"Where are we?" I asked. Neji knelt on the tree branch, allowing his Byakugan to scout out the surrounding area. I was silent, allowing him to continue in peace. Finally, Neji stood up and pointed ahead of us.

"He went that way."

Together, he and I took off into the forest.

Neji and I are all that is left of a Konohan squad that was sent out to investigate reports of sightings of missing nin around a feudal village located in the Land of Pomegranates. The original team had been composed of Rock Lee, Might Gai, Neji, and myself. But Rock Lee and Gai, strong as they were, had fallen upon harder times.

I left a scratch on the bark of one of the trees we passed, leaving a path that showed the way we had gone. Neji took the lead, scouting out the way ahead of us. Normally, I wouldn't be frightened at all, knowing that we would have a good warning of whatever was coming our way. But that wasn't the case now. I didn't feel secure even with Neji's powers. Why?

There was a good chance that we were headed straight for a powerful genjutsu, with the makers of the jutsu somewhere nearby. And once we were in the genjutsu, not even Neji's powers would be able to detect the change.

Why, you might ask, were we headed straight into a deadly genjutsu with little hopes of getting out? We were doing it to save our friend and teammate.

Earlier in the mission, our team had run into a squad of the missing nin that we thought we were investigating. After a short battle, they fled, but not after injuring our master, Maito Gai, with a powerful genjutsu. Yes, powerful as Gai-sensei is, he fell prey to the genjutsu of these nin. Having little chakra control, he was not able to detect and break out of the jutsu in time, though we did our best to help him. He was, thankfully, only merely injured. But that was enough to arouse Lee's blood.

We got Gai-sensei to the village and to a healer, who insisted that he stay with her until he was completely healed. Neji, Lee, and I all bunked down to wait out sensei's recovery. Or so we thought. Later that night, Neji and I awoke to discover that Lee had left, his note only hinting that he had gone after the nin who had attacked Gai-sensei. Knowing the genjutsu powers of these missing nin, we immediately set out after our teammate, fearing that Lee's life was in danger. And now we were in danger.

We had no idea when we would enter their genjutsu or when they would attack. They had the advantage here.

Neji suddenly pulled to a halt in a clearing. I stopped, as well. He nodded at the area ahead of us.

"As I thought. I've lost Lee's trace. That can only mean one thing."

"What?!" I gasped. Neji looked grim.

"He's already in the genjutsu."

My worst fears came to haunt me. Were we in the genjutsu, as well? I voiced my thoughts to Neji.

"No, I don't think we've entered the parameters of the jutsu," he said. "But we'll have to be careful from here on out."

I edged a little closer to him, wanting to stay as close to his Byakugan as possible. Neji took off into the trees again, and I followed, staying closer this time.

It wasn't long before Neji called a halt again. I pulled up beside him, panting slightly from the swift pace he had set. We stood on a branch that protruded out from the huge tree we were on. I laid my hand on the trunk, which was right beside me, gasping for breath. Neji scanned the area, meanwhile. Just from looking at him, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Then he turned to me.

"You aren't scared, are you?"

I was surprised to hear such a question coming from him.

"No, I'm not," I said quietly. "Well…I'm frightened for Lee. I just hope he's OK."

Neji looked around. "Even his genius might not be enough to combat these missing nin."

I shook my head. "Maybe his genius can't, Neji, but your talent will pull us through." I frowned at the look on his face. "It always has before," I remedied, thinking I'd insulted him somehow.

To my surprise, Neji actually shook his head and broke into a smile.

"You might be wrong, Tenten. Maybe this time I'll fail you."

"But you can't!" I argued, stunned that Neji had suddenly lost faith in his own abilities. "You're the best out of us three! Gai-sensei is down, and Lee's missing! You have to do this, Neji!"

He looked at me for a long moment, his Byakugan still active. Then he shrugged.

"Your faith in me is invigorating, Tenten. How about I promise you this:"

His eyes pierced me through.

"I will protect you throughout this whole mess, even if it costs me my life."

Stunned, I opened my mouth again to say something. What it was never mattered.

I was met by Neji's lips!

Shocked, I felt my hands fall limply to my sides. Neji's hands were on either side of my head, his strong arms bracing against the trunk of the tree at my back. I gasped as I suddenly felt his body cover mine, pressing me deeper into the trunk. What was Neji DOING?!?

My eyes were wide open, I couldn't help it. All I could see was Neji's eye and a bit of his nose. His shoulder and arm blocked the rest of my vision. As I watched his eye, which was closed, I suddenly saw it tighten, like he was in pain. At the same time, his whole body shuddered. But he only pushed me tighter against the tree, until I felt that he was going to suffocate me, both from the kiss and from his body.

Then he did it. My whole body suddenly felt something like an electric shock. And it was all coming from Neji! My eyes widened. I couldn't believe it! He was shooting chakra into me with his body! What was Neji doing?! The tingling electric shock continued, vibrating through my whole body. And still Neji kept kissing me. I couldn't help it. The chakra was too much. I laid my hands on his torso in an attempt to push him off. And that's when I felt it.

Something sticky met my hands. Something wet. My heart stood still. What was this…stuff on Neji?! Then I heard something go THUD. And at the exact same moment, Neji's eyes, which had never deactivated the Byakugan for a second, flew open. And all I could read in them was pain. He was still shooting his chakra into me. What was going on?

Suddenly the whole forest around me shivered and shuddered. And simply melted away to reveal a barren, desert-like land filled with sand and rocky outcroppings. Neji did not have me pinned to an ancient forest giant, he had me against a rough, jagged rock. And then I saw something that terrified me forever. Something dashed past my face and landed on the rock behind me. Something wet and sticky.

Neji's blood was dashed onto the rock right beside my head!

I was starving for air. He'd kissed me for a long time and his body was still pressing the air out of me. My hands moved up his torso, trying to tell him to stop. But I needn't have bothered.

The next second he released me and fell to his knees in front of me, swaying and gasping for air. And I saw what was wrong with him.

Neji looked like a porcupine. His back was covered with kunai and shuriken, making him look like the dummies I often used for target practice. The stuff I'd felt on his chest was blood that had trickled off his shoulder and down his front. Nothing had pierced me, nothing had touched my body. He had shot his chakra forcefully into me to break the genjutsu surrounding us. He had taken the entire assault to save my life, and had broken the genjutsu so that I would stand a chance fighting against the enemy.

Tears blossomed in my eyes and trickled down my cheeks. They hit the ground before Neji and turned the dust black. Neji swayed unsteadily, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He was trying to say something.

I quickly knelt to catch him as he fell to the side, unable to support his own weight any longer. His face looked up at me, calm and peaceful, while my tears fell on his cheek. His lips moved in a soundless plea before his eyes closed on his words. I would have buried my face in his chest, except that I knew the enemy was about. So I laid him on the ground and drew my scrolls. My eyes had hardened, though tears still rolled down my cheeks. I growled at the nin I saw that were standing atop the rocks, silhouettes against the jagged, torn sky.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" I snarled. "Come and FIGHT!"

They needed no invitation. I sensed the web of chakra being laid around me as another genjutsu began to lay itself out. This time, I spotted the tags they had stuck to the rock the help them form a parameter for the jutsu. Exploding tags attached to kunai quickly dispatched the genjutsu tags. The nin were obviously impressed that I'd managed to destroy their genjutsu, for they drew their own weapons and came at me. I smiled. I wasn't weapons mistress of Konoha for nothing.

Only a few moments later, every single one of them lay draped over the rocks, a kunai in their throats. And still, I was throwing kunai and shuriken at their bodies. I had lost it. In wake of Neji's defeat, I had turned savage and cruel.

"Tenten?"

It was only a word, but it caused me to stop. I turned, tears still coursing down my cheeks, to see the person who had called my name.

Lee came limping out of the rocks to my right, favoring his right foot like something had stabbed it.

"Are you OK?" he called. I stared at him blankly for a second, then raised my weapon.

"Don't come a step further," I snarled. He took a step back, aghast.

"Tenten-san, what are you doing? It's ME, the youthful Konohan Green Beast?"

He'd gotten 'youth' and 'Green Beast' into one sentence. I was satisfied. I sheathed my kunai.

"Oh, Lee…" I sobbed. He hobbled over and I saw the kunai that had pierced his foot. Even he had not been fast enough to escape the genjutsu.

"I was in the woods when everything just dissolved and…say, Tenten-san, why is the youthful Neji lying on the ground like that?" Lee was puzzled. I grabbed him and sobbed.

"Oh Lee, they…they got Neji-kun!" I wept. Lee looked stunned.

"No…they didn't…NEJI-SAN!"

We knelt by Neji. Lee took his pulse and felt his forehead. He looked up at me.

"He's still alive."

I wiped my eyes on my arm.

"What?!"

"Neji-san's still alive," Lee repeated. A smile creased his face. "You can't kill a Jonin, much less a Hyuuga, that easily. Besides, Neji is YOUTHFUL! Nothing can kill youth!"

Together we removed all the weaponry we could find from Neji's back and bandaged him with what limited supplies we had. Then Lee, injured though he was, slung one of Neji's arms across his shoulders. I took the other. We left that awful place, carrying out comrade on our shoulders.

Back in the village, Lee hurried off to see if Gai-sensei was recovered and to assure him that we were fine. I hovered over Neji's bedside, reluctant to leave. The healer laid him on his stomach and stripped him to the waist, leaving the hideous puncture and gash wounds visible. I bathed the wounds regularly, never leaving his side. It was midnight before the healer said something to me.

"Come on, miss, you should be in bed," she said gently. I lifted my head groggily.

"Eh…what?"

I had fallen asleep on the side on Neji's bed, my head cradled in the crook of my arm. The healer eased me out of the chair.

"He'll still be alive come morning, miss," said the healer. "Now come on, time for bed."

I brushed her off. "I'll stay here."

She frowned. "You're exhausted, dear! If you don't sleep soon, you could die of fatigue."

I shook my head drowsily. "I'll stay right here."

She brought out a pallet, a blanket, and a pillow. I gratefully fell asleep. Through my half-closed eyelids I could see her working away by the dim golden light of her oil lamp, washing, bandaging, caring for Neji…

When dawn kissed the windows I awoke. The healer had been right: I felt so much better after sleeping a few hours. I picked myself off the pallet, looking around for Neji.

He was gone from the cot on which he had been laid!

Cursing myself, I pulled on a robe over my disheveled clothes that I had worn yesterday and got up to look for the healer. I opened the door and found myself in her garden.

It was a lovely place, covered with trees whose boughs hung down almost to the ground. A small pond sat in the corner, and I saw the golden flash of carp swimming in it. Suddenly I heard a rustle, like someone had accidentally kicked a pebble in the pathway. I spun around and drew a kunai, glancing around for whoever was in the garden. Had there been more of the enemy nin, and had they returned to finish me off? What if they'd taken Neji to examine the secrets of the Byakugan and killed Lee and Gai? My mind was racing…my heart pounding almost as fast…I backed under the shelter of one of the drooping trees…

Somebody grabbed me by the waist. As I screamed, they covered my mouth with their free hand. I felt hot breath tickling my ear. Then someone spoke.

"Calm down. I'm not your enemy!"

My body relaxed as I heard the familiar tones. Neji!

"I'm glad you're alright," I whispered as his hand loosened over my mouth. I couldn't see him, he was still behind me, his arm around my waist.

He let me go. I turned around out of courtesy, but couldn't meet his eyes. It was a strange experience, knowing that he'd saved my life in a rather…unorthodox way. He was looking at me, I could tell by the burning sensation I felt in my forehead. I took a deep breath and started to speak.

"Back there…"

I saw his body shift uncomfortably. I gulped and continued. This might be the end of my good terms with Neji. It didn't matter. He was a Jonin, I was a Chuunin. We were separated by rank, not just talent.

"That wasn't…meant in any other way than what it accomplished?"

That wasn't quite clear. I stumbled over my words, trying to clarify.

"What I mean is…you didn't do that because of any…feelings, did you? You just did it to save my life?"

I was turning hot. His eyes never left me, yet I couldn't meet them. I kept staring at the ground, embarrassed. Why had I bothered to ask that question? Now he would think I was stupid…

"Did you want it to mean anything different?" he asked.

I did…and I didn't. I couldn't tell him what the secrets of my heart had been ever since we were assigned to the same team. If I told him that I loved him, would he think I was out of place? Would he LAUGH? I couldn't do it.

Then I felt his fingers under my chin, tilting my head back. I was forced to look into his eyes. My chin rested in his palm, his thumb was on my cheek.

"My kiss saved your life," Neji said softly. I felt his thumb stroke my cheek and come to rest on the corner of my mouth. He rested his forehead on mine to say his next words.

"And only you can save mine."

"Wha-" I was cut off as he kissed me again. Only I could save his life? Did that mean he loved me as much as I loved him? He NEEDED me?

Judging from our kiss, I guess he admitted that.