A/N: Because I am a horrible person who tends to gain and lose interest easily, this oneshot is for all my dear readers that I have neglected and inevitably upset as a token of apology. I'm so very sorry, and I plan on updating Best Buds as soon as possible, possibly by the end of the month. I guess this short story will have to do for now :(

This oneshot is kind of AUish, and a little OOC, because admit it: everyone loves it when Neji breaks out of his cold shell and shows a little bit of emotion :)

Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto owns everything but the plot. Yep, that lovely piece is all mine.

White porcelain was nestled delicately in the palm of her hands. The milky brown, caffeinated liquid remained idle in her cup. Absentmindedly, Tenten began to trace the simple flower patterns on the mug with her thumbs while wisps of memories of him swirled around in her mind—the way he liked his coffee, the firmness of his hand, his allergies to flowers—and hollowness reverberated off the cracked walls of her heart. Grasping the mug tightly, she tried to lose herself in the whirls of foam, but her efforts were futile.

Tenten smiled bitterly down at the oak table. It had been years since she had even caught a glimpse of Neji. He had disappeared off to some foreign country whose name she couldn't even afford to say. There had been no warnings or subtle hints of his departure. One day he was here, and the next he was gone. Spontaneity, however, had never been an aspect of Neji. He was the practical one that sought order and routine. So, when Tenten found out that he suddenly migrated outside the city of Konoha, she outright refused to believe it. But, after insistent months of searching, she only found disappointment. Neji had left her.

At first, it felt as if the world was abruptly tipped over. Neji had been the most dependable person in the shabby existence of hers. Growing up, Tenten had lost her mother to tuberculosis at the age of nine. Her family of three couldn't afford the treatments and her mother, after months of admirable resistance, faded away quietly. The following years, her father resorted to alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism. By the age of twelve, Tenten's father had been involved in her life as much as her mother. He was consistently fluctuating in and out of the county jails for offenses of pure stupidity. Finally, he managed to land himself in a rehabilitation center some one hundred miles away. Alone and abandoned, Tenten struggled to maintain her meager lifestyle, most days skipping school in order to pay rent.

When the darkness almost consumed her, Neji reached out to her like a beaconing ray of light. He carried her when she was too tired to walk, talked to her when she felt utterly miserable, and laughed at her horrible jokes to make her feel better. Though now in the dark depths of night when she was truly isolated, it was not Neji sought her out, but the acidic truth. She wasn't important enough to him, and she might as well move on. Letters of explanations weren't sent to her. Neither was there a note saying: "Hey, sorry I left without saying anything, but I'm doing alright." Not even a dumb postcard for heaven's sake. And so, Tenten tried to move forward, going so far as setting all the remnants of Neji in her apartment on fire. Regardless of her efforts, she couldn't forget him, at least not while she lingered inside the boundaries of Konoha.

In this small city, reminiscences of him loitered around every corner, constantly flooding her with a barrage of emotions. To further intensify her pain, the older residents persistently questioned her about Neji, often remembering the limitless love they displayed. Tenten didn't have the audacity to tell them she was just as clueless as them or that their relationship was no longer definable. So when the elders inquired about his health, she answered politely that he was in good vigor. When they began retelling random moments of her relationship, she nodded respectfully at the appropriate times. And when they teased her about the possible wedding, Tenten merely upturned her mouth into a demure smile that never reached her eyes.

The rapid sound of tapping drew Tenten out of her musings to the gloomy scene outside. Sinister shades of gray tumbled into the skyline, swallowing the orb of tinted yellow light. Trickles of droplets drizzled down heavily on the modest, quaint town of Konoha as the relentless wind challenged the city's foundation and structure. Every so often, lightning would streak majestically across the sky, followed by the deep cackling of thunder. The streets had been long deserted by the more practical civilians.

As Tenten surveyed the depressing sight, she mentally facepalmed in silent agony. She cursed fate for placing such a cruel circumstance on her. Out of all the days in the year, there were only a few when the town was graced with rainfall to ease the heat. And that day was today—the one day her umbrella decided to play hide and seek.

Tenten sighed dejectedly for the umpteenth time. She only had two options—technically three if one of the lame patrons in the shop instantly morphed into a Good Samaritan and offered her an umbrella or spare change for the bus. But realistically, she only had two. One: Tenten could pathetically scamper out of the store like a deranged hooligan. Or two: leisurely stroll home with the nonchalance of a highly-paid boss. Either way, she was going to get soaked so she might as well look awesome while she was doing it.

Reluctantly, she stood up from the warmth of her chair, mildly stretching her appendages. Tenten reached into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out a crumpled ten dollar bill and lightly placed it on the table. Relinquishing her cup of coffee, she sauntered out of the shop. A bell signaled her speedy exit.

Immediately, water clung to her petite body. Whimpering, Tenten fought the urge to wrap her arms around herself. She hated looking weak, especially in public. So instead, she kept her back straight and held her chin up with her arms pinned stiffly to her sides. She had walked three blocks at a slightly brisk pace when the sight of a playground streamed across her vision.

Flashes of happy memories invaded her mind despite her efforts to lock them out. The movie-like snapshots of her parents and Neji assaulted Tenten from every direction.

Spears of anguish lodged into her, its blades twisting into her soul. Her eyes were closed, trying to ignore the tormenting pain. After unsuccessful attempts of composing herself, Tenten clutched the area over her heart in desperation. Stumbling a bit, she blinked rapidly in an effort to ward away the tears prickling in the corner of her eyes. The fringes of her vision started to become blurry. Different shapes were melding together. Suddenly, she saw three sidewalks instead of just one. Reaching out, she tried to clasp onto the light pole, but she misaimed and soon was tumbling down to meet the concrete. The moment she collided with the ground, black nothingness welcomed her.

Fluttering her eyes open, Tenten was met with the sight of dull, unforgiving clouds pelting rain down on her. A mixture of warm and cool sensations assaulted her senses. The warmth, she suspected, was blood. As she attempted to touch the wounded area on her face, her hand was snatched away and encompassed in a larger, firmer hand. Shifting her head sideways to follow the arm, a sea of fluffy blue greeted her. Tenten trailed her eyes up the zipper of the sweatshirt and encountered a porcelain face with eyes too passionate for a systematic man. Her eyes then caught sight of the fugitive teardrop that rolled down his aristocratic cheek.

In contrast, amusement was written in the crinkled corners of the man's eyes. His mouth slowly curved into a gentle, minuscule smile. "You were always the stubborn one, Tenten." However, the familiar orbs of lavender with flecks of silver reflected melancholy.

Tenten gasped out in a hoarse whisper, "Neji."

Tenten's eyes widened and fluttered open and closed multiple times. She tried to determine the authenticity of the sight in front of her, heavily taking into consideration that she just smashed her head against the very hard concrete. For a brief second, she wondered if she was dreaming again. But when Tenten reached out to grasp his arm, she actually felt the undeniable sturdiness and warmth that radiated off the limb. Raising her eyes, Tenten gawked at his face which had matured handsomely over the years. Gone were the baby fat and rounded face. In their places were a strong jaw and defined cheekbones. His nose was straighter, his lips fuller, and his eyebrows darker. But his eyes, the mesmerizing pools of liquid lilac, remained unchanged.

All of a sudden, she was plastering herself to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist. Stumbling back, Neji planted both his hands firmly behind him on the pavement to keep both of them from toppling over. Before a string of curses could gush out of his mouth, his airways were cut off by Tenten who was squeezing him for dear life and openly sobbing into his already drenched shirt.

"I missed you so much, you jerk." The fact that she was acting exactly like the lame heroines in those sappy movies made her burrow her face into his chest even more to hide her embarrassment. Through the thin material of his shirt, Tenten could feel his erratic heartbeat thumping in sync with hers.

Neji encircled her in his arms and rested his chin on top of her head, inhaling her earthy scent. Then, his radiant, blissful smile withered, his eyes drooping downwards in guilt. Carefully, he placed his hands on her shoulder and began prying her away from him. At arm's distance, he warily lowered his hands to his sides. Tenten scrutinized him, bewildered at his precipitous shift in mood.

Staring at her with practiced detachment, he murmured softly, "I'm sorry, Tenten." But his emotionless features suggested anything but that. His mouth was set in a straight line; the wrinkles around his eyes were no longer there. And the light violet rises had morphed into a pair of frosty orbs. Tenten's heart started cracking all over again. This was not the same Neji she knew. He was not the playful Neji that pulled pranks and bought Batman stickers from the corner store. No, this Neji was much older and much colder. "I wasn't expecting to see you here." His tone was flat and apathetic.

The tears continued to cascade down her face, but now for a completely different reason. The throbbing ache she felt within her was familiar, but still unbearable. It was engulfing her into its pits of darkness yet again. Her only light source was plopped on the ground right in front of her, and he refused to save her.

Tenten smiled softly in acceptance and quickly schooled her face to a mask of standoffishness. "Where else would I be but here?" Wiping away the traces of her weakness, she reverted back to the Tenten everyone had known for years. Sitting on her knees, she regarded Neji with a cool façade while a jumbled mess of animosity and hurt brewed beneath the surface. He rose to his feet first and offered a hand to Tenten. She brushed it off with nonchalance and stood up on her own.

"I—I wanted…" Neji took a deep breath, seemingly battling with himself. The struggle was limited and soon enough, he returned back to the indifferent composure. Observing him now, Tenten discerned that the aloof demeanor he exhibited was one she was well acquainted with. After all, it greeted her everyday through the mirror. "We can't be together, Tenten. Not anymore." He spoke firmly, his voice remained blandly even. "It's best if we don't see each other again."

The wind was knocked out of her, impelling to not breathe or think properly. Dizziness threatened to consume her once again, but she fought it off. Her ego had been bombarded on enough that day to last another decade. And her heart—her poor, mistreated heart—hadn't it suffered plenty up to that point? Was this some sick joke meant to test her endurance? There was only so much a person could handle before they broke. This was Tenten's limit. The source of her emotions fractured brutally, disintegrating into jagged shards and specks of dust. And as she sealed her eyes shut, resisting the tears that prickled them, she resolved that if she couldn't hold onto love, she would clutch securely onto dignity. "I see." Raising her chin up, she snuck a peek at him, the last one she would have. "Well, then this is goodbye, Neji."

"Goodbye, Tenten." Confirming with a nod, Neji didn't speak up again and Tenten took that as a sign to leave. She marched down the street with her head held up high and her shoulders squared, attempting desperately to assemble her pride back together. Not once did she glance back at the man she left behind, nor at the ramshackle heart she left with him.

Darting quickly into a narrow street, Tenten collapsed against the wall of a building with her back resting tiredly on its rough, brick surface and her head thrown back in utter agony. She laughed acrimoniously to herself, already feeling the hollowness spreading throughout her body. The inevitable sense of hopelessness flooded her afterwards, causing her to become totally hysterical. With not a soul in the vicinity, streams of salty liquid were finally allowed to leak out. Too preoccupied with her delirium, she didn't notice the delinquents loitering by the lamp posts starting to approach her.

The closest one to Tenten squinted his eyes, alternating his focus between the disheveled figure and the stolen, crumpled picture in his hands. "It's her, boss." He spoke ominously, and immediately all heads swerved to the leaning figure. An instant later, they charged at her.

Surfacing out of the hazy blackness, Tenten opened her eyes and decided that she absolutely detested the color white. It was everywhere—the walls, the ceiling, the floor, the sheets, the furniture. Everything was white, and it was the most annoying thing she had ever encountered in her life. Stopping in mid-snort, the after effects of her run-in with those punks wracked her body. It surged through her body, bringing a copious amount of pain. When the anguish subsided a little, Tenten inspected herself and was stunned to see an abundance of casts and bandages—which were also white. Various tubes were protruding out of her body and were connected to dozens of mindboggling machines that made bothering beeps and noises. The most troublesome thing was the plastic tube filled with clear liquid jutting out of her arm. It was uncomfortable and itched her to no end. In frustration, she grabbed the tube and had the intention of yanking it out when another hand rested over hers, halting her movement.

"Don't. That's your IV. You need to keep it in." Neji stated without a hint of concern, but Tenten swore she saw a brief look of relief crossed his face when she turned to look at him. Well, to her discreditability, she was also hopped up on a dozen or so painkillers.

"What are you doing here? I thought you hated me." Tenten glanced at him then quickly averted her gaze to the opposite wall. Simultaneously, she felt hope and dread pulsating in her.

"Stupid, I never said that." Irritation flashed dangerously in his eyes. The cold countenance was slowly slipping away to reveal the Neji she had always known. A miniscule grin emerged on her scratched and scarred face. But it was wiped off with his next comment. "I said we shouldn't be together anymore." His words struck her down harder this time, inflicting more horrendous damage to her bruised and bleeding body than those hoodlums ever could.

Remembering the recent promise she made to herself, Tenten scoffed imperiously. "Che. I'm not deaf. I heard you the first time. It still doesn't explain why you're here." Tenten mumbled and rolled her eyes more out of misery than aggravation.

"Don't worry about it." Neji removed his hand from hers, choosing to cross his arms instead. Leaning back into the uncomfortable looking plastic chair, he propped both his feet up on the very edge of her bed. Tenten was extremely tempted to knock him over to mar the tough, smug semblance he had. But, such actions were frowned upon in hospitals, and she wasn't exactly in the best condition to exert physical effort.

So instead, Tenten shifted away from his feet, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible. His quick dismissal deposited burdensome disappointment in her stomach. Smiling sadly, Tenten fiddled with her blanket, bunching it up in her hands. "You're like a butterfly, Neji." She didn't bother to look at him."You bring me so much happiness in one moment, and in the next you rip it away, by floating out of my reach."

Neji coughed inelegantly and began searching around the room, blatantly refusing to look at Tenten. "Where's the nurse's call button? You're already awake, so shouldn't she be here by now?"

"Why are you even in Konoha?" Tenten was tired of protecting her pride. She was aching and greatly needed a nap, but desired her answers first.

A long pause of silence spanned out between them with Neji tapping his fingers against his knees in contemplation and Tenten surveying him expectedly. Hesitation flashed through his eyes before they became empty again. Quietly he muttered, "I missed the scenery."

Snorting loudly, Tenten regarded him haughtily."Lies. I know you hate the bareness of this place. Let's try again, shall we?" Elevating an eyebrow, she unpredictably smirked at him.

Neji engaged her in a glaring contest. They were both deathly stubborn to a fault. Countless minutes passed before he slumped in his chair in defeat. He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose, reluctance splaying over his features. "I came back because you were in danger, and I had to keep you safe."

"Well...good job." Tenten couldn't keep the bitterness from seeping into her voice. "Were those thugs then the reason why I was in danger?"

Neji fell back against the chair in discontent. "Yes, unfortunately. After I was named Hiashi's heir, the Hyuga's had this brilliant idea to show their displeasure by abruptly cutting ties with all their underground, shady connections—which, believe it or not, upset a lot of people—and claimed that they wanted to welcome in the new era of leadership with a clean record. So, obviously, those gangs blamed me and made it their personal vendetta to obliterate me in any way possible."

"Well played, Hyuga Elders. Well played, indeed." Tenten threw up her arms in mock surrender when Neji sent her his world-renowned glare.

"That's why I had to leave. I had to divert them away from here. I needed to keep them from finding the person that mattered most to me." Neji mentally cursed his slip of the tongue and pretended to not notice Tenten's face softening or the way his heart skipped a few beats because of that. "Then, when I came back to my house one night, I realized that some people had broken into it. They stole the picture of you that I kept in my bedside drawer. And then, they found you. I rushed back here in hopes of protecting you without you being aware of my presence. But, I failed...with both aspects."

"You left because you wanted to keep some wannabe-badasses from hurting me?" It took all of Tenten's energy to hurl her pillow at Neji, who caught it and angrily tossed it to the ground.

Neji went rigid as he briefly recounted the harrowing scene of Tenten lying limply on the ground. "Do you not see your injuries? Do you not realize that you are in a hospital?" He gestured to the room.

"Fool, you hurt me more than those thugs ever could by leaving. And if I had gotten a warning," Tenten flicked her eyes sideways at Neji, "I would've been a little more prepared. I knew I should've brought my katana with me today!" She threw her head back in frustration.

"Stop blaming yourself. It's my fault and mine alone. You're in here because of me. You're hurt because of me. I couldn't stop those lowly cowards from attacking you. Had I not followed you and gotten there when I did, you—you…I wouldn't have you anymore." Neji clutched his head in guilt. "God, I just hate myself for putting your picture in the most cliché of places! I bet all the other dumb gangs know about you now!"

Gathering her strength, Tenten poked his cheek. "So, now that I know what's going on, and everyone knows about me, can we be together now? I'll be in the same amount of danger regardless of us being in a relationship or not. Plus, wouldn't it be much easier to guard me if I was always by your side?" She flashed her puppy dog eyes, and Neji was astounded by her straightforwardness, although he should've been used to it. "And I'm stronger than you think. After all, I'm still the only Weapons Mistress on the face of this earth. I can handle being with you. Have some faith in me." Determination showed through past the cuts and scrapes on her.

"You almost died, Tenten." It was a last-ditch effort, but Neji found himself losing an argument he really didn't want to win in the first place.

In response, she just looked pointedly at him. "And I'll die anyways someday. I'd rather die happy by your side than safe and miserable alone."

Sighing, Neji relented, taking her into his arms and praying that they would stay alive and together well past their twenties. Neji relinquished himself to the years filled with longing and anguish, and embraced Tenten even tighter. "Idiot."

"Your idiot, dummy." Tenten snuggled deeper into his chest, peace finally finding her.

Exhaling contentedly, Neji allowed a smile to grace his face. "Didn't you know that after a long, harsh winter, the butterfly will always come back home?"

Please review! It's been a while since I've written anything decent, so all your opinions will be extremely helpful!

Thank you! :)

Neji'sGirl185