Bandages

A/N: Hey everyone. I had another drabble-like-thing stuck in my head for weeks and I just HAD to write it down. This'll probably be sucky, but it was a spur of the moment thing. Hope you enjoy!

'Oh crap, oh crap, I'm late, I'm late!!!' she thought, grabbing her oddly light sack from the side of the door, leaving her hitai-ate behind on the table. Tenten sprinted across the streets and trees of Konohagakure, knowing she was really going to get it if she was late. She ran into the clearing, swiftly turning her head to check for her teammate. 'He's not here yet,' she thought, inwardly sighing.

"You're late," called a cold voice.

'Oh, screw you Hyuuga,' she thought, glaring at him. "Hey, we can't all be perfect," she said, exasperated.

"We'll need perfection if we want to improve my Kaiten," Neji said, jumping down from the treetops. "Hurry up and get ready."

"Geez," Tenten sighed, setting down her pack. "You're Kaiten's already pretty advanced. It wouldn't hurt to miss," she glanced at her watch, "two minutes of training."

"Two minutes can be the difference between life and death,"

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, giving up. Just how did she get to be in love with this cold guy anyway? Just seeing his personality is enough for a girl to – oh wait. Neji has fan girls…they do fall for cold, angsty bastards who would train them hard enough to make them get six packs. And girls aren't supposed to have six packs.

Neji wanted a new form of the Kaiten. Junsei Kaiten he called it. 'Perfect Rotation…he's almost there. He barely needs to spin. Just a bit more…I'm happy for him.'

"Oi, Neji!" Tenten called, "Get over here! I'm set!"

"Hn," he smirked, "Took you long enough."

They took their respective stances, Neji's in the style of the Hyuuga Gentle Fist, and Tenten with one steady hand over her scrolls and one in front ready to protect.

Without a warning, Tenten took the initiative with her powerful attack. She jumped back as far as she could, pulling out both scrolls and setting them on the ground. Due to Neji's training, her attack time had shortened, and she managed to summon the dragons within a matter of seconds.

"Sōshōryū!" she shouted, leaping into the double helix of scrolls. All kinds of sharp and pointy objects were summoned into her hands as she precisely threw them toward her sparring partner.

"Kaiten!" he shouted, slowly rotating. His speed increased and the weapons froze a half an inch away from his body, but the Hyuuga prodigy spun so slowly that watching him was like watching a carousel.

But the reaction of his attack was unexpected. It was so improved to the point that anything and everything could be deflected. But the angle of deflection was not a counted factor; at least not yet.

Tenten's eyes widened in horror as she saw her own weapons piercing the palpable air; heading in her direction. She landed as quickly as she could, attempting to run. But it was too late. His Junsei Kaiten was too powerful – to fast. She felt her skin being penetrated by the cold metal; her warm blood flowing down her back. Tenten grunted in pain as she felt herself land on the hard, dirty earth.

Neji could barely see outside of his Kaiten. He saw the black lines flying away from him, obviously falling back against his move. But he saw them continuing to soar through the air, heading towards the blur of pink he knew as Tenten. The pink blur rotated and became smaller…and then it fell down flat. Neji squinted his eyes as he tried to concentrate on Tenten's form while he stopped his rotation, her image slowly becoming sharper. Then he saw it. Blood – no, Tenten's blood.

She lay on the grassy field, her hands attempting to move and help her rise. But just as she started to apply pressure, she collapsed, lightly crying from pain. 'God damn it!' she thought, 'Why did I have to make them so freaking sharp?!' The blades were embedded at her shoulder blades, preventing any arm movement. Suddenly she felt herself being jerked up off the ground and into the air. Tenten was standing, now looking at Neji's lavender eyes.

"Medical kit," he said. "It was your turn."

"Um…yeah. It should be in my bag," Tenten said, lifting her head in its direction.

Neji had walked her over to the bag, opening it only to discover that it merely contained Tenten's towel and water bottles.

'Oh crap,' Tenten thought, realizing the kit was still at home by the apartment door.

Neji raised an eyebrow and checked the bag once more, but had no success.

"Looks like training is cut short…sorry Neji,"

"Who said it was over?" he asked, looking at her.

Tenten glared at him, thinking that he wanted her to train in her condition. The guy was seriously insane if he expected her to train with blood coming from her shoulders.

Before Tenten could protest, Neji began removing his shirt, revealing his strengthened chest and abs. Tenten 'eep'ed before turning her head downwards to give Neji his privacy, feeling her cheeks burn from embarrassment.

"Tenten," he called, "you don't have to be embarrassed. I don't care. Besides, you've seen me before. Come here."

She looked up at him, only to see the regular bandages around his right arm missing. His entire chest was now visible, the white bandages in his right hand. Tenten walked over to him, confused as to what he was trying to do.

"Take off your shirt," he commanded.

"Say wha?" Tenten asked, baffled. "And you want me to take my shirt off, why?"

Tenten wasn't like most girls. Anyone like Sakura or Ino would have slapped the crap out of him by now, but Tenten needed to know why. She knew that Neji would not normally ask this of anyone, and needed a reason before she punched the shit out of him.

"Do you want me to help or not?" he asked, signaling her wounded shoulders.

"Fine. But unluckily for you, I can't move my arms. Take it off yourself, buddy."

Tenten was calm about it. Neji was startled. Never in his life had he been required to…strip a girl of her clothing. Well, just a shirt, but still. Neji sighed.

"Very well," he said, reaching for the clasp right above her breasts. He swallowed as he took hold of it and unhooked the yellow string. He did the same with the one below her breasts and the one at her stomach. While doing so, he caught a good view of her chest, which was taped down by her own set of bandages.

Tenten didn't care. She was nonchalant about the whole situation. People would have thought that she would have murdered Neji by now, but instead she just sat there. She didn't see what the big deal was. He was just a teammate helping her out.

Neji moved to her backside and gently slid out the bloody scythe and kunai from her shoulder blades. More blood oozed out as he removed them, and Tenten hissed as she felt the last of the metal leaving her skin. Neji cautiously removed her blood stained shirt gazed at her scarred back. It had been cut many times by weapons of all kinds.

Neji picked up the bandages beside him as he applied light pressure while wrapping her shoulders. And then came the terrible moment where he had to bandage her other shoulder. He had to wrap it across her chest. He chose to stay in the back as he looped the bandages around to the back, glad to hear no protests from the younger girl.

At last the Hyuuga prodigy was finished, tying the last of the bandages together. He gave back her now crimson shirt back, telling Tenten to put it on. By now the pain was long gone and Tenten could move her arms, but only slowly. Tenten turned around to Neji with a grin on her face.

"Thanks Neji," she said, signaling her wrapped shoulders. "I guess we can resume training?"

"Who said we could?" he smirked, crossing his arms.

"But just a while ago you said – WHOA!"

Tenten couldn't finish her sentence as she was cut off when Neji picked her up and started bounding across the branches of the Konoha forests, heading towards the town.

"…You need to shut up and rest,"

"What the – Neji, are you feeling okay?" she asked, looking at him quizzically.

"Hn?"

"You never leave the opportunity to train," she said, staring him the eye. "Something's going on."

Without a warning, Neji bent down and put his cheek on her forehead, removing it within five seconds. Tenten blushed as she stayed silent, wondering what the Hyuuga boy was doing.

"You're temperature's normal," he said, looking down at her. "But you're staying right here."

"Ne?" she asked, confused. She turned her head to the right and realized that Neji had taken her to her own apartment. "Neji, I'm fine."

"No you're not. You got stabbed by your own weapons. You do know how many ninjas have died by their hands. Or better yet, yours."

Tenten opened her mouth to retort, but found none. She shut her mouth and opened the door as she stepped inside.

"Fine, you win. Again. I'll see you tomorrow, though. No buts. Later." she said, shutting the door.

Neji turned his back to the door and, while walking away, raised his usually bandaged hand to his cheek. Would he ever tell her?

'Is my heart really warming up to sharp weapons? Will fate lead me to Heaven?'

A/N: Yay! It's done. I hope you guys like the one-shot, even though it's not that long. XP It was something that randomly came across my mind as interesting, so yeah. Please review, because they encourage me to write faster! XD – Shikyo Yaiba