Author's Notes: Requested NejiTen. Futuristic.

Midnight

It was midnight and she was kissing someone else.

It was all wrong, all wrong. She shouldn't have to do this. She shouldn't. And not with him. But she was a ninja and her teammates were counting on her and if she didn't stand there and let this guy kiss her she was going to mess everything up for them and… and…

She really wanted to cry.

When she finally allowed herself to break away, there was a horrifying prickle behind her eyes, a telltale sign that she was about to do something ridiculously un-ninja like. Swallowing her own feelings, she pulled herself together, completing the rest of the mission without a hitch.

It was only as she was walking back from the Hokage's office towards her home that she allowed herself to feel dirty. She needed to forget that night and the way he had touched her, kissed her, held her. She didn't want to have those memories.

Not when…

"Tenten."

She came to an abrupt halt, blinking in surprise as she realized Neji was standing in her path. He looked…puzzled, as if he couldn't understand why she hadn't noticed his presence. She always noticed him.

"Neji," she said, and had to swallow to keep her voice from sounding so scratchy. "What are you doing here?"

A muscle in his jaw moved. "I was looking for you."

She felt her eyebrows rise of their own accord and she straightened her spine, struggling to find herself for him. "Why?"

"I heard you were back."

She nodded. "Just a few minutes ago, actually." She studied him there in the moonlight but found she was too tired to read underneath his words like usual. She exhaled wearily and started forward again. "Well, good night then."

As she passed him, his hand reached out to grab her elbow, stopping her in her tracks. She glanced over at him, wondering what had gotten into him.

"Neji?"

His expression was hard. "I heard…from Lee…"

She closed her eyes briefly. "It's alright. Everything's alright." She didn't know why she was reassuring him when it was she who wanted comforting except that he seemed to need it and she had always given him whatever she could. It was almost habit now. "I'm just tired."

He was silent for a minute before speaking quietly in a tone she had never heard before. "You don't have to say that."

"What?"

"You don't have to tell me everything's alright if it's not."

She half-smiled. "Don't I?" She pulled her arm away. "Weakness is a sin, isn't it?" He frowned but she didn't allow him to say anything, her patience worn out. "It doesn't matter. It's over with. I'll see you in the morning."

Again she turned and again he reached out to stop her, this time yanking her backwards hard, imprisoning her against his chest with his arms locked around her shoulders. She gasped but didn't struggle, suddenly too weak to do more than lean against him, her face pressed into his shirt as he held her.

And abruptly it was Neji's arms she felt, Neji's touches.

Neji's kisses.

And in the end he whispered to her just as she had to him.

"I'll see you in the morning."

The End.