SERIOUS AFFECTIONS 33

Confession from the Heart

Neji and Hiashi had just finished their training. As usual a tray with hot green tea and rice cakes awaited them that had been served by Hinata, who was not currently present. She had left with her other two teammates. Hiashi and Neji sat on either side of the tray with a hot cup of tea in their hands. Hiashi rose the cup to his dry lips and let his breath cool the surface of the tea before taking a sip. Neji sighed deeply and looked up at the white cotton-like clouds. There was one thing itching the top of his mind. It was distracting him from his training with his uncle for a few days, now.

He knew somehow that deep down she liked him. He was a great observer, but still there was this fear of being turned down.

Hiashi noticed Neji's distracted mood and grew fairly concerned.

"You weren't very focused in your training today. Are you worried about something, Neji?" Neji's

train of thought crashed as he turned to look at his uncle.

"I'm sorry. I just have something on my mind." He answered not wanting to reveal what he was

really thinking. His uncle grabbed a rice cake and held it in his lap ready to say something.

"Do you…would you like to tell me about it?" He cleared his throat hesitant about having asked Neji

that question. He had caught Neji off-guard and his face was somewhat surprised.

"I uh…" He didn't know how to respond, so Hiashi kept talking looking into his nephews eyes.

"We're the closest family you have and….I would like to get to know you better as an uncle should."

His manner was serious, but in his eyes there was kindness. Neji saw this and grew uneasy.

"I don't know what to say." Hiashi looked ahead of him taking a bite of his rice cake and washing it down with warm tea.

"I guess it's too early to ask this of you." His voice had a hint of sadness in it. Neji looked into his reflection on the surface of the green tea.

"I didn't expect this now." He sighed and continued. "But I can try." Finally, he took a sip of his tea and grabbed a rice cake. His uncle smiled relieved and continued to eat with his nephew.

After having talked awhile with his uncle and finishing his small lunch he headed out of the Hyuuga estate to get fresh air. Slowly, his legs took him towards the training grounds where he and Tenten used to train together. He was lost in thought when out of nowhere Tenten yelled out to him cheerfully. She was right in his face causing Neji to jump back surprised.

"Tenten!" She smiled delighted.

"Hey. Sorry for scaring you Neji." She chuckled. Neji gained his composure and crossed his arms seriously.

"It's fine." He looked around and saw an array of weapons scattered on the ground along with open scrolls. "Training?" Tenten glanced over at her weapons then back at Neji.

"Yeah, but it's not the same training alone." Neji looked into her coffee colored eyes a moment before averting them towards her forehead protector.

"Sorry, but it's better for me if I train with Hiashi-sama." Tenten smiled shrugging.

"It's fine. I understand you have to develop your byakugan fully." Neji half-smiled while scanning her rosy face. "Anyway, do you want to train for old time's sake?" She said hurriedly. Neji could see that Tenten was growing a bit impatient. She never liked just standing around doing nothing. She was a very active girl. Neji shrugged and agreed.

"I think I could manage another round of training." Her lips curled up making her rosy cheeks stand out more.

"Alright!" They trained for an hour. Tenten had managed to scrape the surface of his left shoulder. This surprised him and reminded Neji of the fight with the sound shinobi.

"You're getting better." He complimented seriously as Tenten grinned with her arms crossed.

"Yup! I've been training with Lee and Gai-sensei. I guess it paid off." She walked up to Neji examining the scrape that was bleeding a small amount. Tenten stopped a few feet in front of him smiling again. She sighed and threw him a roll of bandages before gathering her things from the floor. Neji caught it with one hand.

"It's fine. Just a scrape." She was rolling up her scrolls replying.

"Well, I wouldn't expect you to go down with just a scratch." Neji smirked.

"Thanks." He wrapped some of the bandage around his shoulder.

The sun was already going down causing a silhouette around Tenten's body while she was putting her things away. Neji's eyes were fixed on her mesmerized by her elegancy.

"Should I ask it?" He thought. The topic he had been pondering about once again stirred into his mind turning his stomach inside out. Tenten glanced up at him seeing that he had spaced out.

"I wonder what he's thinking about?" She thought smiling sweetly. Slowly, she walked up to him.

"Oi! Neji!" He blinked away his thought and turned to look at Tenten who was standing next to him.

"Yes, Tenten?" The expression was less serious and cold.

"What's on your mind?" Neji blushed lightly, but it was hidden by the pinkish-orange color of the sunset.

"Nothing." He tried to hide his embarrassment.

"Oh." Tenten replied defeated. Neji cleared his throat a little uneasy. "If you're going to say something, Neji, say it." Tenten said looking at his face waiting.

"Are you hungry?" Was all Neji could manage to say. A confused look struck her face.

"Um, yeah. Are you planning on treating me?" Neji shrugged this time looking her in the eyes.

"Sure." He said coolly and seriously as possible. Tenten blushed a little.

"Ok. Where are you planning?" Neji thought for a moment.

"Wherever you'd like." He stated finally.

"In that case ramen sounds fine." Neji nodded and they both walked out of the training grounds

silently towards the ramen shop. When they arrived it was completely empty.

A year and a half had passed since Naruto had left and Sasuke had abandoned the village. The Ramen Shop seemed empty without Naruto's charismatic personality, but Neji and Tenten didn't really mind since they never had close ties to him.

They both sat down on the stools and took a paper from a pile on the counter with the menu on it. Neji looked at it considering what to get. Tenten had made up her mind quickly and looked up at the Chef smiling politely.

"I'll have some shrimp ramen, please." The old man nodded and turned to look at Neji.

"Roasted beef, please." He said in a monotone voice setting the paper back on the pile.

"Right away." It took about fifteen minutes for the food to be ready since, the shop was empty. He set the hot bowls down carefully in front of the two and the steam rose up from the ramen into their faces. Both of them quietly ate their meal before Tenten broke the silence.

"I hope we get a mission soon. I can't stand not doing anything!" Neji swallowed his food before responding.

"Yeah." He continued to eat letting Tenten continue the conversation.

"Gai and Lee are off on one. They're always getting them and we're stuck here." She sighed frustrated. The shopkeeper was washing the plates occasionally looking back at his customers. Again Neji stopped eating glancing over at his teammate.

"Well, since there aren't many shinobi I'm sure we'll get one soon."

"Mm." Was all Tenten said before putting a small amount of noodles into her mouth. Seeing this Neji resumed eating as well, but not for long. Tenten was taking his attention away from eating his food. "It's a good thing Naruto's not here or else we'd probably get paired up with him if we do get a mission." She stated seriously. Neji smirked and glanced at her.

"We've had a better success rate without him in our missions." He added waiting for her to make an exclamation about his obvious observation.

"Yeah! I'm glad he's gone!" She let out. "Although, he's getting one-on-one training from a legendary sannin." She said upset. Neji could see her point and wanted to lift her spirits up again.

"If you put your being into it you could excel no matter who you train with." His eyes were stern, but gentle as he looked at his partner. She stopped hearing his small piece of wisdom. She smiled her teeth showing.

"You're right, Neji. Thanks." He nodded and hesitated before eating again. Tenten followed his example and ate. Suddenly, from above light flashed followed by a loud roar of thunder. They stopped eating and looked into the street. A drop of water had not hit the pavement yet.

"We'd better hurry or else we'll get caught in the rain." Neji said seriously. Tenten nodded. Quickly, they finished their meal, Neji handed the man his money, and both left. The thunder seemed to stop. Neji walked a bit slower next to Tenten thinking again and looking up at the sky. It was full of clouds moving across the sky and the crescent moon was partly visible.

"It looks like it won't rain for a while longer." He said it with a glimmer of happiness for it gave them a chance to be together longer.

"Looks like it." Tenten responded. Neji glanced over at her.

"Could she feel the same?" He thought to himself as he looked at the side of her face. Tenten glanced at Neji feeling his gaze.

"Why does he keep looking at me?" Suddenly, out of nowhere rain started pouring on them. Tenten let out a shriek feeling the cold water land on her body.

"Ugh! I didn't think it would start to rain so soon!" Neji yelled. He quickly took his black coat off and put it above Tenten's head. The only thing he had under was bandages covering his torso leaving his chest bare. Tenten took the coat and held it over her head.

"Thank-you, Neji!" She yelled out. The rain and thunder were so loud she had to yell.

"Come on! We have to get you to your house!" She turned to look at him as they ran in the streets noticing he had barely anything covering him.

"What about you?!" She yelled. Neji didn't respond. The streets were already getting somewhat flooded and the storm had just started. Finally, they had made it to her small apartment, but both were drenched. Neji's coat, which was around her shoulders, had not done much to keep Tenten dry. She shivered as she struggled to get her key out from her wet pant pocket. Even Neji was shivering. Tenten got her key out and fought to get it into the key hole.

"Here give it to me!" Neji yelled as thunder roared over their heads.

"Argh! Here!" Tenten was growing frustrated. He took the key and opened the door. Both of them ran up the stairs and into her apartment. The place was completely dark. Tenten handed him his coat.

"Thanks." Neji put his coat back on and turned to walk out the door having already taken Tenten home.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" She asked puzzled. Water dripped down her face from her wet bangs.

"I have to get home!" Her eyebrows came together.

"Are you crazy?! It's pouring outside and your house is far. You'll catch a cold or worse a fever!" She walked up to him grabbing the door behind.

"But!" Neji tried to insist. How could he stay at her house. It didn't seem very right, yet deep down he kind of wanted to stay. The door slammed shut right when thunder clashed.

"No! You're staying." The room grew silent all of the sudden.

"Tenten I…" Before he could finish Tenten interrupted him.

"Give me your coat. I'll hang it up to dry." Her face was serious as he handed her his coat. She went into a small hallway leaving Neji in her kitchen alone. Lightning lit up the room for a split second before thunder roared again. A few moments had passed and Tenten walked back into the room holding a bundle of clothes in her arms.

"Here. They're some oversized clothes of mine for you to change into. I bought them big and didn't feel like returning them." Neji grabbed a hold of them. "Thanks." Tenten looked at his bare chest and blushed averting her eyes away. Neji noticed her gaze and in return blushed bright red. Tenten cleared her throat. Luckily, for the both of them the room was too dark to make out any type of color.

"I'll show you where the bathroom is." Neji followed behind as she walked into the dark hallway. On the left was the door to the bathroom.

"Here it is." She smiled sweetly. Neji slid the door open and walked in.

"Arigatou, Tenten." He closed the sliding door behind him. Tenten smiled her eyes shining with delight. Quietly, she walked into her room closing the door. She untied her buns and let her soggy hair down that reached the top of her shoulder blades. She dried herself and put on her pajamas.

Neji stepped out of the bathroom wearing pajamas that were a bit tight, but not too much. They were indigo with red dragon prints on them. His forehead was clear of his head gear showing the Hyuuga branch family's pale green mark. His black hair was down, untied and still a little damp. In Neji's arms were the rest of his wet clothes, including his boxers.

"This feels very weird." He thought to himself as he stepped into the kitchen not sure what to do. At that moment Tenten stepped in. She was wearing her pajamas that were a maroon color with panda prints. Her hair was down a little wavy and still damp. She spotted the wet clothes in Neji's arms and stretched out her arms to grab them.

"Here, give them to me." Neji hesitated in handing them to her.

"Uh, my…" She stopped.

"What?" Neji blushed a little.

"My boxers are in here." He said quickly. Tenten blushed.

"Oh! Hehehe." She took them carefully. "I'm just gonna wash them." She smiled. Neji uneasily cleared his throat.

"Oh." Again Tenten left him for a few moments and returned. The storm was still going as hard as before.

"Let me turn on the lights." She walked to the edge of the wall near the entrance and tried to switch on the lights. Nothing. "Hm." She tried it again.

"Maybe the storm knocked the power out." Neji replied seriously.

"The power was just working." She sighed. "Oh, well. Let me see if the stove's working." She tried to turn it on, but nothing happened again. "Man, nothing's working!" Thunder and lighting filled the room. Neji looked out the window of the kitchen. "I have water if you're thirsty. I can mix it with some tea bags I have-…" Neji interrupted her.

"It's fine, Tenten. You don't have to worry about it." His voice was soft as she quieted down.

"Oh, okay." It was silent once again and all that filled the space was the storm outside. Tenten was growing impatient.

"I'll go get a cot for you to sleep in." She left. Neji was amused by her attitude and sat down on a mat next to the kitchen table. His pale violet eyes wandered the room examining it. Tenten's apartment was pretty simple. A few frames of pandas or Japanese scenery hung on the wall. The cupboards were plain and a few plates lay in the sink. Next to the counter was a medium sized refrigerator with a calendar magnetized to it. The kitchen table was fairly small. Only two to four people were able to fit. In the same room near the kitchen was a mat with a small bookcase full of books about adventure, action, romance, mangas, and instructions on how to use weapons properly. There was no sign of a t.v., but a small cd player sat on the mat with headphones spread across the floor tangled and a small phone hung near the door. Overall, everything was pretty tidy.

Tenten appeared with a small mattress, pillow, and blanket in her arms. Neji got up from the floor to help carry the mattress.

"Where do you want me to sleep?" Tenten pointed towards the bookcase next to the kitchen area. She picked up her cd player and put it down on one of the bookshelves. Neji put the mattress down carefully and let Tenten drop the pillow and blanket.

"There you go, Neji." She said a little sleepy.

"Thank-you, Tenten." He paused. "I really didn't need to stay here." He was still uncomfortable with staying in her house, but at least he wasn't sleeping in the same room as her. Tenten waved his statement off with her hand.

"Don't worry, Neji. Did you really want to go walking to your house in that?!" She rhetorically asked pointing at the storm outside the balcony in front of them. He sighed. "Goodnight, Neji." Her voice was soft.

"Goodnight, Tenten." He replied smoothly looking into her dark face. This was the perfect time to ask the question. They were alone and if he was turned down only they would know of his embarrassment.

Tenten hadn't budged. Her eyes were locked on his glowing ones knowing he wanted to say something.

"What is it, Neji? Come one you can tell me anything." She thought to herself hopefully. Her lips parted as words flew out.

"Neji? You wanna say something?" Her voice was comforting nudging him to speak. He never took this long to say something. He always was able to speak his mind. He looked down at the mattress breaking the mental link they had for that instance.

"We'd better get some rest. Tsunade-sama might call on us for a mission." Once again his voice had returned to it's stale state. Tenten's shoulders stooped disappointed.

"Oh. Right." There was sadness in her tone as she watched Neji grab the blanket and sit down on the mattress. "…night…" Her word hung in the air reaching out to him, but left hanging. Her torso and shoulders turned towards her room, but her legs stayed for a few moments longer before following.

There Neji lay in the girl's small apartment mentally cursing himself for not being able to let go of his feelings. He wasn't able to easily attach himself emotionally to anyone since the death of his father. Still, Tenten was different. He felt he could rely on her as a friend and companion in all situations.

"You're so stupid, Neji!" He yelled to himself in his mind. The storm was calming down a bit. The tapping of the rain on the roof was heard within the room.

Tenten lay awake silent on her mattress. Her body was turned towards her bedroom door. She watched it intently as if she was able to see Neji through it. She took in a deep breath hugging her pillow with one arm below her head. Her semi-dry bangs covered half of her face.

"Neji, why won't you tell me anything?" Her deep brown eyes looked away at the floor. "Maybe it's not my place to pry. He might not even feel the same as me." Hey eyelids closed tightly over her coffee colored pupils. "Neji…" Thunder clashed.

Little did she know that Neji's legs had taken him quietly to the front of her bedroom door. His pale ivory hand lay on the surface of it gingerly. Those endless pools of pale violet looking beyond the wood transfixed. His eyebrows came together in a frown. Strands of black hair partly covered his pale green mark.

"Tenten I…" His voice was barely a whisper in the dark.

His fingers pressed against the wood in anguish. He felt his lungs tighten. "…I…" A little higher becoming a small shaky whisper. His Eyebrows frowning even deeper. "…I love you." Thunder crashed. His eyes were hidden beneath folds of skin and the pressure in his chest turned to a ticklish aching in his gut. His confession had been a quiet yet audible murmur swallowed by the storm.

Her brown eyes revealed themselves again in the darkness of her room. Had she heard the floor creaking? A voice calling out to her? She looked at her bedroom door.

"Neji?" She called out. "Neji!" She called even louder. Still, nothing. Maybe it was just in her head. She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

Neji stood frozen hearing Tenten call out his name. She had heard him! Did she really hear him pour out his feelings for her or did she hear just a noise? He didn't know. He didn't hear anymore and the only thing awake now was the storm and himself. Slowly, he quietly made his way back to the mattress and lay down. Relieved, he sighed deeply letting the aching churning in his stomach relax. His hands were slightly trembling, but not of fear. Why did he feel like this? He sat up restlessly. He crossed his legs over one another in Indian-style and closed his eyes controlling his breathing. He started to meditate and ponder.

Just a couple of months ago she was just his teammate, but as the days went by he began feeling something for her. He felt attracted to her determination and strong character. To her cute smile and caring voice. To the way she idolized him and kept her faith in him while training and in missions. She was practically his other half.

He opened his eyes having regained his composure and releasing all the worry. He sat there for a couple of minutes staring at the rain outside in the balcony. Finally, he lied back down peacefully and fell fast asleep.

Hey, sorry if this chapter was missing for a while(don't think anyone noticed though). Anyway first fanfic up on this site really cool. Please review and any comments you may have or suggestions go right ahead. Thanks!