A/N: Try the ¾ or even ½ view so the sentences aren't spread too thinly across the page. I find it easier to read things that way.

The Promises That Cannot Be Kept

Chapter 1

"You have other reasons for agreeing to this."

Neji paused. He didn't understand why his once-so-familiar teammate was insistent on leaving the village on such short notice. Obviously, she wasn't doing it because of how appealing the mission was. There was nothing appealing about five months in the Western Deserts of the Suna in the sweltering heat with nothing but sand for miles and not to mention the nature of the mission itself –infiltration and reconnaissance with the use of her kunoichi skills. Neji knew that Tenten had specifically made cautious decisions to make sure that no one dared classify her as a 'weak' shinobi that hid behind her teammates or worse yet, relied on her feminine wiles to complete missions. With her back to him, he couldn't tell her expression but he knew he was right when she froze at his accusatory tone. Ever since their genin days, Tenten has never once succeeded in lying to the Hyuuga, and he made sure she knew it. She turned slightly, and met Neji's questioning white eyes, but remained silent.

The deathly silence in the apartment was stifling. This was unlike the wordless camaraderie Neji was used to on the battlefield, or the soothing tranquillity of an afternoon spent resting under their favourite (long-suffering) oak tree after training. Tenten always spoke with ease, especially when she's with her teammates. The quiet unnerved him.

"What are you trying to say, Neji?" Tenten said, finally.

Tenten refused to turn around. She fixed her eyes on the window, where the full moon hung low in the night sky. The stars in the sky were flickering feebly, as if threatening to be swallowed whole by the bright moon. Tenten felt a strange sadness.

"Tenten. Why are you taking a mission that will take you as far away as possible from Konoha?"

Tenten laughed. Neji has never heard her cheerful laughter sound so hollow and flat. "I've gone further than Suna, Neji."

"Not without us."

Neji heard Tenten take in a deep breath. She walked to the window, unwilling to look at her teammate in the eye. Her lonesome figure basked in the moonlight was eerie and ghost-like. Neji noted curiously that Tenten had been walking circles in this small apartment, almost as if she was trying to keep as far away as possible from him.

"After graduating, there was never a guarantee that we will stay in our three man unit anyway. Why does this one mission matter to you?" Tenten said, testily.

Neji was treading on unfamiliar grounds. Since when has his teammate been so hostile and difficult?

"Shikamaru said you requested this to be a trial mission with his team."

Tenten stood unnaturally still, "If it goes well, I am transferring permanently."

Finally, the truth. He had expected her to deny his suspicions. Be angry, even, that he was suggesting that she was leaving the team for good.

"And you never planned to tell us?" Neji fumed, unable to comprehend the turn of events. "Why are you leaving us?"

Tenten turned, the dark shadows made her expression unreadable.

"I like working with Shikamaru's team," Tenten said, her voice quiet but firm.

Neji arched his brow. Back to excuses. "You've been on a mission with Nara once. We've been together for eight years."

"Then isn't it more laughable that in that one mission, I have discovered what I have been missing out on all this time?"

"What do you mean? You can't possibly mean that we are inadequate teammates?"

"No. You are a great shinobi, Hyuuga Neji. With your Byakugan and intellect, there are few in Konoha who do not know your name. But, Neji, oh- Neji… I am a good shinobi in my own right! I didn't ask to be included in this mission, Shikamaru asked for me. He recognized my skill and wanted me in his team by choice. I was in your Genin squad and ever since because of luck and then some. He told me that I was free to come and go but he would prefer it if I stayed. You…"

"Tenten-" Neji managed.

"No, listen!" Tenten shook her head and marched up to the bewildered Hyuuga. As she stepped forward, he realized that her eyes were shining with anger. "I am leaving because for the eight years that we have spent together, that's all we've ever been, teammates that were strung together because of our Genin assignments. You still treat Lee like he's not worthy of being a shinobi. And I am but a tool for you to sharpen your skills on."

To say Neji was shocked was an understatement. His pearl-white eyes could not recognize the woman who stood before him. She was standing close enough for him to smell the citrus smell of her nightshirt. He had never looked at her this closely before. All along she had stood behind him, watching his weak spot and attacking from the shadows, where he knew she was safe. This girl with no last name, no clan, no kekkai genkai, had surpassed many others to claim top-spot as the weapon mistress of Konoha. Lee worked hard but then again, so did Tenten. He trained with her tirelessly, and each time she had something new to try to crack through his defence. He didn't want to admit it, but she was always keeping him on his toes, and there were opponents that he couldn't defeat that she probably can. He had never once said that he needed her, wanted her to be there but he knew that he was not someone able to promise her anything.

"I have always looked up to you," Tenten said, her brown eyes locking with his. Even though her height did not reach his, her presence did not match her size. Her firm gaze was steely, catching Neji's breath in his throat, "but you, your eyes don't see me."

"Tenten, you… you're leaving because you think I don't see you?" he asked incredulously.

"You were always so blind," she spat. "You should go now."

She turned to leave.

"But I do see you."

Tenten stopped.

"What do you see?" Tenten said, daring him to continue.

Neji could not command his tongue to continue. After all these years, did she not know well enough that what I don't say is what doesn't need to be said?

After a long pause, she sighed and started towards the door.

He caught her by the arm and pulled her back. With her back against the wall, she couldn't run, but neither could he, from her questioning eyes. Neji was not a fool. He didn't need to turn around to know that these eyes have been watching his back for a long time. He knew that she has been watching him and each time he pretended that he didn't know, her eyes would cloud over with disappointment. He knew that what she wanted was not what he had been giving. But he also knew that his actions had consequences more far-reaching than he could imagine. She turned her head and tried to slide away from the Hyuuga but he was faster and blocked her path with his arm. He could feel the pounding in his chest, almost hear the blood in his ears. Her lips parted slightly to form a question that never came.

"I said, I see you now."

Chapter 2 Preview:

"Are you sure we can't just peek in from the roof?," Tenten complained futilely. She had never felt more ridiculous in her life. Her silk kimono was a blooming garden of seasonal flowers. Her fringe which was usually covered by her forehead protector had grown long and messy due to neglect. An assistant had teased her brown tresses into a simple half-do. Silver butterflies danced amongst the trailing purple wisteria blossoms on the side of her head. But what Tenten found most annoying of all was that when she walked, she tinkled. Or more precisely, the bells on her head did.

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