3. Light

Tenten sighed when she opened her eyes. The sunlight always seamed to slip thorough the crack in her curtains, no matter how she fiddled with them.

She hated when the light spilled between them. It meant that night was over and that she would have to pretend for another day.

She pulled the blankets over her head, blocking out the oppressive ray, hoping she could squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep before starting her day.

The mattress shifted next to her as he rolled over.

Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her close. She rolled into them. Poking her head out from under the blankets, she met his pale eyes, a smile on his lips.

He chuckled before peeling the blankets back to expose her face. She met his smile with her own.

"Good morning," he whispered.

Tenten wiggled closer, planting a small kiss on her lover's lips.

"Morning Neji," she sighed the words pleasantly against his lips.

She felt him brush a stray lock of hair away from her face before watching his eyes meet the slim beam of light that trailed across the bed.

A hand darted out from under the blanket and she caught his chin. His eyes deserted the light and fell back onto her. She kissed him again, hoping to make him forget about the beam.

When he rolled on top of her, deepening the kiss, she clung to him, happy that her plan seemed to be working.

Their tongues twisted together for a brief moment before he pulled away, looking down at her, his hair falling in thick strands around them.

Tenten's breath came in slow, shallow pants, eyes locked onto his.

"I don't want to get up," she confided.

"I know," he admitted, "but we promised we'd meet Lee and Guy at 8:00 to train."

Tenten frowned, turning her head to the window, studying the beam of light.

They had kept their relationship a secret up until now, sharing their affection under cover of night. Tenten hated when the nights turned to mornings and she had to continue to pretend that the man lying on top of her was nothing more than her teammate.

As if sensing her discomfort, she felt him press kisses against her cheek and neck, causing her to sigh contentedly under him.

She let out a soft moan and ran her fingers across his back, trailing down to trace the edge of his boxers. She slid a finger in the hem and ran it over his stomach. She grinned when he squirmed at her touch. But he quickly caught her wrist and pulled her hand away, pressing it gently into the bed next to her head.

"Later," he cooed, much to her disappointment, "we'll be late if we don't get up now."

"Fine," she gave in. Once he knew the sun had risen it was impossible to keep him in bed.

He kissed her again before lifting himself off of her. "I'll make us some coffee." She nodded and let him leave.

Sighing, Tenten sat up and let the day claim her.

4. Dark

Everything about their relationship happened under the cloak of darkness.

The first time they held hands it had been at night. They had been ambushed while they were resting, during a mission.

Lee had been on the watch when Neji was torn from his sleep upon hearing Lee call his name. He was up in an instant, rolling away in time to see a kunai plant itself where his head had been. Right away, Neji assessed the situation, byakugan activated, Lee and Guy had already branched out around the campsite trying to find their attacker.

Tenten was sitting straight up where she had been sleeping, hand clenched tight around a kunai, trying to determine where the attack was coming from.

He saw an array of shuriken coming towards her and made his move, darting across the campsite, pulling her with him, just dodging the attack.

He gripped her hand tightly as they took refuge in the branch of a nearby tree.

They sat in silence, neither daring to speak while his byakugan scanned the area.

He noted how the heavy haziness of sleep still clung to her, lingering in her eyes. It occurred to him that she had yet to let go of his hand, and for some reason, he didn't mind, knowing that as long as he had her next to him, she was safe.

Spying the enemies he turned to her, bringing his lips close to her ear before whispering, "50 meters south west." She nodded. They both parted ways, her following his directions while he moved east towards another enemy.

When she let go of his hand, he felt incomplete.

~o0o~

Neji tried to keep his eyes on the fire while they rested. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep from looking over at Tenten.

She snoozed silently, slouched against a tree, blanket falling off of her.

She had come close to drowning in Kisami's water prison. She was okay, but he couldn't forget the feeling he'd had when he'd caught her, happy that she was still conscious, but not quite ready to let go of her yet.

Before she had dozed off, she had whispered her thanks to him again. He noted her proximity to him and the way that she looked up into his eyes.

He still wasn't sure how to place his feelings about her.

When no one had been looking, she pecked him on the cheek, his reward for saving her life. Neji had been unable to make heads or tails of the situation. Surely she had meant it as a friendly gesture, nothing more than a way to tease him by making him uncomfortable.

But he couldn't help the rush that tore through his body when her lips fluttered against his cheek. And just as quickly as it had happened, it was over and she sent him a cheeky grin before crossing the campground to make herself comfortable by the fire.

He had wanted to stop her, to keep her from leaving, to catch her by the wrist and pull her into his embrace where he would return her kiss passionately.

But the moment had passed, and he was left confused and flustered, trying to make heads or tails of his feelings.

One thing he knew for sure, was that she liked to tease him. Perhaps she was just playing another one of her games?

Either way, he had decided that he liked it.

~o0o~

The months that followed her peck were tense for Neji. His cheek still burned in the spot her lips had rested and he couldn't help the way his eyes seemed to find them whenever she spoke.

Sometimes, when she wasn't looking, he would catch himself eyeing her curves. Whenever he realized what he was doing he'd look away quickly, trying to reel in his thoughts before they strayed too far.

They had finished their training late into the evening and Tenten had invited him over for dinner.

They sat across the table from each other in her small kitchen, having just finished eating. Conversation was lacking and his eyes were wandering, taking in his surroundings before landing on the protrusions in her shirt. He found himself wishing her shirt was tighter… or off…

"Neji!" She'd caught him.

His eyes snapped up to meet hers. She had a blush stained on her cheeks and her arms came up to cross over her chest, hiding her breasts from him.

"Yes?" He kept his demeanor calm, as always. He'd be damned if he'd let her find out what he'd been thinking about.

"Pay attention! And, my eyes are up here!" She sent him a glare.

"I'm aware of where your eyes are," he responded, "why would you feel the need to remind me?"

He'd flustered her and she stammered a retort, losing her usual whit. "You know why, Neji! You were…" She lost her voice.

"Looking somewhere I shouldn't have been?" She blushed harder and he leaned over the table, shrinking the distance between them. "I had hoped after all of our years together you would have thought better of me."

"I did! Until now!"

His eyes narrowed. "Don't make accusations unless you've got proof."

He watched her uncross her arms, cursing himself as he did. His eyes lingered for just a second, but it was a second too long. He met her gaze, feeling himself flush.

"I think I can get all the proof I need." She retorted. Standing up she walked over to him and looked down. His face was level with her chest. She was testing him further. Neji kept his eyes locked on hers. Her hand ran over her chest, resting on one of her buttons. He heard it snap free and swallowed hard. What was she doing?

The second snap screamed in his ears and she leaned over him, shirt loose. Keeping his eyes on hers was more difficult than he had expected.

Tenten brought her face close to his and he noted the way her torso twisted and how her shirt fell away from her collar.

He felt her press the clothing into his hands before pulling away and walking out of the kitchen, her back to him. It was now that he let his eyes run down her back, naked except for the blue bra that contrasted perfectly against her skin.

"I guess you pass," she called back to him. "I'm going to take a shower, catch you later."

He looked down at his lap, where her shirt lay crumpled in his hands. He rubbed the fabric between his fingers before standing to leave.

He folded the shirt neatly, inhaling the scent that clung to the fabric, before setting it on the coffee table and leaving.

~o0o~

The next time he looked they had been caught in a downpour on their way back from their training grounds.

They stopped when the skies opened up over them, soaking them instantly. Tenten giggled, sighing. Neji smiled at her, enjoying the sound of her laugh. The rain cooled their hot skin. The light from a nearby street lamp made her glow. He noted the way the wet fabric clung to her chest and how the darkness of her bra contrasted with her white shirt. Something came over him.

He stepped forward, closing the gap between them and her giggles stopped, the twinkle in her eyes turning to shocked curiosity. Before he could stop himself he leaned in and heard her gasp briefly before their lips met.

He kissed her deeply, pouring all of his desires into her. He was shocked when she kissed him back instantly, their hands finding each other. Neji pulled her in close, feeling her breasts press into his chest. He heard a soft moan squeak out of her and decided it was his favorite sound. He kissed her deeper, darting his tongue into her mouth, enticing more shy moans out of her.

They stood there, in the rain, for another minute, unable to part from each other.

When they finally did part, he noted confusion and desire radiating off of her. She shivered in his arms. From the rain or his presence, he wasn't sure.

A/N: Hope you guys liked this. Light is way shorter than Dark but I enjoyed writing from two different perspectives and mixing up the timeline a bit. Please let me know if you enjoyed it by dropping a review!