Author's Note: Hehe…it's been a while! Sorry, but I had homework, school, and many of my activities such as basketball tournaments, swimming competitions, and a lot more things! But HOMEWORK took up most of my time. Darn…Homework sucks, don't you people agree? Anyways, here are the votes! Let's see…1 vote for Sasuke+Sakura, 2 votes for Shikamaru+Temari, 3 for Shikamaru+Ino, and… (Drum roll) 7 VOTES FOR NEJI+TENTEN! Luckily, I have an AWESOME idea for that pair, so…you people are in luck! By the way, this chapter was inspired by a Japanese drama I saw. Well, enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, the world would have cracked in half by now.


White Heathers and a Daffodil

The rain was pouring. It was a grey, gloomy day in Konoha. The usually crowded streets were empty and looked bare, and the usual shining sun wasn't out. Tenten looked out of the window inside of her room with a blank expression. She pressed her forehead to the cool glass, her breath fogging up the clear pane.

'It's already been two weeks since that event…' Tenten thought as she stared out into the lonely streets.

Flashback >>>>>

Tenten leaned against the trunk of the large oak tree, sighing as a cool breeze blew against her hair. Neji sat beside her, his long dark tresses of hair swaying with the breeze. Their ANBU masks lay forgotten on the ground beside them.

"Hey…" they both said, and Tenten chuckled.

"You go first, Neji." she said, turning her head to see him. Neji smirked.

"No, you go first." he said, also facing her. Tenten sighed.

"We both have a mission, right? And we don't know when we're going to come back." she muttered, looking down at the grass.

"You're right. So…what's your mission?" Neji asked, fingering a single blade of grass between his fingers.

"I'll tell you if you tell me yours." Tenten replied with a sly smile. Neji snorted.

"Fine. It's an A-rank mission. We're going out of Konoha to Kirigakure." he said, lowering his voice.

"Interesting. Mine's also an A-rank mission. We're going to Sunagakure." Tenten said lazily, picking a single green leaf off the ground. There was silence for a moment. Neither ninjas spoke. Only the soft rustle of the leafy branches of the oak tree was heard.

"…What's the chance of living for your mission?" the two ninjas said at the same time, and Tenten suddenly burst out laughing. Neji also couldn't help but chuckle.

"Mine's 50." Tenten replied after calming down.

"Mine's also 50." Neji replied, and Tenten stood up. Once again, there was a moment of silence.

"Neji…" she said, looking up into the clear blue sky. "Do you still believe in destiny?" Neji also looked up.

"Not really…" he replied, his clear eyes reflecting the sky. "But…" he stood up and pressed his forehead against Tenten's. "I do believe that it was destiny we met. It is also destiny…that we will see each other again after the mission." Tenten smiled softly.

"You think so, too?" she whispered. The two kissed for a brief moment until Tenten broke the kiss. "What are we doing, acting as if we'll never see each other for a long time? You're the one who said that destiny will allow us to meet again!" she said jokingly, a laughing smile on her face. Neji smiled a small smile. It wasn't a smirk, or his usual emotionless expression. It was a smile.

"I guess you're right." he said quietly, and another breeze blew past them. Tenten laughed a little bit before turning to leave.

"Hey Neji…meet me tomorrow in front of the gates before you leave, okay?" she suddenly said, walking away. Neji was a bit surprised, but nodded.

"I'll be waiting."

Flashback ends >>>>>

Tenten smiled bitterly as she remembered that moment.

'If only that day would repeat itself over and over again…' she thought sadly as she turned away from the window and plopped down onto her bed. Beside her bed was a small wooden table, and it had some letters and gifts that she had received from Neji over the years. But what really caught her attention was the single glass vase among the items. In it was a single daffodil, its petals still fresh for some reason. Tenten remembered the day when she got it.

Flashback >>>>>

It was the next day. Neji and Tenten were currently standing in front of each other in front of the Konoha main gates. They were both dressed in their ANBU uniforms, ready to go. It was raining, with thunder clouds covering the sky. Tenten looked at Neji, rain trickling down her face.

"Neji…here." she said with a brave smile on her face. She handed him a single white heather, with its cream-colored petals dotted with raindrops. Neji glanced at it before holding it delicately in his hands, as if it was glass.

"White heather…the flower of protection…" Neji murmured as he studied the flower. Tenten blushed a little bit.

"When we went on missions together…I would always try to protect you and your blind spot. This time, I can't go with you, so…I put my prayers on that flower." she explained, looking down. The rain continued to fall. Neji nodded before gently placing it inside of his pocket. He turned to leave.

"Thank you, Tenten…As my thanks, I'll give you this." he said, and he threw something towards her. By reflex, Tenten caught it between her fingers and let out a small gasp as she saw what it was.

"A Daffodil…" she whispered as she gently felt its delicate yellow petals.

"The sun shines inside my heart when I'm with you, Tenten…You're the only one." Neji muttered as he went closer to her. "That daffodil represents my feelings towards you." After he said that, Neji instantly captured Tenten's lips with his. Tenten closed her eyes, not wanting to forget that moment. The rain was falling down hard, but the two ANBUs paid no attention to the area around them. Finally, they broke apart. Tenten put the daffodil safely inside one of her pouches and put on her ANBU mask. Neji did the same.

"Neji…Aishiteru." Tenten said from behind her mask. The two ninjas went their separate ways, and all the while, the rain was still falling.

Flashback ends >>>>>

A single tear threatened to roll down her cheek as Tenten recalled that moment. Two weeks after that memorable day, Tenten had returned from her mission in hopes of seeing Neji. She still remembered how disappointed she had felt when Tsunade had told her that Neji hadn't returned yet. Days turned into weeks as Tenten waited patiently for Neji to come back. All she could do was hope that he'll come back and perhaps give her a hug or a kiss.

'There's no point denying it…I miss Neji.' Tenten thought. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. Curious, Tenten went out of her room to open the door. 'Who could be visiting me in this rain? Tenten opened the door, and was quite surprised when she saw Sakura standing outside, clothes and hair dripping with rain and soaked to the bone.

"S…Sakura? What are you doing here? You'll catch a cold!" Tenten exclaimed, but Sakura shook her head, panting heavily.

"Tenten-san…you must…come quickly!" she huffed, her face showing fatigue. "Neji-san…Neji-san has come back with his ANBU squad!" Tenten's eyes widened.

'Neji…Neji came back…' she thought and she immediately dashed outside.

"Tenten-san!" Sakura yelled, but Tenten paid no attention to the pink-haired girl. She could just barely hear Sakura running to catch up with Tenten. The rain pelted down, soaking Tenten's clothes and hair, but Tenten didn't care. She just kept running, all the way to the Konoha main gates. Grasped in one hand was the daffodil Neji had given her.

'Neji…I hope you're alright…' Tenten thought, impatiently brushing away a single wet lock of hair that had escaped from her hastily-tied buns.

The first thing Tenten saw when she arrived at the gates was a large crowd, with medic-nin, ANBU, jounins, a few chuunins, and Tsunade. Tenten pushed through the crowd, and gasped when she came to the middle. Neji and his ANBU squad were lying on the ground. They were obviously unconscious, and medic-nins were starting to carry them off. Fearing the worst, Tenten shakily approached Neji. She trembled as she lightly brushed Neji's cheek. Tenten stiffened when she felt Tsunade's hand on her shoulder.

"Is he…" Tenten whispered, staring down at Neji's face. Tsunade shook her head.

"I don't know. From what I've heard from his ANBU squad, he was stabbed by a poisoned senbon. He managed to complete the mission, but he collapsed from chakra exhaustion and the poison. He was also stabbed in stomach by a sword. All I know is that he is in critical condition and needs to be taken care of quickly." she explained, and with shaking hands Tenten grasped Neji's cold ones.

"Neji…" she muttered, and kneeled down on the muddy and wet ground beside his limp body. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the bloody wound on his stomach and his expressionless face.

'Neji…you'd better wake up…Neji…' Tenten thought, squeezing Neji's hand. Tsunade looked at Tenten with a sympathetic face, and then turned to the medic-nins.

"Quick, get a stretcher and take him to the hospital!" she barked, and the medic-nins quickly nodded and dashed off to get an extra stretcher.

'Neji…you promised that we'll see each other again, right? Don't you dare break that promise…' Tenten thought. The rain was still falling. A single tear from Tenten dropped onto Neji's cheek, mingling with the rain.

"Neji…I love you…" Tenten whispered, cradling Neji close to her. She gasped as she felt someone stroke her hair.

"And I love you too, Tenten…" Neji muttered, gently pushing a stray lock of hair behind Tenten's ear. Tenten's eyes immediately brimmed with tears.

"Neji…" she sobbed as she hugged him. Neji brushed the tears off Tenten's face, catching her attention.

"What are doing out here…It's pouring rain…" he said, smirking a little bit.

"Neji you baka." Tenten laughed softly. Neji spotted the daffodil clutched in one of Tenten's hands.

"…You still have that flower." he mumbled, looking at it curiously.

"Of course. I would never throw it out." Tenten said, and held up the daffodil at arm's length, studying its sunny-yellow petals. Neji smirked. He rummaged in his pocket for something, and pulled out something small and white. Tenten gasped.

"That's the white heather I gave you! You still have it?" she exclaimed, amazed at the fact that it wasn't even dirty.

"Well, you still have my daffodil, so…I still have the heather." Neji said flatly, and Tenten smiled.

"Welcome back, Neji." she said softly. Just then, the medic-nins came with the stretcher.

"You're late!" Tsunade shouted impatiently.

"S…Sorry, Hokage-sama! But we had some difficulty trying to find an extra stretcher." one of the medic-nins explained hurriedly, not wanting to face the Hokage's wrath.

"Whatever, just take him to the hospital quickly!" Tsunade ordered, and the medic-nins lifted Neji and placed him on the stretcher. Neji glanced at Tenten.

"I'll see you later, Tenten. And go home quickly. You'll catch a cold." he said, and Tenten nodded.

'Love cures people –Both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.'

-Dr. Karl Menninger-


So, how was it? I got that quote from a book I read. I thought that it suited this chapter pretty well. Like I said earlier, this idea was inspired by a Japanese drama, but I had to make up the ending. Well, PLEASE REVIEW! For the next chapter, you can vote for:

Neji+Tenten

Naruto+Hinata

Sasuke+Sakura

Shikamaru+Ino

Shikamaru+Temari