he gingerly pulled it up and straightened in out. The sound of something falling to the floor with a loud thud caught his attention. Shifting his gaze towards it, he was met with a brown leather notebook with a tiny steel lock that looked undone. The fall seemed to have unlocked the bolt of metal. Neji neatly folded the blanket with ease, placed it at the foot of the bed, before bending over to pick up the book. It had no title on it but it looked fairly new. It must have been a favorite of Tenten's if she kept it at her bedside with a lock.

Plucking the unfastened metal off the hook, Neji took a seat on the bed, careful not to get the sheets ruffled. He flipped the book quickly to get a gist of what it was about, but it seemed all it contained were writings in Tenten's hand. Majority of the pages were still blank. It must have been her research notes. Heading back to the first page, Neji perused the material with curiosity. Just what was Tenten working on that required such secrecy?

There was a storm today. But that didn't stop our training routine. After all, no natural calamity had ever been capable of changing that part of our schedule. What was a little bit of rain going to do?

Neji's eyes widened a fraction when he realized just what he was reading. It wasn't her research he had in his hands, it was a diary of some sort. Feeling remorseful for having discovered something so personal, Neji began to close it when a flash of his name caught his eye.

Neji was relentless, yet again. That much wasn't new. But the way the rain turned his white Hyuga garments translucent made it all the more difficult for me to focus on the spar. I couldn't stop myself from wondering how it would feel to have his body on mine, and his fingers doing something else entirely.

Neji swallowed. Did he just read what he thought he read? He blinked. Once. Twice. That was the end of the first entry. His hand hovered over the page before he stopped himself. It was a battle of shame and curiosity. Would he dare?

Neji felt his body temperature rise at the thought of Tenten viewing him in a sexual way. He had to hand it to her, she never showed any indication that she had been interested in him at all. Everything between them had always been platonic. Sure they've had their fill of being teased by people, and they've definitely had their share of compromising positions during training, but neither reacted in a telling way. They were only ever just friends.

Before Neji knew it, his hand betrayed him and moved the page onto the second entry. It seemed curiosity overwhelmed his shame.

We're finally back after a three-day mission from Suna. I don't know how any of the people stand it, but the temperature of that place is unbearable. I can't imagine how people could actually live that way.

Neji remembered that mission clearly. It happened three months ago. They were both assigned to deliver a scroll to the Kazekage himself and the mission had been rank an S level. Whatever was in that scroll was definitely enough to warrant that big of a paycheck. They arrived without fail in less than a day just as the sun began to set. They forwent any form of rest, which, as luck would have it, had been a good decision. A vicious sandstorm enveloped the dessert not even an hour within their arrival. They were forced to stay for the next two nights until it died down.

It was torture enough that the temperature of the room alone could boil an egg, but I just had to be stuck in a room with Neji for two nights because of a sandstorm. Thank God I had the heat to blame because my cheeks would not stop burning as he stripped off one article of clothing after another.

Neji paused in confusion. He remembered that too. They were both too hot that they resorted to very minimal clothing – him in his boxers, and her in her bra top and shorts. But he never felt the indication that it made her feel uncomfortable. She just ranted about the heat all the time.

I don't know what kind of deity was after my head, but those two nights were the pinnacle of my self-control – the very epitome of restraint. It was hard enough that he was only in his boxers, but to watch beads of sweat drip from his forehead, sliding down his throat before dipping into the hollow of junction of his neck, tilting over the expanse between his collar bones, then travelling painfully slow down his chest, the ripples of his abs and onto his waist band… I never thought it was possible to want to fuck and kill someone at the same time.

The writing of the passage looked more jumbled as it went on. Neji didn't realize his mouth had opened slightly in disbelief at the highly graphic way his longtime teammate described a drop of perspiration. He felt his cheeks color slightly. He never knew she was capable of looking at him in that way.

On our first day alone nearly half naked, I thought I wouldn't last. It literally took every ounce of control to not grab his hair and kiss him senseless. Needless to say, the nights were harder. We shared a bed, like we always did on missions. But it never involved limited clothing, high amounts of temperature, and my raging hormones. Who would have thought I would finally experience what the rest of the girls had been talking about? And at 19 at that. I had to make excuses to go the bathroom to wash off the heat, but no amount of bathing would rid me of the itch. Each time I had my fingers in my pussy, moaning Neji's name, trying to muffle the sounds I made with my hand and the rushing water.

Neji froze. She had made a few weird noises in the bathroom but he always brushed them off as her complaints over the scorching weather. Neji felt another wave of heat course through his body. He felt dirty and ashamed for reading Tenten's most inner thoughts, but at the same time, he was incredibly aroused. He was yet again at an impasse. Would he read on? Would his conscience really let him? Before he could rationalize things further, his hand yet again flipped onto the next page. Traitor! It was as if it had fallen into a trance. He knew it was wrong, but he just couldn't bring himself to stop.

The second day had been worse. The lights went out and they had given us rose scented candles, apologizing that all the regular ones had been used up. ROSE. FUCKING. SCENTED. They even gave off a warm pink glow! The universe was conspiring against me I just knew it!

Neji couldn't help but chuckle at the apparent exasperation seeping through the paragraph. He never told Tenten, but just before they left, Temari quietly asked him if they liked the candles. The telling look she gave him said it all. The romantic atmosphere was a set up. He didn't give the Sunagakure kunoichi the satisfaction of a response.

It was getting too much. I was so close to sleeping in the bathroom floor if it meant my senses could have some reprieve from Neji. But I knew he wouldn't have it. So I stayed as quiet as I could that day, kept my eyes closed and pretended to meditate to fight off the heat. But with my eyes closed, I could feel every shift he made on the mattress – every turn, every single movement of his sinful body. Then just like always, my thoughts would drift to the feel of his lips. Are they as soft as they look? I imagine he'd use his tongue to coax mine out to play. I would feel the weight of his body crushing me onto the bed, his lustful fingers finding the entrance to my dripping wet core. He'd start with one. Slowly. Then add another one. Still torturously slow. Then he'd thrust a third one forcefully, making me scream in ecstasy. Again. And again. And… Again.

Neji slammed the book close as he felt his member stand into full attention. Never before had he been so aroused by a written material ever in his life. As he read on, gone was the shame. All that was left was an endless curiosity and a lust he never knew he was capable of feeling towards his teammate. He gritted his teeth, willing it to go away but it wouldn't. The images that flooded his mind thanks to Tenten's creative use of words would haunt him for a long time. Closing his eyes, he opened the book once again, choosing to ignore the throbbing problem between his legs.

But just as I'm about to come, he draws back, then looks at me with those piercing eyes chuckling. "So wet. So easy to please." I'd whimper. "Please Neji." I'd beg. He'd chuckle once more in that deep baritone voice of his that never fails to get me wet and wanting. "Please what?" He'd tease. I'd whimper yet again. "Please take me." I'd feel his manhood at my entrance and I let out a moan as I try to fill myself up. He catches my hip and stills me. "What do you want?" He'd whisper in my ear, and I'd feel my arousal drip onto my thighs. "Neji." I'd moan. I was at my limit. "Tell me how you want it." He repeated in that demanding tone of his. "Make me come screaming." I somehow manage to whisper. In an instant, he fills me up and I come undone.

Neji stared at the end of the second passage not sure exactly what to feel. He was painfully hard by now, nearly impossible for him to ignore. He gritted his teeth hating the way Tenten's words were affecting him. If he were to be completely honest, he'd say that he did find her attractive. Being teammates with her for such a long time, he knew exactly how much she had grown into a woman.

Once when they were 15, he lent her a shirt during training because she fell into the lake and had no extra clothes to spare. That was the first time it visually registered to him that she had gone through puberty. Her baggy clothes were successful in hiding her figure; but when all she had on was his thin shirt that was a little tight on her chest and barely reached her midthigh, he was rendered speechless. It was a good thing he had to leave for her apartment to get her something else to change into.

Neji closed his eyes as he massaged his temples. Just what in the hell was he thinking? Scratch that. What the fuck was he doing? Reading his teammates diary and getting a raging hard on, while sitting on her bed. Just how perverse could he get?

Scanning the rest of the book, he was glad to note that there was just one more entry left. Yet again he was torn. He knew he really should stop. He was invading her privacy in so many ways and if it had been the other way around, he knew he would be beyond mortified. But once again, his hand had a mind of its own, turning onto the last passage before his mind could finish his train of thought.

If there really was a god, I'm sure she or he or it really hates me. That, or perhaps god has a sick sense of humor. I was out on mission just the other day with Neji, as usual. We get paired up a lot during reconnaissance missions because it's easy for us to act as couple, making us smoothly blend in. This wasn't the first time we've used that kind of cover, but it was definitely the first time we got snowed in during the middle of winter. And it was also the first time I got delirious because of a fever.

Neji paused. This particular mission ended just a week ago. They were trapped in the house for a full four days because of a blizzard. They were lucky to have enough rations to last for at least a week, but the chill of winter was nearly impossible to fight off. They were able to keep a fire going but their firewood stock kept getting riddled with frost. The first day was fairly easy, but when night came, Tenten fell ill. They had no supply of medicine. All Neji could do was repeatedly heat up a bowl of chicken soup and hope she got better. It was one of the few moments in his life that he felt so useless.

Neji told me my body temperature kept rising, but all I could feel was a chilling numbness. My insides were shaking, my teeth were clattering, and I was beginning to spout random nonsense. My mind was spinning. It felt as if I was flying. Or was it falling? I couldn't really tell anymore. I don't even remember what happened from the point wherein I was sure I was going to die, to waking up without any article of clothing in the arms of an equally naked Neji Hyuga.

Neji felt his face burn at the memory. Her temperature was spiraling out of control and she would freeze if he did nothing. It was survival 101: body heat. He remembered gathering all the clothing, cushions and sheets that they had to spare to create a cocoon of warmth by the fire with Tenten in the middle. Blindfolding himself, he began stripping the clothes off his freezing teammate. He tucked her under a sheet before ripping his blindfold off. He hurriedly took off his clothes, gritting his teeth at the sudden invasion of the cold, before putting his warm garments over her body. He enveloped her with everything he could get his hands on. Finally, he crawled under the covers, pressing his body against hers, wrapping his limbs around her cold skin as he grit his teeth. Her body felt like ice. Closing his eyes, he focused on emanating his chakra in gentle waves of warmth, hoping it would be enough to get her to stop shaking. He thanked the heavens silently when she finally stopped shivering, drifting into a more peaceful state of slumber.

He was still sleeping. To say I was shocked would be the biggest understatement of the century. There he was, in all his naked glory, sleeping like an angel without a care in the world. He had me in his arms, and I've never felt so happy in my entire life. I willed the tears to stop. I didn't want to miss a moment of this. I wanted to burn this image in my head for all eternity. My love maybe unrequited, but its moments like these that make me think it's enough. This is enough.

Never in his life did Neji feel like he was an asshole. Until now. He closed the book, not bothering to finish the rest of the last entry. He overstepped a line when he opened Tenten's journal, but he was so far gone he never realized just how far a line he had crossed. She loved him. No. She was in love with him. And here he was invading her most intimate thoughts like they meant nothing. How could he do this? Why did he even allow himself to do this?

"Neji?"

Pearl eyes met amber ones. Each mirrored a silent shock.

Neji watched in mortification as Tenten's gaze shifted onto the brown leather book he held against his thigh. He didn't dare to move. He didn't even dare to breathe.

"Just what…?" Tenten's voice came out barely above a whisper. Her chest heaved as she continued to stare at her journal sitting comfortably on Neji's lap. She was breathless. She felt as if she had just finished Gai's one thousand laps around Konoha challenge. Twice.

For once, Neji was truly and utterly speechless.

END!

A two-part story because I made a pact to never write multi-chapter stories ever again.

This idea kept bothering me during the holidays so I finally gave in and wrote it. I really apologize I haven't updated my other NejiTen story. I haven't given up on it even though it's been years. Because of what happened to Neji in the canon, it's really hard for me to continue.

Thank you for reading! Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!