Summary: He hated her existence, her face, her smile, her laugh, yet he could never get enough of it. It was both disgusting and intoxicating. His hate and his love for her were two sides of the same coin.

Pairings: Neji/Tenten

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, at all. All the characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi-sensei.

As Time Passes

Two Sides of the Same Coin

He scorned her existence in his life. He hated her bright, sunny smile and her cheerful demeanor. He hated the way that she had somehow made him respect her. He hated the fact that without her, his sanity was no longer stable. He believed that everything was planned at the very beginning by the fates. He didn't believe that she was the only one who could do this, it was probably just a phase or a knack she had every since she was small. It was merely coincidental that he was affected by her.

When he was awake, he could always see her hanging around behind him. When he was asleep, her image was pounding in his mind's eye, as if he didn't see enough of her already. He was sick and tired of seeing her face but he couldn't get enough of it. He was both disgusted and intoxicated by her.

She was the only person to be able to get him out of the darkness that engulfed him all those years ago. She was the only person who truly cared. She was the only person who disregarded his dark nature and looked at his true self. Despite all that, he wanted to be alone but she never let him. He hated her for that, yet he loved her.

He thought he understood how life worked, that everyone was born something. He had always thought she was born into this world, besides the fact that she was talented in the use of all weapons, but also to be the only one who could ever truly irritate him so yet be the only one he truly loved. Her existence confused him. He wasn't supposed to be confused at all.

He never quite got as irritated with her as he did with the rest of humanity. They all shuddered and cowered with fear when he was talking to them, as he was the one where all the talent of the Hyuugas were found. He was of the Branch Family, yet he far surpassed the Main Family's heir, his cousin, in terms of strength. Yet, she was never bothered with that fact. She saw straight through the iron wall he built around himself.

It had been eleven years since they first met and he was still confused about why she was the only one to ever break down the iron walls before he decided to break them down himself. However, he wasn't confused anymore about how he felt about her. He did love her, despite the fact that he hated her for being the one who obstructed his personal growth in strength. He never minded, but he always wondered how it would have been if she didn't exist in the first place.

"Otou-sama! Otou-sama!" cried out two children with the same opalescent eyes as the older man. Behind them was their mother, walking towards the man the smaller ones clung to. It was Tenten.

"Mou, Neji, Ryuuji-kun and Ruiko-chan have been looking for you everywhere," said Tenten with a smile as she twirled a kunai in her hand. Neji looked at his wife before looking down at his twin children. Bending down to their height, he rested one of his hands on both their heads. "They want to practice using the Byakugan and they're only four."

"Why not? Hinata-sama and Hanabi, along with all other Hyuuga, have practiced the Jyuuken and the use of the Byakugan at a young age. I'm sure teaching them the basics of each won't be a big deal," said Neji as he looked at identical colorless irises in front of him.

"But the basics of being a shinobi is the Bunshin no Jutsu, Kawarimi no Jutsu, Henge no Jutsu and kunai and shuriken usage," said Tenten thoughtfully.

"But not the basics of being a Hyuuga. They are Hyuuga, Tenten, whether you like it or not." The older of the two females merely laughed.

"Fine, do as you wish. But don't be too rough! They're only four you know and you don't know if they're as gifted as you are, Neji." Neji's brow furrowed as he looked evenly at Tenten, reminded of the days when she'd try to stop him and Lee from sparring, or simply stopping him from hurting Lee too badly that his pride, if it even existed, would be shattered.

"You'll never change. You'll always confuse me and yet I'll love you anyway. My feelings for you are like the two sides of the same coin. And of course I won't be too rough. They're my blood, as well as yours."

"I know, Neji, I know." She smiled triumphantly as she was able to extract a promise from him that he would be careful with their twin children.

"Otou-sama, let's start!" said Ryuuji with a grin.

"Yeah! I want to be a great shinobi like Hinata-ba-sama says you are!" added Ruiko with a merry voice. Neji reddened slightly. Of course, it went unnoticed as he pushed the red down the minute it started to rise.

"Okay, let's go to the house so we can practice."

Up in the balcony, another pair of white eyes smiled as she watched the new family walk into the house.

"Neji-nii-san, marrying Tenten-nee-san and having Ryuuji-kun and Ruiko-chan has changed you, more than you'll ever know or admit," she said with a soft smile, a reddish tinge on her face.

Owari

A NejiTen I was thinking of while I was just sitting around.

It's rather sweet and don't you think it describes how Neji feels about Tenten perfectly?

And I like the end, I usually do anyway.

And, since you want a NejiTen, here's a NejiTen.

In any case, these stories aren't going to be long, since they're the type devoid of any major storyline. If these one-shots inspire you to write any more, by all means