Neji's movements were tense and taut, the slight twitch at the corner of his right eye and the faint, almost imperceptible tremors in his left hand giving his weaknesses away. He wasn't the only one who could read people's emotions through their body language.

And that was how Tenten knew that she would finally land a hit. She flipped high into the air and activated her scrolls, raining down another avalanche of shuriken on Neji's head. He spun into Palms Revolving Heaven and one by one, shuriken after shuriken fell clanging to the ground. It didn't matter. Even if ninety-nine of them missed, Tenten knew in her bones that at least one would hit. After all, there was that slight twitch at the corner of his right eye and those faint tremors in his left hand.

Sure enough, there was a gap in his defenses, his Byakugan's blind spot, that one place he couldn't always watch, and besides, he couldn't keep glowing and spinning forever; his hands would tire.

And Tenten, true to prophecy, heard the telltale, slight scratching noise and glanced triumphantly at Neji's back, right under his carefully combed ponytail. Sitting slightly to the side of the red spiral crest, lodged into his brand-new Konoha ninja uniform was her shuriken.

To be fair, she didn't apply too much force, and it was a small shuriken – they weren't trying to kill each other, or even hurt each other. But a sparring match was a sparring match.

And...

She'd won.

That was weird.

"Neji, what's going on?" she asked, stalking over to him. "You weren't at the top of your game."

He blinked at her confusedly, deactivating his Byakugan, the veins around his eyes receding back into imperceptibility. "What do you mean? I blocked every single one of the weapons."

In response, she pulled the shuriken out of his jounin vest and Neji's face turned the rarest of rare colors, a deep, lush sunset red, spreading across his cheeks as a dragon would streak through the sky.

"Like I said, you weren't at the top of your game." She sighed. "Neji, you were better than this when we were training for the Chuunin Exams, remember? I couldn't even scratch you back then."

"I know," he said, white eyes downcast, his voice uncharacteristically small. Like his performance today. "Sorry, I just had...nerves."

"Nerves?" she asked dryly. "Hyuuga Neji, genius of your clan...you get nerves? Wow, who would have thought you weren't an iceberg?"

He scowled. "Iceberg? I'm not an iceberg."

"Yesterday, Team 7 told us about how they tried to see under Kakashi-sensei's mask and you had this flattest, blankest expression on your face," she countered. "Even when Sakura told us that Naruto threw a teapot at him and – "

"I thought it was stupid," he said, face dismissive.

"It was funny."

"Stupid," Neji insisted.

"Hey!" she snapped. "You make it sound like I'm stupid."

"You misunderstand," he said, with that flat, blank expression again. "I don't think you're stupid, Tenten."

"See, this is what I mean." She gestured broadly. "You always look like...like...a...a..."

And then his lips twitched, proving her wrong.

Okay, maybe he wasn't an iceberg all the time. Just...most of the time. Sometimes he wasn't. Like now. To be honest, it kind of scared her. She might have said he was an "iceberg," but she didn't mean it in a bad way. Icebergs were tough, sturdy, and implacable. They didn't budge for anything, and they might have been...well, cold, but they were a comforting barrier against the turbulent sea.

And when cracks appeared in the iceberg...

She didn't voice the thought out loud.

"Neji, you know there's a war in a few days, right? We have to be careful. Any small mistake could cost you..." She decided not to finish that sentence. "So...so be careful. We're a team forever, so...you watch your back...okay?"

"Right. Don't you worry. I'll watch everyone's backs, Tenten," he said impassively.

"Hey!" she snapped again. "I said you should watch your back! You shouldn't let shuriken or giant sticks of wood or anything else hit you! Don't twist things!"

Neji's lips twitched again. "Giant sticks of wood?"

"You don't know what Madara is capable of! He could do anything!" she said. "So watch your back, Neji. Because...because..."

A lump formed in her throat as the shuriken in her hand glinted at her wickedly. To her horror, the world seemed very blurry. Why was that? There wasn't any dust in her eyes.

So strange. She'd have to ask Tsunade-sama –

Strong hands encircled her shoulders.

"Don't worry," a low, soothing voice said into her ear. "You're right. We're a team forever, Tenten. And that's why I'll watch everyone's backs."

She turned around and found that Neji's lips were still twitching. He seemed perfectly relaxed and at ease, the beautiful golden sunlight turning his pure white eyes as silvery as the moon, and there was no trace of a tremor in his hands anymore.

Maybe Neji wasn't an iceberg. His hands were much too warm.

They'd weather the turbulent sea together.

A/N: Written for Day 6: War. Foreshadowing...

Thanks so much for the review, NikiVA! I love awkward teenagers and their interactions with their even more awkward parent/guardian too! Would love more reviews...:) So if anyone has any thoughts to share, I would be really happy.