Hey there. I've been busy lately with school but I finally have some free time and creativity and I wrote this Nejiten. I truly do love this couple even though Neji has died. (Cue repressed anger.) But, here in the fandom no character is truly dead! Anyway, this story is a bit cynical, as it is told from Neji point of view, but has some humorous moments nonetheless. Hope you like it!

And special thanks to DeenaTweety for being my beta reader! ;D

He was not a believer at love at first sight. Or those metaphorical butterflies that tickled the stomach lining of those poor love-struck fools. But after many years and countless hours of meditation he'd finally acknowledged his feelings for the girl that had wiggled her way between his cold chest and stone heart.

Peeking open his eyes and slowly standing up from his mediation position, he let the blood flow fully circulate to the bottom half of his legs. Feeling the prickle of sleeping feet, he wondered how she always managed to place herself between a rock and a hard place.

~O~

He strode toward Team Gai's training grounds (because Neji never trudged), keeping his trademark eyes plastered on his destination and pondered.

He was proud. In his younger years, it was arrogant pride. All the way from his cocky smirk to his superiority complex. But now he was older, and with his hormones balanced, his angsty attitude and cynical viewpoint dulled down. Hell, sometimes he even gave people a genuine bonafide smile.

But one thing that never changed was his ability to keep his private musings from ever giving hint to his thoughts on his aristocratic face.

Welling in the calling of birds, Neji approached the training grounds with the intention of telling her of his new found revelations before his scheduled relaxation with some of the other shinobi boys at the bathhouse.

His aura began to prickle around the edges as he picked up on the familiar chakra signatures of his long time teammates. But... something was out of the ordinary. Neji focused on their chakra signatures and feel Lee's coursing through his veins in racing manner, while Tenten's was completely normal. Concealing his chakra and preparing for the worst, Neji took to the canopy, bouncing from branch to branch and speeding ahead for whatever may lay.

Reaching the raining field, he perched on a nearby branch only to behold a site that even a ninja that lived by the code of "expecting the unexpected" never fathomed would occur. He first perceived the sound of wet flesh smacking wet flesh before he saw Tenten sandwiched between Lee and the base of a tree. Her toned legs were wrapped around Lee's waist, heels digging into his gluts, tugging him closer. Her long, calloused fingers seemed to be lost in tangle of black tresses as Lee showcased his youthful passions with the language of tongue. Lots of tongue.

Neji's nerves shook as he continued to watch them shamelessly before his impeccable internal clock alerted him that he needed to meet the guys.

Leaving them to suck face, Neji fumed and scowled all the way to the bathhouse.

~O~

His long raven hair fanned out around his naked body as he slid a little lower down the pool walls. Neji was honestly trying to stop replaying the steamy scene in his head but all his efforts were for naught as his male teammate came strolling in. Letting the towel drop, Lee stepped into the warm water, filling the vacancy between Neji and Shikamaru. He turned to face Neji.

"Hello, my eternal rival. Nice day for a bath," Lee greeted his teammate as if nothing had happened. Rolling his shoulders, he continued, "Tenten told me that my muscles were tight and that nothing feels as good as a hot soak."

Neji narrowed his eyes before stating in a manner equally as casual, "Hn. You are quite late for our scheduled bath."

"Oh, yosh! I just finished training with the youthful Tenten!"

"Youthful indeed," Neji noted in a deep growl. The cold undertone in Neji's usually impassive speech made all eyes turn to him and he couldn't skip around the subject any longer. "I saw you both at the training field."

Lee's tanned face reddened to a blush so deep it would have put Hinata's to same. "N-Neji, I can explain…"

Neji leaned forward as if the drop in radius would somehow intensify his death stare. White boring deep into black.

"What's there to explain, Lee? Or were you going to give us all an intimate recount of your passionate position with Tenten against the Oak tree?"

"Neji, please! Just let me tell. You see, Tenten does not like me! It started about two weeks ago. I was planning to surprise the lovely Sakura-san with flowers and candies before moving in for the passionate exchange of lovers when I suddenly realized I did not know how to kiss! Feeling down on my luck because I had no one to train with, I plopped on a log when Tenten came by to train. Explaining my situation, I bribed Tenten with a new weapon and convinced her to be my training partner! But with each training session, my love for Sakura-san withered and my new love for Tenten grew! Oh, but when she gets her weapon from me, Tenten will no longer want to kiss me... but, oh Neji, I love her so-"

Lee's rapid fire explanation was cut short as a howl rang off the acoustics in the small bathhouse.

"Are we talking about that foxy chick Tenten? Damn, that is girl is fine." Kiba strolled in, pride dangling, Akamaru in tow. He sat down in between Shino and Neji while Akamaru played in the puddles around the bath.

Snickering he said, "I heard it all, Lee, while I was stepping out of my training gear in the locker room." Kiba's smirk grew, his upper canine tooth over his bottom lip. "Did I tell you guys that she helped me with my jutsu Fang over Fang? Or as we call it, dog-style."

Shino spoke up, "You shouldn't talk about Tenten that way. Why? Because she is a respectable kunoichi and woman."

"I admit she is quite the admirable woman. Far less troublesome than the rest but still a woman. Did I mention that her breasts are 37% larger than they should be for someone with a waist that small? And according to my calculations-"

"Pssh", Kiba blew out some lip music, interrupting Shikamaru's findings. "Calculations, smaculations. Who cares about math when you could just cop a feel?"

And on Shikamaru's normally bored countenance sprouted a mischievous grin.

"Kiba, I will inform you that I have had quite a few first handed experiences. Tenten and I dated a few months back." Leaning back against the pool a look of exasperation crossed his face. "Tch. But, I never got over my troublesome feelings for her. There's just something about Tenten."

"Well, my newly found rival, your past passions do not matter because right now I am the one sharing intimate embraces with the ravishing Tenten."

"You're situation hardly counts, Lee. Why? Because you had to bribe Tenten to share bodily fluids with you."

Lee's face reddened with anger and he began spewing things of youth before Kiba splashed some water at his heated countenance to quiet him down.

"Hey look, Shikamaru, you've got quite two voluptuous women who fall all over your skinny ass. Why not just get over you "troublesome feelings" for Tenten and snatch up one of them? Or if it floats your boat, both?" Kiba questioned with a fresh wink.

Letting out a deep sigh Shikamaru mumbled, "I grew up with a nagging mother. Why would I want to marry a nagging troublesome woman? Anyway," Shikamaru continued, "blondes aren't my preferred choice. I've always loved the dark hair."

The rest of the boys swore that they could see the shadows shift around the room. Shifting his thin terra cotta stare to Kiba and Shino, he questioned, "And what about you two and your Hyuga teammate?"

Shino answered first, "It is futile to develop feelings for Hinata when she is clearly infatuated with the Uzumaki boy."

"Good. That means less completion for me," Kiba said. "Not that you would have been much of a threat anyway, bug-boy."

"Very mature," Shino bit back before turning his head to the side and coughing out a barely audible "dog breath".

"Hey!" Kiba growled, splashing water with both hands. "I can hear you, asshole. " Wrinkling his nose in disgust, he added for good measure,"And smell you too."

Shielding himself from the onslaught, Shikamaru mumbled irritably, "What a drag."

Neji was able to tune out the bickering men in front of him. Years with Gai and Lee on his team had taught him the skill of deleting one part of his surroundings while still being completely aware of the other elements.

He eyed the competition.

Lee: Tenten admired his unwavering determination and drive. He'd even caught her staring at him from a log during training. And once in a while he'd catch her eyeing the way his spandex clung to his more sensitive regions.

Shikamaru: Tenten was a sapiosexual if he had ever met one. Always completely enraptured by the smooth way he made those quick calculations in his head. Neji reflected on the times when Tenten had a free day and how she'd head over to the Nara compound to play Shoji with him. Tenten knew full well she would lose. She played because she was fascinated by his intelligence and wanted to see it in action.

Shino: The moment she lay eyes on him, she had been mystified by his mysterious nature and looming figure. A little while after her mission with him and Lee, they became "training partners". And after his encounter this morning at the grounds with Lee and Tenten, he vaguely wondered what their training truly consisted of.

Kiba: Neji watched as the Inzuaka boy scratched himself and laughed at the bubbles that he blew from his nether region.

Finally. Some completion that I don't have to worry about. Look at that imbecile.

Neji smirked, but his internal competition was cut short as he remembered that Kiba did not like Tenten, but his cousin Hinata instead.

Hn. I'll have to remember to scare him a bit later on. I need to get rid of this anger anyway.

Neji's misplaced musings on how to relieve some of his anger stopped when he realized that all the boys in the room were looking at him with expecting eyes.

"Well, Neji, do you? If you did, this situation would become so much more troublesome." The young Nara heaved a sigh.

Lee pointed an accusing finger at him and exclaimed, "He was probably daydreaming about the youthful Tenten just now!"

"What the hell are you talking about, Lee?" Neji growled, slanting his eyes to meet the edge in his voice.

"We are curious to know if you too have feelings for Tenten," enlightened Shino.

And in his prodigy mind, Neji weighed his options before he said, "Of course not. Tenten is an invaluable teammate and training partner. Right now I need to focus on my skills if I am ever to end the branch families' suffering."

Lee clasped his chest, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Oh, my eternal rival! I am filled with relief and respect! What a true shinobi! I will run on my hands up and down the Hokage Mountain twice so that I may match your ninja ways!" And with that Lee jumped out of the pool and skidded all the way into the boy's locker room.

Shikamaru let out a deep exhale as he stretched out and reached for his towel. "I need to get home for dinner or my mom'll go on a nagging spree. What a drag of a day." Drying off, he headed for the door, Shino close behind him mumbling something about "clan duties".

And there sat Neji and Kiba, each with a grand smirk on their face. Neji was just about to lay into the Inzuka when Kiba said, "I know you lied."

When Neji made no move to reply, Kiba elaborated, "If it wasn't for my enhanced hearing I wouldn't have been able to pick up on the heightened pounding of your heart. Just because you can hide any emotions that may flip across your face doesn't mean that you can fully control your body. Nonetheless, you are still a good liar, Neji, but I was watching closely for your reaction to the question, and if the others hadn't had their hopes up so high on your denial of the inquiry they, too might have noticed you lying."

Kiba let out a deep belly laugh, slapping the water. "Oh, don't look so much like a sourpuss; I won't tell your little secret. Or at least not yet. Look, all I'm saying, Neji, is make your move fast before I", dropping his voice a few octaves he whispered, "spill the beans."

Leaning back to let Neji soak in the information, he called to Akamaru to hand him a towel. He stepped out of the tub and moved into the next room to get dressed.

As he slipped on his sandals, he smiled at his furry companion, "Well, Akamaru, I hope my little threat will push him to confess soon. I'd really hate to see that bastard get his heart broken."

~O~

Neji knew why the caged bird defied. It all went back to the deadliest character flaw of all: hubris.

Even though Kiba had opened the door to his emotional prison, and nudged him toward his happiness, Neji defied. When he achieved his happiness, he wanted it to be solely his doing.

What kind of man would he be, if he couldn't be the man of his own destiny?

And Kiba was too wrapped up in his quest to win the young Hyuga girl's heart that he forgot about carrying out his threat.

So, Neji waited. But he waited too long and the Nara genius came back into the picture, effectively slamming his metaphorical door shut.

For the next four months, two weeks, and three days (not that he was counting) Neji stood from afar, gritting his teeth as he looked onward at his stolen happiness. Untill his chance came again.

He found her sitting on a log, watching the sun set and the moon fill its place. Neji moved next to her, filling the vacancy on the tiny log. She didn't acknowledge him right away but after a few minutes and a deep inhale, she exhaled, "I miss him."

Neji watched the darkness of night completely engulfed the twilight and said back, "There are other fields to plow, Tenten."

He looked for her reaction in his peripheral vision and seeing none he opted for a different approach. Flexing his funny bone and showing his hidden side of humor he put on his best mockery of the Nara and drawled, "And according to my calculations, you will be 100% over him in approximately one month."

Tenten turned to look at him, no laughter escaping her pouty lips, but the warm glow that had been absent in her big brown eyes was present once again and Neji, the logical genius, began to feel light-headed.

Later on, as he sat with his eyes closed and legs crossed, he reasoned that he made the move because he'd never been truly killed at expressing his emotions with words. No, but he was damn good with actions.

An insane, youthful, spandex-wrapped man had drilled into his thick head that old cliché of "Actions speak louder" ever since he was boy, and he supposed it stuck.

So when Neji leaned in, pulling her close to claim a kiss on those sweet, ever dreamed of lips, and Tenten answered back with a passion of her own, the connection proved to him that not all the advice Gai-sensai gave was bat-shit crazy.

Ok I may have had a little too much fun writing this. Thanks for reading it and please review!