-xvi-

"Konan?"

"It's about time you returned my calls, Tenten," Konan replied, disgruntled.

Tenten frowned, pressing her lips together tightly. "We have a problem."

"And what might that be? Other than the fact you've gone AWOL the past week?"

Tenten picked at a loose thread from her jeans, thinking carefully over how much she wanted to divulge. "Sasuke is going to tell Neji about the operation."

There was silence on Konan's end of the line as she considered this. Tenten waited, fidgeting. Finally, Konan said, "Why would he do that?"

"Why does Sasuke do anything he does? Because he's a sick fuck," Tenten replied sharply. "He's been threatening to tell Neji everything. And something he said a few weeks ago about Hinata Hyuga has been bothering me. I think—"

"That sounds like an empty threat to me, Tenten," Konan interrupted.

Tenten clenched her jaw. "It's not empty."

"Oh, really? How so?"

"Look," Tenten began firmly, "Sasuke's had it out for Neji since Hinata's engagement party, and now he's trying to ruin everything. Don't you care? He's putting Akatsuki's interests in jeopardy!"

"Honestly, Tenten, you're the one who's been disregarding Akatsuki's interests."

Tenten's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Your self-indulgence with Neji Hyuga—I know all about it. And I have the footage to prove it."

Tenten's face flamed, thinking of the evening she'd let Neji into her apartment.

Konan went on, "I won't continue with this, Tenten. Once this assignment is finished, we will discuss if Akatsuki still holds a place for you."

Tenten felt her chest tighten in apprehension and embarrassment. "You're firing me?"

"Not yet," Konan said. "Your job isn't finished. You've mentioned before that Neji Hyuga has no desire to work at Hyuga Development—has that changed since he became CEO?"

"No," Tenten answered softly.

"We have decided to make an offer for Hyuga Development. We would like you to convince him to put the company up for sale."

"Neji hasn't talked about selling the company at all," Tenten stated.

"Then perhaps you should get to work on persuading him to that line of thinking. It shouldn't be too hard, considering. Are my instructions clear?"

Tenten swallowed, unease roiling in the pit of her stomach. "Yes. But what are you going to do about Sasuke, Konan?"

Konan sighed heavily. "Sasuke Uchiha knows his place, which is more than I can say for you. Just focus on your job, Tenten."

Her remark stung, and Tenten pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "If he tells Neji, it will all be over and Akatsuki won't get what they want."

"Sasuke isn't stupid. He would never betray Akatsuki just to manipulate you."

Tenten wasn't so sure, but she didn't reply.

"If the deal goes badly, it will be on your head, Tenten. Do you understand me?" Konan said.

Tenten blinked, her eyes lifting to the ceiling. In the shadows, in the corner of the wall by the windows, her eye caught on a small, discreet camera. She stared at it for a long moment, filtering through what Konan had said earlier about video footage of she and Neji.

"Tenten?" prompted Konan.

Tenten felt her blood begin to boil in her veins. They had seen it—how could they have not? They had seen every moment of Sasuke's entry into her apartment, his cruel demands and taunts, his attack. I've been such a fool.

"Understood," Tenten finally released, her body burning with fury.

-x-

"What if we went away? For the weekend?"

Tenten anxiously watched Neji glance up from his laptop, his fingers paused over the keyboard in mid-message. "Go away for the weekend?" he repeated, brow furrowing.

"Yes," Tenten said, trying not to fidget. "You've been through a lot the last few weeks. I thought . . . you could use some time away." She swallowed, pausing. "And I'd like to spend time with you. Just us."

Neji pursed his lips and looked around the room, thinking. Tenten continued, sensing his reticence, "It's important to take time for yourself after a big change, Neji. You've been working yourself ragged ever since your uncle died. Just . . . step away from it all for a weekend. With me."

She watched Neji mull over these words. Her tension eased as he got to his feet and walked over to her, releasing a minuscule smile. He leaned down and kissed her gently, his hands brushing back her hair. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. All of this . . . has been an adjustment," he sighed heavily. "But you're right—let's disappear for a few days. Where do you want to go?"

Tenten couldn't help the smug smile that graced her mouth. "I know just the place."

-x-

Once, when Tenten was fourteen, the matron of the orphanage had taken all of them up north, to a park for a picnic. It was more of a mountainous forest, really, complete with hiking trails, scenic views, and a hot spring.

The day following her conversation with Konan, while Neji was at work, Tenten took a northbound train and booked a hotel. She paid with cash, not trusting the credit card Akatsuki had given her to use for her expenses. As she stepped out into the bright, spring sunshine, noting some of the snow still on the ground, Tenten sucked in a deep breath, feeling some of her anxiety ebb as she thought of Neji.

I'll get him to give up the company to Akatsuki, and then we'll run away, she thought, a surge of fierce protectiveness flooding her body at the thought. I'm going to keep him. No matter what.

-x-

In preparation for her weekend away, Tenten began to frantically check her video feed from outside the Hyuga home. Cars came and went, but Sasuke didn't show. Yet, Tenten told herself. It's only a matter of time until the snake leaves his hole.

After checking in with Hinata, Tenten felt marginally better leaving the city—Naruto and Hinata were planning to spend all weekend reconstructing their wedding plans.

"My list is a mile long at this point," Hinata told Tian over the phone later that evening.

Tenten hummed in sympathy. "When I get back Sunday evening I can come over and help if you want," Tenten offered, surprised as the words left her mouth.

"Could you?" Hinata asked hopefully. "I wouldn't ask, but . . . I've been so distracted since Father died. I could use a few more brain cells."

Tenten's heart panged. "Of course," she said firmly. "I'm not sure how much help I'll be, but I can try."

Hinata audibly sniffled and Tenten's forehead furrowed in concern. "Thank you so much, Tian. I—you don't know how much that means to me."

Tenten brushed away an insistent tear at the corner of her eye. "Don't mention it," she replied, her throat tight.

-x-

After days of trying, Lee finally got ahold of Neji Hyuga. Moegi, his assistant, put him through, her tone encouraging.

When Neji answered the phone, Lee could instantly sense the weight the man was carrying. While the news he had to share was by no means light, Lee hoped it would bring Neji some relief.

"Mr. Hyuga, this is Detective Lee. It's nice to finally speak to you again after such a long time."

"You're calling about the break-in?" Neji asked, diving in. "Unfortunately, Detective Lee, I have much bigger issues on my plate now."

"Of course. I was saddened to hear of your uncle's passing. Were you two very close?"

Neji hesitated, then said, "In a way, yes. What news do you have for me?"

Lee cleared his throat, glancing at the matched face on his screen, then at his notes. "You'll have to forgive this intrusion, Mr. Hyuga. I don't like to get involved in personal matters, but I thought you should know what I've discovered."

Neji's end of the line grew heavily silent. "Know what?"

Lee steeled himself for the lengthy conversation to follow. "Does the name Tenten mean anything to you?"

-x-

Despite her apprehension at leaving Hinata, Tenten nursed a semblance of excitement as she assembled an overnight bag for her weekend retreat with Neji. As she zipped up her bag, her gaze flitted over to where her Akatsuki-issued laptop and phone were lying on the floor. She would trash them on the way out. She had no plans to use them again—had no plans to return to this apartment, even. Walking towards the door, Tenten cast a quick eye around, looking for anything she'd missed or wanted to take with her.

The bareness of the room struck her and she sighed. I can't believe I let Neji in here, she thought, shaking her head. She gathered up her things and stepped out into the building hallway and locked the door, suppressing the urge to flip off the Akatsuki camera nestled in the corner. She settled for a smirk and disappeared into the stairwell.

-x-

Moegi was on a phone call when Tenten exited the elevator on the eighth floor. She smiled at her, and Moegi grinned cheerily, waving her towards Neji's office.

Tenten knocked and poked her head inside, unable to keep the smile off her face as she said, "Ready to go?"

Neji was leaning back in his chair, facing the window. At the sound of her voice, he glanced over his shoulder. His expression made Tenten straighten as she slipped inside, closing the door gently behind her.

Neji shifted and slowly turned to face her. Tenten gripped her bag tightly, sensing the tension in the room. "What's wrong?" she asked, breathless.

Neji's mouth pulled severely to the side—an angry slash. "I spoke with Detective Lee earlier. He told me some interesting news."

Tenten's blood chilled in her veins. She feigned nonchalance. "Oh? About the break-in?"

Neji's eyes pinned her to the spot, seeing through her. Tenten felt sick to her stomach. "About you."

Tenten didn't respond, chewing anxiously on the inside of her cheek. She felt blood on her tongue.

Neji continued, his gaze unwavering, "He told me that he ran a background check on you—standard protocol for something like this, where the culprit most likely knew the victim. He said that your name didn't match any records, no identification, no school reports, nothing—other than a few looped websites that were clearly fraudulent."

Tenten swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, wanting to throw up.

"He ran you through face-match software instead. What came up was a report at least two pages long, as well as documentation of a served house-arrest sentence, completed less than a year ago." Neji paused, the anger in his face shifting slightly towards something else, something closer to disbelief. "Tian isn't your real name, is it?"

Here we go, then, she thought in defeat. Tenten shrugged limply. "Not exactly. It's the root where my name comes from."

Neji sank further into his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What's your real name?" he asked after a moment.

Tenten bit the inside of her cheek again, her eyes flitting around the room for something, anything to turn this around. "Tenten," she said finally, looking back to Neji.

Neji sighed, his eyes narrowed. "Tenten," he murmured, testing it in his mouth. "Do you want to explain what it is you're trying to steal from my company?"

Tenten winced. "Technically," she began with a sigh, "I'm the middleman."

"The middleman?" Neji clarified.

Tenten nodded carefully, her eyes darting to Neji's before looking away again.

"Who hired you?"

Tenten pressed her lips together and gave a noncommittal jerk of her head. She held a finger to her lips and quickly strode over to Neji's desk. He moved out of her way, getting to his feet as he watched. Wordlessly, Tenten scoured the room, checking underneath Neji's desk and his bookcase for listening equipment Sasuke might have planted during the break-in. She found what she was looking for on a low bookcase shelf—a porcelain figurine of a raven. Tenten took hold of it, and without any further explanation, shattered the figurine against Neji's wall. She picked through the remains and grasped the listening device. Mechanically, Tenten cracked open the casing, pulling out a few wires to disable its functionality. Tenten looked back up at Neji.

He looked stunned, eyes trained on the ruined equipment in her hands. Slowly, he said, "You had me under surveillance?"

Tenten didn't respond, clutching the device tightly to keep her hands from trembling.

Neji's expression swiftly turned thunderous. "It was you? You were responsible for the break-in? How?"

She shook her head. "I didn't break into your office . . . technically. I—someone else planted this."

Neji stared at her hard. "What do you mean 'technically'?"

Tenten gestured to his computer. "While you were gone on your business trip, I—Moegi let me in. I accessed your company ledger."

Neji's face flooded with color. He bowed his head in thought; Tenten watched his mind race, trying to figure out what had been accessed, what had been tainted. In a soft voice, she said, "I don't think they could use any of it. . ."

Neji glanced up, eyes fiery. "Why did you pick me?" he asked in frustration.

"I—I didn't," Tenten stammered. "I was . . . assigned to you."

"Who assigned you?" Neji snapped.

Haltingly, she said, unsure how to answer, "An organization. . ."

Neji fixed her with a harsh glare. "Cut the bullshit. Tell me who's responsible for all of this."

Tenten paused, her mind racing for the right words, for a way to salvage some part of her reputation and tell the truth. "Their name is Akatsuki. You—you haven't heard of them before, have you?"

Neji shook his head.

Tenten continued, "They keep a low profile, but they're a powerful agency. They—I've been working for them, off-and-on for almost ten years."

"Doing what?" Neji asked.

Tenten blushed a deep red. "Different things."

"Fine," Neji spat, a flash of annoyance passing over his face at her hesitation. "You knew about the break-in, then?"

Tenten sucked in a breath, lowering her eyes. "Yes."

Neji looked at her, a livid flush rising to his cheeks. "You organized it?"

Tenten shook her head. Neji paused, searching for a lie, then went on, "But you knew who was responsible? You knew before it happened?"

Tenten chanced a look at him. He was looking pointedly away from her, his jaw clenched. "Who was it?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

"I—"

"Tenten." Neji turned to her again, eyes blazing. "Tell me."

Tenten tapped her foot in anxiety. With apprehension, she said, "Sasuke Uchiha."

Neji's face shifted towards fury. He glanced around his office, clearly imagining Sasuke walking around, going through his things. His gaze wandered back to her, incredulous. "You sold me out to Uchiha."

Tenten took a few steps toward him, hands clenched into fists. "I would never. Neji, I hate him. They track my phone. All the access I have to you they used—they didn't tell me anything about the break-in. I didn't realize it was them until it was already done. You got up that night to leave and I just knew. They didn't tell me anything about what they were looking for, or why Sasuke did it."

Neji considered her, his mouth pressed into a thin line. He said in a distant tone, "You know, usually I have good judgment—for people, for business. But you completely blindsided me."

However glowing a recommendation that was, it didn't make Tenten feel any better. Neji was quiet for a moment, clearly sifting through the questions he wanted to ask. Finally, he said, tone heavy, "How long?"

Tenten looked down again, shamefaced. "You won't like the answer." She glanced at him from underneath her eyelashes—he was waiting, stony-faced. Inhaling a breath, she asked resignedly, "Do you remember when all of you went with Naruto to that strip club? To celebrate Kiba Inuzuka's birthday?"

Neji blanched at this, looking at her with wide eyes. "How do you know about that?"

Tenten fidgeted, her fingers reaching up to touch her bangs, before falling back to her side. "Because I was there."

Neji stared at her in shock. He deduced, slowly, "The woman. From the bar. And—"

Tenten nodded. "It was how I hacked your phone."

"I was the target?"

Tenten swallowed past the lump in her throat, shaking her head. "No. It was your uncle the whole time. . . But things changed when he died."

"So, you were using me the whole time. To get to him."

Unbidden, Tenten felt her throat constrict with emotion. Neji clutched his forehead, his face pale with shock. "I can't believe this," he said after a moment. "You orchestrated everything, didn't you?"

"No," Tenten replied adamantly. "Not everything."

"Then what? You don't try to ruin people's lives; it just happens naturally for you?"

"That's not—listen, Neji, after I screwed up my last assignment, they put me on probation for five months. I was on house arrest the entire time because my last job ended badly and Sasuke Uchiha made me take the fall. Five months of doing nothing, being nothing. Talking to no one, seeing nobody. And then they gave me this and it was supposed to be easy. You were supposed to be this uptight, boring businessman who would be easy to manipulate. But you weren't. You . . . you were the opposite of all those things. And I—" Tenten stopped at the hitch of breath in her throat, staring at him.

Neji looked back at her coldly. "You what?"

"I—I love you," she whispered, deflating.

Neji gazed at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. He walked over to stand in front of her, eyes unwavering. He swallowed then said, "You deceived me. You lied to me. You planned to steal from me—ruin this business that's been in my family for generations, sell who knows how many secrets—and you have the audacity to tell me that you love me?"

Tenten looked down, breaking away from his intense stare. Neji's hand stretched out and grasped her chin, lifting her gaze once more to his.

Tensely, she murmured, "It was me. There were times where it was me. The real me."

"And everything else?"

Tenten frowned. Neji muttered, seemingly to himself, "This isn't real."

"I want it to be."

Neji considered her, eyes roving her face for a trace of a lie. He shook his head and turned away, walking slowly back to his desk. "How much of it was a lie?" he continued, as if she'd said nothing.

Tenten winced, her chest aching at the growing distance between them. She ran her fingers through her bangs, ignoring the way her hand shook. "Most of it," she admitted.

Neji studied her, his expression flat. "Who are you really?"

Tenten sifted through her mental rolodex of excuses and stories, but nothing was close enough to explain the person she'd seen reflected in the mirror. "I don't know how to answer that," she said finally.

Neji glared at her. "It's a simple question."

Tenten shrugged feebly. "Nothing about me is simple."

They stared at each other for a moment, weighing the other's expression. Neji shook his head again, beginning to pace the room, his eyes roaming as his thoughts raced.

"It wasn't supposed to end like this," she said softly.

"Oh, really?" Neji replied sardonically, glancing at her sharply. "Things haven't gone according to plan?"

Tenten willed herself to look at him; his harsh gaze knocked the breath out of her. "No," she whispered. "They haven't."

Neji stared at her for a moment, his expression serious and injuring. "Everything from you has been a lie, hasn't it?"

Tenten shook her head. "No, not everything."

"Then tell me what was true. What were you actually honest about?"

Tenten opened her mouth to let out a string of excuses, but none came. Instead she said lamely, "It was my job, Neji. It wasn't supposed to be personal."

"Well you made it that way, didn't you?" He turned away from her. In a saddened, exasperated voice, he said to the window, "Why does everyone lie to me?"

Tenten stood in silence, watching him. Her throat ached from suppressing the emotions tearing through her chest. She blinked and felt a few tears slide down her cheek. She said after a beat, "I don't want to lose you."

Neji scoffed, his expression disconcerted in the window's reflection. "Maybe you should have thought of that before you lied to me for six months," he replied stiffly. He hesitated for a moment before continuing, "So, your plan was to lure me away this weekend and . . . what? Have someone break into my office again? Access the company's accounts and liquidate our assets?"

"No. I—all they want is for you to sell off the company. That's the only thing they want—the holdings and the financial assets. I don't even want to work for them anymore—they're planning to fire me as soon as this job is finished."

He didn't believe her. She could see it in the lines of tension in his shoulders, the way his gaze skipped over her and returned with each new, cruel revelation. She walked quickly to his side, invading his line of sight. Fiercely, tears spilling down her face, she said, "What do you want? I'll do everything I can to give it to you."

Neji treated her to a sharp look, his tone clipped as he replied, "I want you to take it all back. Can you do that?"

Tenten deflated. "You know I can't. I wish—I wish that I'd never come into your life, and you'd never come into mine. But I can't. These are the cards I've been dealt."

She'd never seen him look so angry. He said loudly, "You've ruined me. Do you understand that?" Neji laughed coldly. He fixed her with a smirk, a distraught gleam in his eyes. "It's so ironic. There's nothing to take."

Tenten stared at him, uncomprehending. "What do you mean?" she replied slowly.

"All the millions of dollars you were planning to steal—none of it exists. We're bankrupt, as a company."

Tenten's heart shuddered in her chest. "How—how is that possible?"

Neji exhaled and walked away from her, resuming his pacing. "Fifteen years ago, my uncle made some risky personal investment choices that never panned out. They were all private acquisitions—things that he kept off the books and holdings. No one knew. When he died, the money he owed was defaulted; when he took out the loans, he put the up company as insurance."

Tenten watched him shrug, unease growing in the pit of her stomach. Neji continued, "I have to sell off some of our biggest properties. To pay off the debt. There won't be anything left, save for the trusts that belong to Hinata and Hanabi."

Why did he keep this from me? she wondered, with a flare of disappointment and hurt. Immediately, Tenten felt a surge of shame at expecting such a thing when she'd deceived him the entire time she'd known him. She crossed her arms tightly across her chest, mulling over this news and what it meant.

Neji turned back to her, an eyebrow raised. "You're the only person who knows any of this, besides me."

Tenten raised her eyebrows. "That's not true. I'm sure you have a whole team of lawyers on this. And Hinata and Hanabi have to know."

Neji shook his head, holding her gaze. "You're the only one."

"You've been keeping this all to yourself since he died?" she asked in disbelief. "Why? Aren't you suffering?"

Neji shrugged, glancing dully at her. "Collateral damage."

Tenten stared at him, her heart thumping in her chest. "Are you going to pin this on me somehow? Is that your angle? I'd deserve it, after all I've put you through."

Neji seemed to weigh this option. He moved back over to her, his expression softening slightly as his eyes roved over her face. "You want to go back to jail?" he posed.

Tenten grimaced, leaning back against the window. Outside the sun waned in the sky. "I wasn't in jail. I was on house arrest."

The corner of Neji's mouth lifted in a small hint of amusement. He stepped closer to her, reaching out to brush back a piece of her hair.

Tenten seized her chance, whispering, "I want this. It's the only thing I want."

Neji smiled cynically, his hand falling to his side. He gestured between them. "I thought we had something real. But I don't even know who you really are."

"We do, Neji," Tenten said, her voice cracking. "I'm real—Tenten is real." She winced at the gnawing ache in her chest. "That night—that night that I took you to the museum, that was me, not Tian. All of the stuff I told you about dangerous stunts—that was me."

Neji sighed tiredly. "No more lies, Tenten."

"It isn't a lie. I love you." She could see the hesitation in his face, and she took hold of his shoulder, desperate to get through to him. "I want the real thing with you."

Neji's head dipped with exhaustion. His eyes were bleary from lack of sleep, face wan. "I want to trust you," he murmured, his lips hesitating above hers.

Tenten caught his eye. Hoarsely, she said, "I'm sorry. I—I've ruined my reputation in that regard." Her fingers quivered as she lightly ran her thumb over his throat.

"What if I chose to anyway?" he asked, tilting his head toward her.

Tenten blinked fast, dispelling the tears gathering in her eyes. Neji brushed his lips against hers slowly, in no hurry. Tenten wished it could go on forever, this feeling of suspension, tucked away in solitude with the only person she'd ever cared about enough to tell the truth. She slid her arms around his neck, drawing him closer, deepening their kiss. Neji pressed her back against the glass, his hand holding her neck.

After a moment, their intensity ebbed. Neji pulled back from her, eyes closed as he leaned his forehead against hers. In a broken voice he said, "You're making this harder for me than I want it to be."

Tenten swallowed past the lump in her throat, heart heavy. "I'm sorry. For everything," Tenten whispered. "Tell me what I can do to fix it. Please."

Neji didn't answer, threading his fingers through her hair, holding her to his chest. Tenten clung to the moment, her grip tight, not wanting to let him go.

But after a few seconds passed, Neji eased away from her, breathing heavily, his gaze wild. "Why did you do this?" he exhaled, sounding disoriented. "I want to redo the last few months."

Tenten's lips formed a bitter half-smile. "That's impossible, Neji."

"Is it?"

Tenten watched him, her face burning—with a blush from kissing him, with shame for hurting him. He paced away, hands on his hips as he thought. Silence settled between them again. A long moment later, he stopped in his tracks and glanced at her curiously. "What if we both could get something out of this?"

Tenten gazed back, something fluttering in her gut as she watched his mouth. "I'm listening."