And here we are with chapter 6, part two of Tenten's getting stronger saga. For a second I thought I was stumped with how to move the story forward after this chapter but luckily I still have a few more chapter ideas, so this story isn't ending just yet, haha.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto at all.

Chapter 6: Stronger pt2

Tenten's body hadn't fully recovered but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She got out of bed that morning and headed to the training grounds with her scrolls. It was still early morning, barely anyone was on the streets as she headed to her destination, it would mean the training grounds would be perfectly empty, just the way she wanted it. The air was crisp and chilly, her breath coming out in puffs as she set up the targets she was going to use.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath and had a scroll in each hand. When she opened her eyes she opened her scrolls and fired an arsenal of weapons at the five targets in front of her. Her aim was a little off, more proof that she needed to be back in training.

An hour or so had gone by when she'd switched from target practise to handling her weapons again. Her axe, sickle and chain, wooden staff, kunai and shuriken, all of it was starting to feel familiar to her once again. She was so absorbed in her training that she hadn't noticed the person running in her direction.

"What on earth do you think you're doing?" she turned to see Neji

"I'm training." She stated

"You're supposed to be resting."

"Sitting in bed all day isn't going to help me get my skills back." She said a little more harshly than she intended

"Get them back? You say that as if they vanished completely."

"They might as well have."

"And you think pushing yourself beyond your limits while still recovering is going to change that? Tenten, we've all made mistakes on missions."

"It was more than just a mistake, I made some bad calls and they put you and Lee in danger and then I wasn't even strong enough to get you guys, or myself for that matter, out of that situation." She was getting worked up

"That's why you have teammates, you're not supposed to do it all on your own." He tried to reassure her

"I felt so useless." She lowered her head

"Tenten, that couldn't be any further from the truth." He walked right in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders but she turned away from him. He felt a stab in his chest.

"Please Neji, I just…need to get through this on my own." She said with finality

There was nothing more he could say, she'd made up her mind and she was determined to see this through. He knew he had to give her the space she asked for, he just wished she wouldn't push herself too far.

For the next few days Tenten spent hours on the training grounds, working from sunrise to sunset, barely stopping to catch her breath or even to eat. By the time the sun was going down she was completely depleted of chakra and her body felt heavy, her muscles aching from all the vigorous activity, her breathing laboured but her sheer will power kept her standing. And during all those days Neji had been watching her from a distance, keeping an eye on her and it took every bit of strength in him to stop himself from rushing to catch her before she collapsed then immediately pick herself up again.

On one of the days she'd really pushed herself too hard while she was wielding one of her weapons. She'd stretched too far out and a sharp pain erupted from her left side, where her wound was. She immediately fell to her knees to catch her breath, hot tears prickling through her eyes that she'd squeezed shut and grit her teeth to fight the pain. She'd run her sword into the ground and was using it as support. She evened out her breathing and wiped away the sweat on her brow before she stood up again. Neji had seen everything and couldn't stop himself from rushing to her side.

"Are you alright?" he helped her up, the concern clear in his voice

"I'm fine…thanks." She couldn't deny that she'd missed him holding on to her. The way his arms fit so naturally around her waist holding her against his chest, she embraced it for a bit longer before clearing her head.

"I know you've been watching me this whole time." She could feel him tense up but he didn't respond. It was their first time speaking to each other in days. "I want you to fight me."

"What?" he pulled back and looked at her incredulously

"I'm serious, I want to test myself against you otherwise all this was for nothing." She looked right back at him. He understood her and as much as he didn't want to admit it, she was right. In order for her to move past this and truly heal, she needed to do this and she was asking him to help her.

"Fine, but if we're doing this, we're doing it right. After you get some rest, we'll face each other tomorrow and don't expect me to go easy on you."

"It never crossed my mind." She gave him a small smile and they left the training grounds together.

The following morning, they stood facing each other, focused and ready to face off. Their intense stares fixed on each other, Tenten couldn't deny that she was feeling nervous but she'd wanted this and was determined to see this through to the end.

A gentle breeze swept past and in the blink of an eye they were off, charging at each other full force. Tenten summoned a wave of kunai and directed them at Neji but he used his rotation to divert them all. As soon as he dropped his defence, Tenten was already past his guard and swung her axe right by him which he'd just managed to dodge. She wasn't done with him however and tried to kick him while he was still of balance. He'd blocked her and finally went on the offensive and stuck her in the chest, she dug her feet in the ground to stop herself from skidding back further. His attack was harder than he anticipated as he saw her lose her balance a bit. She knew he probably felt guilty for hitting her so hard and needed to make sure he wouldn't let up. She recovered and went for him again, getting better as the fight continued.

After a few hours they ended things, there wasn't a clear winner but Tenten didn't mind it. After all that fighting left her sore and breathless, she felt more like herself and more alive than she had in weeks. Neji went over to her to see if she was okay and was surprised when she'd thrown herself into his arms with the biggest smile on her face. She held him close and thanked him for that great battle but also for sticking by her the entire time, even when she didn't want him around. He lightly chuckled and ran his hands through her hair which he just now noticed was loose. He assumed he'd caused her to lose it during their fight. She passionately kissed him and he immediately responded, his arms finding their way around her waist. He felt his heart rate increase as she deepened the kiss and his hands moved to her thighs when she'd put her legs around him.

"I think we should head back." She said slightly out of breath and was smiling, her forehead against his. He put her down and they started walking back hand in hand. She ran her other hand through her hair and smiled to herself. Now he owes me a hair tie.

And that's chapter six done and dusted, hope you've enjoyed it. I've loved reading the reviews so far and I'm glad peeps are enjoying it. Keep them coming and keep enjoying.

Well that's it from me-

Until the next chapter:

Ketsui Tasogare :-)