(From the last chapter…)

"Neji!" Neji's father called.

"Yes, Father?" Neji replied.

"You fool!" his father said, "How can you like someone who's getting married!"

(Chapter 3 – Realize)

Neji's eyes widened and explained, "Father, it's only a rum-"

"No!" his father declined, "A rumor from the jounins? Never!"

"Father, you don't understand!" Neji protested.

"I'm stripping you as my heir. I disown you!" His father said, "Any more childish things from you and I'm going to throw you out of this house!"

With that, his father left.

Neji punched his fist on the wall, "Darn you, Tenten! I'm going to kill you tonight!"

Like he said, he was going to kill her.

After sunset, he grabbed his black trench coat and made sure that his kunai pack was with him. He lifted the hood of his trench coat and walked towards Tenten's mansion.

"Madame!" Anya said, coming to Tenten.

Tenten was turning pale and was choking out her blood in her bedroom.

"I can sense him…" Tenten muttered, "Don't mind me. I'll lock my room and you get to the door. Tell him I'm not here…"

Tenten reached for her drawer and got a necklace with a small scroll in the glass pendant.

"Wear this. This is what saved me from the train detonation. It prevented me from getting injured…" Tenten said, "Wear it… And when he carries a weapon… with him-"

Tenten coughed some blood and continued, "Make sure that you look at the weapon when you wear this… If… If you do so, the weapon… Will have no effect… O-on you…"

"Madame!" Anya said, taking the necklace, "Are you sure you're going to be fine!"

"Wear it now!" she said, "Hurry! He's here!"

Without another word, Anya wore the necklace and it glowed.

Anya closed the door and saw Neji downstairs, storming about the mansion.

"Anya, where's Tenten!" Neji angrily said, carrying with him his kunai.

"Look at the weapon, Anya." A voice through Anya's head whispered, "LOOK AT HIS KUNAI!"

Obeying her inner self, she looked at his kunai and said, "Madame Tenten is not here!"

"She said she wouldn't leave the house!" Neji angrily said, "How ironic! Another promise broken by that slut!".

"NO ONE CALLS MY MASTER BY SUCH AN OFFENSIVE SLANG!" Anya shouted.

"SHUT UP!" he said, "Get out of my way!"

With that, Neji sent his kunai flying towards Anya – he didn't give a damn who he kills, as long as he finds his target – Tenten.

For some unknown reason, Anya felt herself falling to the floor, without a wound – however, Neji always had a perfect aim, but that perfect aim was dodged by an effect of the miraculous necklace Tenten gave Anya. Then, she felt her eyes close, but heard Neji, "Darn old woman."

Neji climbed the stairs and went to Tenten's room – he knows his way to her mansion because he was there for so many times when he was a chuunin.

He readied his kunai and kicked the door open, "Tenten! You idiot! I will kill you this time!" His eyes narrowed when he saw Tenten choking out her own blood, curling in bed. She weakly opened her eyes and said, "I see. Please kill me now, Neji… If that's what you want… I am nothing but an unworthy friend…"

He dropped his kunai and approached her. He sat on her bed and placed her brown locks behind her ears and asked, "What's happening to you?"

"I can't tell you…" Tenten weakly replied, catching her breath, "I promised… I'll never show myself to you again! I always believed… I believed ever since I became parentless… that my life was so short. If you wish to kill me, do it."

"Tell me." Neji said, looking at her seriously, "What happened to you?"

"A curse." An old woman's voice echoed through Tenten's room.

"I'm happy to see… that the same necklace that saved my life before… saved you as well…" Tenten muttered, slightly smiling at Anya.

"What? What curse!" Neji exclaimed.

"It's been a long secret from her." Anya replied, "But I think I have to say this myself, Madame, so that Sir Hyuga Neji may know how much pain and suffering you've been through from the past years until today."

"No…" Tenten replied, "You… don't… have… to… tell… N-Neji…"

"Spill it out, Anya." Neji said sternly.

"Forgive me, Madame, but he needs to know…" Anya sadly replied, "Madame's parents died in a train bombing. The train was headed to the village of the Sand, to consult an old man for a cure for Madame's curse. But because of a forfeit, Madame never got cured, since she took Genin classes, Chuunin and Jounin meetings; her curse was never cured. At an unpredictable time, she will suddenly choke out blood. As she grows older, the curse gets worse."

"How many times have you lied to me, Tenten?" Neji guiltily told Tenten who was in tears, "How many?"

"A… A lot of times… I am certain…" Tenten vulnerably answered, "I didn't want… anybody… to… cry for me… I… I promised myself… I… I am the… only one… who can feel… this kind of… pain… I… don't… want… others to… worry… for me…"

Anya returned the necklace to Tenten, "And this necklace saved her from any debris from the train explosion after she escaped alone. The tragedy happened when she was only a child, she was only 5 years old back then…"

Neji looked at Tenten, "You broke your promise and lied to me for how many times now, Tenten. You said your parents divorced and took different paths, leaving you behind with Anya, you told me that you will keep my secret-"

"She never spoke of your secret." Anya said, "Whatever that secret is!"

Tenten closed her eyes and saw a small light in the darkness of her mind, "I… I… I can see… a light… A very bright one…"

Tenten caught Neji's attention and Neji shook her shoulders violently, "Tenten, wake up!"

"What a beautiful light…" Tenten smiled.

"Don't approach it!" Neji said, realizing that she was near death, "Don't!"

"But… it's so beautiful… I never saw such a thing…"

"Please, no!" Neji said, his eyes welling up, "Tenten, whatever happens, even if this world collapses, YOU'RE STILL MY FRIEND!"

Tenten said, "Thank you…"