A/N: Hey! So continuing my streak of ignoring my other story… an angsty oneshot!!! How nice. Anyway, I've decided to dedicate this one to my awesome friend, maikoxshipper, even though I'm not even sure of she's into this fandom… Oh well!! So, to you, darling, because I know you like tragedy stories!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any affiliating characters… Masashi Kishimoto does… I just come up with wacky stories...

You had to go, I understand

But you promised you'd be back again

And so I wander 'round this town

'Til summer comes around

–"'Til Summer Comes Around"

By Keith Urban

They say that you never know what you've got until it's gone. And that couldn't be more true.

Sure, he loved her. Of course he did. She was, and always had been, there. A constant in Neji's world of variables. Tenten was solid and strong and caring; her eyes reminded him of chocolate, and her lips always tasted like sweet honey. She had the God-given talent of being the one person who could calm him with a look and make his heart race with just a simple touch. But perhaps the most important characteristic about the weapons mistress was that she loved Neji for Neji. She loved his stubborn side, his proud side, his angsty side, and his broken side. And she understood him. She knew how he would gaze up at the birds, wishing to be free, and she would place herself right there next to him, spreading wings she could never use. She wasn't chained by him, she simply chose to stick by his side no matter what. The brunette would do anything for her Hyuuga, but he didn't seem to understand that.

Yes, her tender words became somewhat of a routine for him. Get up, get ready, talk to Tenten, train. Just another thing to do in a long list of others.

But her three little words had always comforted him; they had always brought him solace and joy. After a while, though, her sweet cadences floated through his ears as nothing but a passing thought, a few words on a sea of schedules, meetings, and training. It got to the point where those words weren't as special, and they didn't hold the meaning that they should've to him; he didn't realize just how much they meant to her and how much she wanted him to return those words. But he never imagined that he might not get the chance.

When Tenten was called away to the Cloud Village for a solitary mission as an accomplished kunoichi, Neji was, of course, concerned for her, but not overly worried. It was a fairly tricky A-rank mission, but she could handle it… or so they thought. How was he to know that it would be the last time he might be able to see her? His last chance to tell her just how much he loved her and needed her? There were no tearful goodbyes, nothing that would indicate that this departure was different that any other. And when he looked back on that day, he hung his head in shame; he never did tell her how much she meant to him. The only words spoken were from her beautiful lips:

"I love you, and I'll be back before summer is finished."

That had been two years ago.

~oO0Oo~

Summer again.

He loathed summer with a passion surpassing anything he'd felt before. It was hot and humid and… lonely. He would pass Ichiraku, and past memories would bombard his mind with painful images of when life was so much brighter and the world was so much better. He would look back to days gone by and weep for everything he took for granted. Like how her smile would outshine the sun, or how her giggles could brighten his mood, or how her touch was lighter than the wind's soft caress. Why had he let the days slip by without so much as a passing glance?

Neji looked up solemnly at the clear, blue sky. It no longer held any special meaning or hope for him. What was the point of being free when you had no one to share the joy of victory with? Now when he gazed up into the sky, he didn't see freedom; he saw captivity and large, brown eyes staring back, frightened. Now he could only wonder if she was out there somewhere, waiting for help that would never come… or if she were dead… Her trail had gone cold years ago. They could never know, and now everyone seemed to forget about the cheerful kunoichi named Tenten. Everyone except the Hyuuga prodigy who was the only one who really wanted to forget. But he couldn't. He couldn't forget her childish grin that would never fail to brighten his day, or her rich chocolate hair that would caress her face perfectly. Her fawn eyes that always held such wonder would haunt him when he slept, as would her final words.

"I love you, and I'll be back before summer is finished."

And the words he'd never told her. She had never known just how much he really loved her.

That was why he hated summer, why he couldn't stand it when another season came and passed. It was because she'd promised that she would be back before summer ended, but every summer wind, every whisper of fall, every chill of winter told him one thing: she wasn't coming back any time soon. So Neji would unknowingly take out his frustration on anyone around him, focusing on nothing but the negatives of the situation. Soon even Lee found it difficult to spend time with his long-time rival. That was fine by Neji… he didn't need anyone.

The Hyuuga huffed out a sigh and wandered through the town. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't really care. It wasn't like he had anything special to do; he'd been training until he dropped for days on end, and he was tired of it. Because no matter how hard he pushed himself or how much he occupied his time, her image would still haunt his closed eyelids, and her words would still echo in his ears.

"I love you, and I'll be back before summer is finished."

He knew of one way to try to rid himself of her, but the prestigious Hyuuga did not get drunk. Neji walked past the bar and various other stores, letting his feet move automatically. After a while, he felt the strange urge to just stop, and, when he did, he was met with the familiar sight of Tenten's old apartment building. The dark-haired man didn't really think; he only did what was natural for him. He sprang over the porch railing and knocked on the door he knew was hers. He didn't really expect anything to happen, and he didn't know why he was doing this to himself anyway. Perhaps it was just for old time's sake, or maybe to tell his love that he had never given up on her…

So when the door opened slowly, he scrambled back in shock as two large, brown eyes peered out at him. What in the world…? Was he hallucinating? Whatever this was, he wasn't entirely sure that it was a bad thing. The door swung open all the way to show the petite form of a short fourteen-year-old girl, and Neji's shoulders slumped, his heart twisting painfully in his chest.

"I'm sorry, sir." She brushed fiery red locks away from her face. "Did I scare you or something?"

"No." He stood up straight, even though his heart was plummeting in his chest.

"Were you looking for someone? My older sister's in her bedroom; she said that she had a date tonight," the girl inquired sweetly, brown eyes flashing with girlish excitement.

"No, sorry. Must be the wrong apartment…" He didn't turn back again as he leaped off the porch and raced away.

How dare they rent her apartment to someone else! It was like they thought she would never be back! And what had they done to her stuff? Why wasn't he notified about this?!

Neji's heart crashed in his chest and tears threatened to spill over. That was a terrible idea. He shoved the tears away with a calloused palm and set his jaw firmly. The Hyuuga had promised himself that he would not cry anymore. So he locked those emotions behind a mask of cold marble. Sure, it made him seem like an emotionless monster, but it was much better than showing everyone how much he needed a single girl and how lost he was without her.

Neji wasn't sure just how long he wandered aimlessly around the town, but it was well into the night when he arrived back at the Hyuuga estate. He went straight to his room and collapsed into an exhausted heap on his bed. He just gazed at the ceiling for what seemed like hours before his haunted, pale eyes finally closed, and he fell into a restless sleep.

~oO0Oo~

The end of summer.

That was the only time of year Neji hated more than summer itself. It was still hot, but a cool wind would pick up, reminding him of how his Tenten still had failed to keep her promise.

He would still go on missions with Lee and Gai-sensei, trying to get that empty feeling away from him. But every time he looked back to make sure that she was protecting his blind spot, he realized that no one was there, and he felt more vulnerable than ever. The team was so incomplete without their kunoichi.

Sometimes he would train so hard that he would end up in the hospital, while other times, he would spend the whole day doing nothing but meditate.

On this particular morning, he was feeling especially awful. The Hyuuga sat down with an inaudible sigh at a corner booth in his favorite café. He ordered a black tea and sat back, sipping the hot drink. Tea always had calmed his frayed emotions. He had gotten better with his comments around his friends, and they had cautiously started to help him along, out of the dark hole he'd dug himself into. But then there had to be days like this when all he could see were all of the tears he'd caused her, all of the pain she'd endured because of him, and all of the words he'd never spoken aloud.

The tea had just started to warm him from the inside and ease his mind when a loud, hysteric yelling broke through his calm aura.

"Neji!! Neji Hyuuga!!!! NEEEEJJIIIII!!!!"

Said Hyuuga winced and stood up, deciding that it would be better to face whatever it was now rather than later. He stepped out into the overcast day and faced the nacho-headed ninja that was racing his way.

"Neji!" he yelled loudly with that obnoxious voice of his.

"What is it, Naruto?" the darker-haired boy asked with annoyance as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The ninja's blue eyes were wide with an emotion that Neji couldn't quite decipher. "It's big!! This is so huge, Hyuuga!! You have to come with me!!!"

"Naruto, I need to pay—"

But before he could finish, the Uzumaki had grabbed his wrist and was rocketing them both across the town. He was even more confused when the blonde stopped them right in front of Sakura Haruno's house.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Many scenarios flashed through his head as he was shoved into the door. One even involved his friends trying to hook him up with Haruno. There was absolutely no way that was happening. As he was ushered into the cozy house, he was surprised to see the entirety of the Konoha Eleven gathered around a small couch.

"Alright people, move out!" Naruto's voice carried over the murmurings.

Immediately, they obeyed. No one, not even Sasuke, dared challenge Naruto.

"What is going on?" Neji demanded, turning to face his blonde companion… only to find him gone as well.

The man's silver eyes traveled around the room, finally settling on a lumpy mass on the sofa. He stepped closer as the person moved, shoving back piles of blankets and pillows. It was a young woman; she was short and very thin, with long, brown hair spilling gently down her shoulders. She looked a little sickly, like she'd just recovered from the flu. His heart beat faster. Who was the woman? Was he supposed to know her?

"Neji Hyuuga, didn't think I'd ever see you again." Her voice was hoarse and scratchy from not being used, but he was sure that it was very familiar.

"Who are you?" he breathed without thinking.

"Neji…" her tone cracked, and he could hear the emotion and pain behind that one word, "I knew it had been a long time, but I really wasn't expecting you to forget about me." The girl stood up shakily and placed a tentative hand over his heart. "They told me that you've changed. That you're different from when I last saw you. All I want to say is that I don't care. I don't care what kind of hole you've dug yourself into this time because we'll get out of it together." Her thin arms wrapped tightly around his waist and she buried her head into his hard chest.

Neji was completely dazed and in shock. What was happening? Why did he feel this way? Who was this beautiful, familiar girl hugging him? For the longest time, he couldn't do anything. His brain wouldn't cooperate, his senses just shut down, leaving him to stare stupidly as the girl kept hugging him. And then those little words spilled easily out of her mouth.

"I love you, Neji Hyuuga."

That was when he broke, the mask he'd been wearing crushed under a torrent of raw emotion. So many memories came at him at so many times, flooding his mind and filling his soul to overflowing. Every emotion that he'd forced behind that barrier poured out in blinding force. He gasped like a frightened child as he wrapped strong arms impossibly tightly around her waist.

"Tenten." He buried his face into her long hair. "It's really you… my Tenten."

Neji couldn't have stopped the tears if he had wanted to. Thunder crashed loudly outside as a torrent of rain opened up, soaking everything that was outside. His salty tears resembled that rain, cascading down unashamed as he held the brunette's slim figure closer to his frame with shaking hands.

"Neji? What's wrong?" Tenten's soft voice was worried.

He wanted to answer her, wanted to tell her everything, but he could only stand there sobbing into her shoulder. The only time he remembered crying this hard was the night his father was killed, and that was back when he was five. So what was wrong with him now? He should be happy, showing her how strong he was, how he could protect her from anything. Only he knew that wasn't true. He couldn't protect her the first time, so what made him think he could do it a second time?

"Hey, hey, hey…" she murmured smoothly into his ear, "It's all right, Neji, please don't cry."

"I am sorry…" he finally managed to choke out. His chest heaved as he tried desperately to push away the flow of tears. "I am so sorry."

"What in the world did you do?" Tenten's voice wavered. Why was he acting this way? Her Neji would never break down like this; he would never apologize if he didn't have a great reason to do so. So what was his reason? Had he gotten himself involved in another relationship? Would he do that to her? "Please tell me what's wrong." This time, her voice shook noticeably in fear of what he might say.

"…I love you."

She pulled away from him slightly. "What have you done with my Neji?" Tenten said that only half-jokingly.

"I am so sorry that I've never told you that before. You have absolutely no comprehension of how long that's haunted me, Tenten." Her name rolled easily off his lips, like he was meant to say her name.

"It's okay, Neji-kun, I always figured you did."

"Unacceptable. That is certainly not the same as hearing it."

Parts of her old Hyuuga were breaking through, and she couldn't help but grin.

"Your smile always was able to outshine the sun… and it always did melt my heart." Neji's low whisper tickled her ear, sending shivers down her spine.

"You are different…" her grin spread wider and she gently kissed his cheek, "but I think I like it."

"Tenten?" The Hyuuga prodigy looked up and frowned thoughtfully. "Why were you gone for so long? What in the world happened?"

"I was in a coma."

"Excuse me?"

The brunette looked away from him. "They had captured me, Neji… they wanted information… and I guess my mind gave out before my spirit would."

His heart clenched painfully in his chest when he realized what she meant and what she must've gone through.

"The next thing I know, I'm two years older, and some old lady is waiting on me hand and foot. She and her husband found my body dumped on the side of the road and took me in, nursing me through all the years that I was trapped in the coma. I owe my life to them, in fact; I'm lucky that I got out of there when I did. Granny was persistent in keeping me around until I was fully recovered, but I guess I just missed you guys too much."

Neji took a deep breath through his nose and screwed his eyes shut, trying to keep the rage at bay. He managed to do so with much difficulty. Instead, he focused on that kindly couple. Without them, Tenten would be a rotting corpse on the side of some road. He shuddered at the thought. He had come so close to losing her forever. So he focused on the petite girl in his arms: how she rested her head on his chest, how gently she breathed against him, how her small hands ran delicately over his sore muscles.

"I love you so much, Ten."

She smiled lightly. "I love you too."

They heard a rustle in the other room where the others were getting restless, and they broke apart. The Hyuuga still kept a protective hand on her shoulder, refusing to ever let her go again. The Konoha Eleven came in cautiously, including an over-exuberant Lee with tears rolling in large streams down his face. No one spoke for awhile until Kiba finally got fed up.

"So I guess this means that Hyuuga doesn't have an excuse to act like a regular Uchiha now."

Silence.

Sasuke scowled.

And then Neji smiled, and the whole room burst into excited giggles and laughs. Nothing was particularly funny, but everyone was so relieved to have two of their best ninja back. Many tears and laughs and stories were exchanged before anyone even thought of going

home. Shikamaru was the first to leave, complaining that his mom would kill him. Choji followed him faithfully, as did Ino, and soon everyone was filing out. Only Neji, Tenten, and Sasuke were left because Sakura was doing some final tests, and it had become increasingly apparent that, upon coming back, Sakura had Sasuke completely whipped.

"Okay, Tennie, looks like you're OK. Maybe a bit on the thin side, and you're gonna feel weak for a few days, but you check out fine!"

"Thanks, Sakura!" The brunette hugged the medic nin.

"Welcome." Her emerald eyes sparkled. "Take good care of her, Neji."

"Of course." The Hyuuga supported his girlfriend with a strong arm around her waist. "Let's go home," he whispered in her ear.

"But I don't think—"

"They won't mind one more person at the Hyuuga estate. There's an empty room across from mine."

"Thank you."

They stepped out on the porch and into the pouring rain, and she lifted her face to the sky, smiling. "It's raining for us, Neji," she giggled happily.

"Why is that a good thing?"

"Sometimes it's the world's way of cleansing itself. Rain isn't always bad, you know." Tenten continued to look up into the driving droplets with wonder on her face.

A small smile lit up the boy's features as he took in everything: the gorgeous girl as his side, the rain pounding relentlessly on his head, the fresh smell of the earth. It was positively heavenly. He tensed up slightly, remembering all of the times he'd walked this street alone. Never again. He could never take anything for granted now.

"Hey, Neji?" she mumbled softly.

"Hn?"

"Well, it's still not the end of summer, so I guess I did kinda make it on time…"

He could only smile tiredly. "Maybe."

They say that you never know what you've got until it's gone. And that was one lesson that Neji had to learn the hard way.

~oO0Oo~

A/N: Wow! That took me an insane amount of time! Hehe, well, see ya! My sister's about to throttle me…