Authors Notes: Since Manatheron asked, I thought I should probably give you some background information on the river Acheron. There are actually five rivers of the underworld in Greek mythology. They are: Phylegethon, the river of fire; Cocyrus, the river of wailing; Acheron, the river of woe; Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, and Styx, the river of hatred. Styx is the one you hear about all the time and I'm pretty sure it was that river that Orpheus had to cross in order to bring back Eurydice. He did this by serenading the ferryman, and Hades told him he could take her back as long as he didn't once look back at her until they reached the exit to the underworld. Of course he looks back and loses her forever, etc, but I will reassure you that that will not be happening in this story.

After all, you can't have NejiTen without Neji, right? (nudgenudge)

Crossing the Acheron
Chapter Two

"What do you think, Keiki?"

Tenten held up a bright flower in front of her son, brushing the soft yellow petals against his cheek with a smile. His moon-colored eyes watched her happily, a sleepy gurgle her only answer. She laughed low in her throat and set the flower in her lap, brushing again at the folds of her dress. She had been forced into a semblance of womanhood that morning by Hinata who, despite rumors, could be quite forceful, especially since she spoke so quietly and kindly that you couldn't help but do what she wanted. After all, why would you want to upset someone so polite? Tenten still hadn't figured a way around that one and so there she was, sitting in the Hyuuga's small garden with Keiki wrapped into a basket, enjoying the sunshine.

And wearing a dress.

The reason for this was because it was Kiba's birthday and the Inuzuka clan was holding a celebration for him that evening. Normally, Tenten would not have been invited, but as Hinata was close friends with Kiba and Tenten was a close friend of Hinata… Well, suffice it to say that it looked like everyone in Konoha would end up going by extension.

Hinata, too, was dressed for the party, a small smile on her face as she leaned over Keiki's basket, tilting her head to look at him with pale eyes. Ever since Tenten had first moved into the compound, Hinata had seemed to want to be friends, offering to help with Keiki or simply be available to talk with, sometimes about Neji. Tenten often found these discussions painful but she appreciated Hinata's presence. The younger girl needed a friend within the compound as much as Tenten did and so they found themselves spending more and more time together, fumbling through the first stages of true friendship. Tenten supposed they had become something like sisters. She could tease Hinata mercilessly about her crush on Naruto, and Hinata could look at her with those cute puppy eyes and get Tenten to agree to just about anything. It might have had something to do with Neji, too, although Tenten wasn't sure she wanted to admit it. In his place, she had become Hinata's protector, as Neji would have been, and it was a role that filled that hole in her heart as well.

"He's such a happy child," Hinata observed softly, offering her small cousin a finger to grab onto. "He reminds me of Neji."

Tenten blinked. "Really?"

"Y…Yes," Hinata stammered, finding herself the focus of attention, "Be…Before his father's death." She hesitated, unsure if it was safe to say more. "And he has Neji's jaw." She smiled. "He will be very strong one day."

"Indeed he will," a strong voice said calmly, and Tenten turned her head only to immediately bow down to the patriarch of the Hyuuga clan, her fingers pressed into the grass.

"Hiashi-sama," she said respectfully, slipping into the role of an adopted Branch family member. The first thing Hinata had given her was the rules of etiquette required for one to survive in the world of white-eyed Byakugan users. There was a certain protocol to be followed, certain phrases to be used when addressing certain people. She learned them all because she knew it was necessary, not for herself, but for her son. She never wanted him to be at a disadvantage because his father was gone, so she did everything that was asked of her with perfect civility, showing that she was indeed a worthy mother of Neji's only child and belonged in their realm of ivory colored secrets.

"He's growing quickly," Hiashi commented, analyzing her son with a mild expression she had come to realize as a symptom of one of his better moods. Hiashi could be stern, serious, even cruel if you didn't live up to his expectations, but he was an honorable man, and there was kindness in him if you knew where to look. Not so very different from Neji, perhaps. "A good sign. My daughter is correct. I sense that he has inherited his father's great potential."

Tenten inclined her head. "Thank you, Hiashi-sama. I hope so."

He eyed her for a moment, that smooth, hard face remembering. "With your accuracy and Neji's Byakugan…" He shook his head slightly, seemingly impressed with the possibilities. "It will be interesting to see what he becomes. Raise him well, Tenten-san."

She bowed again. "Yes, Hiashi-sama." And then he was gone and Hinata, who had fallen silent in her father's presence, let out a soft breath. It was a moment before either of them spoke.

"My father thinks Keiki might surpass Neji," Hinata murmured. "It would make Neji's d…death less of a loss in terms of clan strength."

Tenten reached out and caressed Keiki's yet unmarked forehead, wondering if Hinata realized that when he finally did receive the curse seal, it would probably be for the benefit of one of her own children. After all, such strength as they seemed to think Keiki would have had to be restrained, chained.

Caged.

Lest it overcome the Main house and their careful hierarchy.

"And what do you think, Hinata?" she asked gently, turning honey brown eyes to the Hyuuga heir's white-blue. The younger girl smiled shyly.

"I think he's very cute."

Lee had never been one to dwell on the past. All of his failures, his mistakes, his joys, he experienced them and then put them behind him, always looking towards the future. It was a trait that made him unstoppable, that gave him his unerring determination to fulfill his own wishes. Of course, he understood sorrow and grief and disappointment like everyone else, and perhaps his aversion to worrying about the past was a form of denial as Neji had once told him, but he couldn't help but want to live his life to the fullest, despite hardships.

There had been times when this optimistic attitude had seen it's trials, like when he was sure he would never graduate from the Academy, or after his leg had been crushed by Gaara and his dream of being a spectacular ninja seemed best left behind.

And when he had found Neji's scratched and gouged forehead protector in a muddy riverbank, the only article of his they had managed to bring back.

He didn't blame himself for Neji's death. Shinobi knew the value and cost of death, they lived with the knowledge of it everyday, Neji as well. They were prepared for it and had been that day, too. He still remembered leaving Konoha on that dewy spring morning, surprised to find Neji leaving Tenten's apartment with something close to regret on his face.

The three of us have relied on each other many times. If something were to happen, promise me you won't let her be alone.

Lee had stared at his teammate seriously. You think something's going to happen? Why?

Neji's smirk had been full of arrogance and pride. I defied fate.

Looking back on that exchange, Lee still wasn't sure what Neji had meant, only that the Hyuuga must have had some notion that something would go wrong with the mission. Lee had made that promise, however, not knowing that Neji would die fighting an renegade ninja, both of them swept away in the rain swollen waters of a large river. Lee and the rest of the team had searched, of course. In fact, they had looked for two days with the hope that Neji hadn't drowned, that he had just been washed downstream.

His body had never been found.

And on the second day, the Hokage had called them back, saying it was fruitless to search anymore. Neji had been wounded and very low on chakra and the rapids had been fierce. There was no hope in useless actions. Even so, Lee had kept watch in the village from the perimeter walls, waiting for Neji to come walking up, annoyed that they thought a mere river could beat him.

A year passed.

Lee kept his promise. He was there for Keiki's birth, holding Tenten's hand as she delivered his teammate's child, the inheritor of both steel and sight. It had been a hard road to that point. Tenten had internalized Neji's death, unable to speak of it or listen to others talk about him in the past tense. There had even been a time when Lee had taken away all her weapons, anything with a sharp edge. Not because he thought she would hurt herself. No, she was too strong for that and she would never have done anything to endanger Neji's son. He had done it because he knew that when Tenten finally broke down to cry for him it would be explosive and he didn't want an accident on his hands. He wouldn't lose to Neji that way.

Two weeks after his death, Lee had gone to her apartment to find her sobbing on the floor like her heart was being torn out of her body, her great racking sobs making him cry as well. They had sat there and cried for the unfairness of it all and afterwards had never spoken of it again. It was their moment, their secret, and a last farewell to their friend.

Even now, after all this time, he knew Tenten was still hurting. She never said anything but he could tell, and no matter how optimistic he was, no matter how determined, he just didn't have the words to heal her. Gai-sensei had told him no one did.

The only person who could have reached my little flower is Neji, he had said, laying a hand on Lee's shoulder. But don't give up, Lee! We shall do our best to restore her youthful vigor in his place!

Lee raised a clenched fist with fiery resolve. "I won't let you down, Gai-sensei!"

And with burning rays of determination in his eyes, he strode into the Inuzuka clan's stronghold with the glinting smile and flare that only Rock Lee could do. He wouldn't lose this time. This time, he would win.

"Gai-sensei, be more careful!" Tenten berated her teacher, wincing as he twirled around with Keiki in his arms. The baby was held firmly to his chest and she knew that Gai-sensei would never do anything to hurt him, but still… Gai's enthusiasm sometimes made her a nervous wreck. What was probably worse was that Keiki absolutely adored him. He cooed and giggled and smiled and her sensei soaked it in like a proud sponge.

"Tenten, my sunflower, you have nothing to fear! I am simply undone by Keiki's charm! How beautifully vibrant he is!" He grinned at her son who, of course, smiled back. Tenten put her head in her hands. "That's right, Keiki! Never lose that look of unbridled happiness!"

"Gai, are you still torturing that child?" Kakashi asked mildly as he passed by on his way to refill his punch glass. Gai smirked deviously.

"Ah, Kakashi, my eternal rival, are you jealous of Keiki's admiration for me? See how he delights in my presence!"

Tenten groaned quietly. Oh god, if they had a competition over who could make Keiki laugh the most… She stood up quickly, seeing Lee enter the party out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, look, there's Lee. I'm sure Keiki would like to see him." She scooped her son out of her teacher's arms quickly and made a break for it, leaving him arguing with Kakashi as they went to the desserts table. She breathed a sigh of relief when she got to her old teammate. "Lee, there you are. I was wondering if you would be able to come. You're late."

He gave her a sheepish look. "Well, I had to run 300 laps around the village, but I tripped on the last one, so I then I had to do to 500 pushups but…"

She shook her head, bemused. "Well, at least you're here, but the party's almost over." She glanced over to where Naruto and Kiba had passed out after trying to see who could eat the most cake with a long-suffering smile. Hinata and Shino were trying to revive them without much luck. "I was just getting ready to take Keiki home. It's time I put him to bed."

"I'll go with you," Lee said instantly. "You shouldn't walk back by yourself."

She patted his shoulder with her free hand. "Thank you, Lee, but I'll be fine. It's not that far and besides," she nudged him with her elbow, "don't you want to say hello to Sakura?"

His eyes grew dreamy. "Sakura-san is here?"

"She's in the corner over there by Ino." She watched him stumble off and smiled affectionately. "Try not to make a fool of yourself," she called after him before bundling Keiki and stepping out into the cool summer night.

The walk home was peaceful and refreshing, the evening stars twinkling at her and lighting her path. By the time she reached the Hyuuga compound she felt relaxed, at peace, and with Keiki asleep against her shoulder she walked down the simple hallways with smooth steps, unburdened for the moment by all the things she couldn't change.

She greeted a few women of the Branch house that called to her and went into Keiki's room to put him down for the night. She kissed his smooth head and pulled the blankets over his small shoulders, wondering if she should sit with him for awhile before deciding against it. She hadn't gotten much sleep lately and Keiki would want an early morning feeding before sunrise. She'd better get some rest while she could.

Covering her mouth as she yawned, she slid Keiki's door closed only halfway and went next door to her own bedroom, moving the rice paper panel aside with her foot as she kicked off her shoes carelessly. She padded quietly towards her bed and had the first three buttons of her shirt undone when she realized there was someone in the room with her.

Her eyes widened as she realized she didn't have a kunai handy and she turned quickly with the intention of screaming. Instantly, a hand covered her mouth and she was pulled backwards against a solid body, another arm snaking around her waist to hold her firmly. She struggled and when she realized that wasn't going to work, she went completely limp, a good surprise method that usually allowed you to slip through your attackers fingers. Unfortunately, whoever it was didn't fall for it, his arms tightening to hold her upright.

"Stop it," he commanded in her ear firmly. "You're going to wake everyone."

She blinked, feeling her body go still and then start to tremble. Something was shaking in her heart, a vibration that echoed into her mind and out her mouth as her assailant eased his hold on her. She turned halfway in his arms, feeling as if she were about to break apart.

The hoarse whisper that left her lips sounded nothing like her. "Neji?" But she never heard his answer, for at that moment a ray of moonshine turned his eyes a luminescent white and she felt herself fall away from him, her sight going dim.

Tenten had fainted.

To be continued…