Even though every fibre of his body is hurting, Neji runs faster than he's ever done before, the wind causing his already smarting eyes to fill with tears. Tenten is heavy and limp on his back, like she's not even trying to hang on, but he won't let her fall. Not after he just saved her.
They were outnumbered. Each time he counted the enemies their numbers had increased, the hope of getting back alive grown fainter. When Tenten was hit, falling face down with her newly summoned weapons scattering in the grass, it should have been the end – but it wasn't.
The way his juken sped up surprised even himself, arms and legs moving faster than his thoughts. Breaking and bleeding under his fists, the mist nins' faces seemed to melt together until Neji was fighting a single being, ripping it apart one limb at a time.
Now, going back to Konoha, the adrenaline still pumping through his veins makes him feel powerful and strong. Happy, even.
Tenten will be happy too, as soon as she wakes up. When her chest starts heaving again and her breath is warm on his neck, like it was just a little while ago. She will look at him and smile, maybe laugh her high pitched laughter too loudly in his ear or wet her fingers with saliva to rub self consciously at the blood stains on her white shirt.
She will, because there's no alternative.
Written as a request for Twilightrosechica over at deviantart.