Disclaimer: Yup, I own it... No! Wait- I don't! It was a joke!!...Don't sue meeee! Nooooo!

Summary: Neji is sent out on a long-term mission to track and kill a powerful ninja on the run. But what's this? A girl bandit who wishes to travel with him? NejiTen.

Note: Might be a one-shot. It depends on my pretty reviewers.

Walking on Ice

By: Kikushi

"Neji Hyuuga!" she bellowed, her voice undertaking its professional tone, "You have sworn to undertake this solo mission and complete it under any circumstances, even with your life at risk. Go forward, and report to me within a month!"

"Hai, Tsunade-sama."

And so he went, taking whatever possessions he had that he felt necessary to take along with him. News proved to travel fast in his dreary little village of Konoha, for not one step did he take on the gravel outside his house gate, when his ninja friends appeared at his side. They congratulated him, of course, and constantly reminded him as they had done many weeks before about how grand the mission was. He had been the lucky draw, they said, and what an honor to be going on this important, long-term solo mission that they had dreamed about getting. Neji said his thanks, stating that he was rather in a hurry, and made his way, ignoring the looks he received from the well-gossiped villagers. On a rather personal level, Neji Hyuuga was not at all pleased to be going, an honor or not. He was satisfied all by his lonesome inside the comforting familiarity of his much-too-big house and preferred to waste away his days locked up in one of the many rooms of his manor, rereading one of his many, thick books.

Simply put, Neji Hyuuga was a single, lonely man and in denial of his current state.

It was true that he was pretty to look at, and he was indeed the object of many girls' desire. However, upon closer inspection, it became a wide-known fact that the lonely man had quite a displeasing personality. Not only was he un-conversational, unromantic, and un-gentlemanly, but he often left in the middle of dates to sulk back to his manor, unaccompanied, of course, in a fit of denial about how happy he was all alone. Indeed.

And so presently, he jumped from tree to tree, making his way to the location of the first lead Konoha had of this powerful ninja. Surely, other villages had sent their own ninjas in order to capture this dangerous one on the loose, meaning more competition for Neji. He frowned and sulked more at the thought.

At approximately twelve miles away from Konoha, a soft, almost indecipherable rustling snapped Neji out of his self-absorbed thoughts, causing him to hesitate onwards to his destination. He was stationed on a thick branch on a rather tall tree and could not find the source of the small noise when it sounded a second time, with an added dialogue.

"Oww…" A noise below, on the forest floor.

In a rapid state of paranoia, Neji quickly drew to the conclusion that he was, in fact, being followed, and blindly let fly one of his many shurikens towards the offending noise. Dull thuds reached his ears, shurikens hitting the ground in failed attempt. Silence followed.

Neji, convinced he was no longer being pursued, turned to go when—

"HEY!"

Such a loud and boisterous sound it was that Neji almost fell from the branch. It was an unfamiliar sound to his ears, that of a maiden screaming. At him. It was a low, rich voice. Sort of melodic, Neji mused, if sung with; however, it was presently in obvious fury at the fact that he had directed an attack towards its owner.

"You NUT HEAD! Get DOWN from there and show yourself!"

Nut head? He wondered, how absurd.

"NOW!"

Curious but cautious, he permitted himself to crane his neck an inch to the side, aimed downwards at his verbal attacker. It was not so much as following her shouted demand, but from his blossoming curiosity. He spotted two dark brown buns on a small head before returning his own head back to its hidden state.

A child?

Assured that he was not in any immediate danger, Neji jumped from his hiding spot, almost floating in the air before landing on the forest floor gracefully.

"So it was YOU!" an accusing voice from behind.

Neji turned around to finally introduce the mystery person to his eyes, apologies and excuses ready on the tip of his tongue, when he saw her. He closed his mouth, unable to speak.

There she was, and she was certainly not a child. She had a naturally pale face, her cheeks angrily flushed in a soft, pretty pink. Her dark brown hair, twinkling magically in the sunlight, was in a state of disarray, loose strands slipping almost majestically from its position atop either side of her head. Her long, thin brows were furrowed in anger, and her honey-brown eyes shone with much resolve. In her hand she held a kunai steadfastly, as if ready to arm herself. She was garbed in a pink sleeveless top, followed by short black shorts. Her long creamy legs boasted in triumph in Neji's eyes and he noticed the way her left ankle seemed to bend in a disturbing, unnatural way. He studied her situation then, seated amongst a pile of wayward leaves in a most elegant sort of position, trying to maintain her dignity when she so obviously could not stand.

She's twisted her ankle, Neji thought in wonder.

"He-llo? Are you just going to stand there when there's a damsel in apparent distress here?"

Neji looked at her angry face stoically, "You twisted your ankle."

"Thank you, Captain Obvious."

Unaffected, Neji approached her. "Do you need help?"

"ARE YOU FREAKIN' BLIND?"

Startled, Neji stopped, mid-step. Here he was, acting chivalrous and gentlemanly for maybe the first time in his life, and this girl was screaming at him. Did she not want his help?

He heard an exasperated sigh from said girl. "Yes," she said, and her tone was much softer, "I do need help. Please."

He kneeled down next to her and saw, to his displeasure, that she was eyeing him calculatingly, most untrustingly, and dripping with suspicions. "You know," she began conversationally, to ease the tension, "in my immobile state, you almost killed me."

"My apologies."

"Yeah, well, your 'apologies' won't grant me another life if you hadn't missed me-EEEOW!!"

Neji had moved her ankle in examination, and in pain, the girl jumped back from his grasp, her kunai waving threateningly in his direction, and her ankle throbbing even more painfully from her jump. "YOU FOOL!" she screamed at him, her eyes tearing slightly in obvious pain, "You sick old FOOL!"

Neji sighed loudly, "How am I supposed to help you, when you won't let me come near you?"

Glaring, she stuck her tongue out at him. He did not know whether he found it amusing.

"Look," Neji started icily, finally losing some of his patience, "let's just start over. My name is Neji. Neji Hyuuga."

After a breath of hesitation and a short silence, the girl spoke softly. "Tenten... Just Tenten."

"Tenten," Neji repeated, momentarily left breathless by her name, "Okay… Tenten. Look, can you just—"

But no, she 'couldn't just', because suddenly there, out of nowhere (Why did I not sense them? Neji wondered in anger), three ninjas flew at them from out of the bushes nearby. It was obviously a team sent on a mission. The group leader, Neji assumed, stood proud and tall in the middle, his untidy blond hair whipping behind him in the breeze. On his commanding right stood a rather scary and unappealing kunoichi with short, spiky brown hair, and on his left, a thin, pale man with a black blindfold stood quietly.

"Ugh, damn! Not now!"

Neji spared the girl a glance, and by the grimace on her face, it was obvious to Neji that Tenten could not move to defend herself. As he readied himself for attack, Tenten's voice drifted to his ears.

"No! You can't handle all three by yourself! They're sand-nins!"

Neji's eyes widened in surprise. Ninjas from the Sand Village? What are they doing in Konoha Forest? They are trespassing!

"Give up! This is the end of the line for you," roared the tall, muscular man with untidy blond hair, his eyes locked on Tenten. The girl at his left snarled in an almost animal-like manner. "Shut up, Haribi, let's kill her now!"

It was in a blink of an eye, and in eye-watering pain, that Tenten found herself being carried almost intimately against the chest of her savior, his long, dark brown hair flowing behind him, and his pale eyes staring blankly ahead in concentration as he ran with an almost sickening speed.

Tenten tried to speak, but found that her mouth had gone dry, and tried again. She tugged gently on the collar of his shirt, and had they been in a different situation, Neji would have thought the action adorable.

"Where are we going?"

He glanced down at her briefly, "Konoha Village."

Tenten felt her jaw drop slightly. "But- wait- w-what?!" she spluttered, "Hold on! That's a village! There are many people there—"

"There are many guards and Leaf Ninjas stationed within a three-mile radius of the village," Neji replied, cutting her off. "Once we cross that radius, your pursuers will halt in their chase."

Tenten noticed how he had said 'your pursuers' instead of 'our', but decided not to comment on it. She was unsure herself whether the sand ninjas would really stop, but as if sensing her uncertainty, Neji answered her unspoken questions. "There was a time, after a long-forgotten war, that the Village of the Hidden Leaf and the Sand Village signed a treaty that banned members of each land inside their homes. They are already trespassing by entering the forest, but they will not show themselves near the village. It will spark unnecessary war… and I am sure that the Sand Village cannot afford that right now."

Tenten was quiet for a while, and then, "Why? I mean, why can't they afford war right now?"

Neji grunted, "Hm. We were informed that a powerful ninja recently swept through the town… They had many losses."

Tenten fell silent, and they travelled in silence for the rest of the way, sensing that their pursuers were lagging tremendously. After a long while, Neji spoke, "We're almost there."

Tenten looked up at him. "Mr. Hyuuga?" Then seeing the face he made, hastily corrected herself, "Neji. Why are you helping me?"

And Neji had no reply to give, because given his daily routines, helping out a 'damsel in distress' was certainly unheard of from him, of all people. No matter how distressed the damsel.

They can be in labor, for all I care, Neji thought snidely, but I probably wouldn't help… I wouldn't want to get involved.

And here he was, being Mr. Hypocrite, damsel in distress in tow.

"I need to report this to the Lady Hokage anyway," Neji said coldly, avoiding her questioning stare, "You were just a bonus."

Tenten did not know whether she should slap said savior on the face, but then again, his hand might have an accidental 'slip' and she could go plummeting downwards some frightful ten feet to the ground. With her twisted ankle, she might as well try drowning herself. Less pain, right?

"But at least I'm a pretty bonus," Tenten hissed, unable to help herself.

"And you," Neji said acidly, raising a delicate eyebrow at her response, and slowing down measurably now that the sand nins have stopped, "have some explaining to do."

Tenten winced. Oh, boy.

...!!

Hahaha! My reviewers, it is up to you whether you want it to go on or not. Any suggestions and comments are welcome!