Awake to a Miracle or not

The temperature had been rising for the pass few days and the heat was getting to many of the shinobi in Konoha. Due to the heatwave, numerous ninjas started skipping training sessions to avoid the weather.

Many but two, even in this condition, they continued training. The pair being Neji and Tenten. The sounds of metal to metal echoed throughout the forest. It was a sound not heard very often, these days.

Over the years, the two had created a special bond unlike any other. But both were still the same, only their appearances had changed. Tenten had bloomed into a beautiful young woman but she was more focused on her training than looks. Neji remained the same, still emotionless but more open to Tenten.

Beads of sweat were dripping from their faces. Breathing in air, rapidly due to exhaustion; before returning to their positions and starting again.

Tenten was ready to begin when a sudden rush of dizziness broke through. Her vision blurred for a while and she would've been eating dirt if Neji hadn't come to her aid.

"Thanks Neji," she replied after regaining her composition and blushed, noticing their closeness.

He really does care for me, right? Maybe I have a chance after all but I can't be too positive. After all, Neji is a master of hiding emotions, she thought.

"…"

There was silence for a while; placing her gently on the ground before turning around and walking away. Her face dropped a bit realizing how wrong she was, before.

He's only trying to be a good friend and nothing more. Who was I kidding? I never even had a chance. Grrhh! How could I have been so stupid to think that? I've really made a mistake now, he must think I'm too weak and unimportant for his attention, she thought.

Resuming to their match, Tenten quickly lashed out to the boy with moon-coloured eyes. Neji saw through most of them but others, he had only slightly managed to avoid. He was preparing to perform 'kaiten' when he noticed the bun-headed girl, take out two scrolls.

Showers of weapons were aimed at him as predicted. This move was starting to become quite familiar but he was unsure why she continued using it if the outcome was the same.

Why now? Stupid headache, go away! I have to ignore it and train or else Neji will disapprove of me, she thought.

Her vision was once again, blurring, making her having to try twice as hard not to miss her target. Not only was her head hurting, her muscles were becoming pained, in a way different from anything she has ever had. They felt as if, thousands of knives were stabbing her all at once. On the outside she was a normal girl not hurt in anyway but on the inside, she was trying to endure all the pain yet trying her hardest, fighting Neji.

Finishing her move, she tried landing steadily but failed in attempt. Taking a look at her opponent, she saw Neji clean and unscratched. She pulled out a katana from somewhere and charged at the one she secretly loved. Who in return, pulled out one of his own and followed. It was becoming more of a sword fight instead of a ninja's match.

After sometime, the two finally withdrew landing a safe distance away from the opponent.

"That was different," Tenten spoke up after regaining most of her energy, which was mostly used up due to the pains she was having.

"Yes," the Hyuuga prodigy replied.

"I prefer that more than normal matches," she told him.

"Only because you can't beat me in normal fights," he smirked. (A/N: Normal fights are the ones with ninjutsus, taijutsus and genjutsus. The one the just had was a sword fight thing.)

"Are you teasing my strength and weakness!" she asked angrily.

Giving her another one of his trademark smirks before replying, "No, just implying."

"I will beat you someday, Hyuuga Neji," she announced to him.

"We'll see," he replied in a mocking tone.

"Just you wait," she called back to her, before pulling out a scroll.

Circling him, she jumped up performing some flips, then sending weapons of all sorts, flying down. Some of them, missed by a great distance, which was when Neji noticed something, was wrong. She was going to continue of it hadn't been for another head pain which hurt excruciating. Her facial emotions changed and it was easy to see difference, even from a distance. Her body could no longer support the pain and her within seconds, she had fainted.

Neji was positive by now that something was really wrong, he saw her falling from the height and if he hadn't caught her, she would've gotten a lot of damage if she collide with the ground.

"Tenten." He called to her, trying to wake her up but it didn't work.

He quickly checked her pulse and breathing which he discovered were both unsteady and faint. Not knowing what to do, he lifted her bridal style and zoomed off to the hospital.

Arriving at the entrance he walked rapidly to one of the medics not knowing how much attention he was receiving.

"Isn't that Hyuuga Neji? He's carrying such a pretty girl," one of the patients asked.

"That's him, all right and he is so lucky," another replied.

"What's the problem?" one of the medics came forward and asked.

Neji who was trying to conceal his emotions, spoke up, "She fainted, during training."

"Training? In this kind of weather?" the medic queried.

"Yes," his tenor voice replied.

"Bring her into the room, I'll give her a quick check-up," he told him, motioning to one of the rooms.

Placing her gently on the bed, he allowed the medic to examine her while her waited outside. Without her, training would be pointless, so he seated himself on a nearby bench and began meditating but his mind was filled with different thoughts. Though on the outside, he didn't show it, inside, he was seriously worried for his female companion.

Why am I worried about her? She is old enough to take care of herself. She'll be fine but why do I have a bad feeling? Is it possible that I'm falli-? No! I can't, I'm THE Hyuuga Neji, I don't fall for people and the word 'love' doesn't belong with me, he thought.

After sometimes, the medic finally came out looking serious which set Neji, once again flooding with thoughts.

"Is she okay?" he asked trying to remain calm.

"Well there is some good news and bad news," the medic replied. "The good news is that she isn't hurt just dehydrated and out of energy but the bad news is that her whole body seemed to have shut down. Right now, she's in a deep sleep which you could call in coma. Never in my years in the medical department, have I seen this before. I'll be informing the Hokage of this situation and see what she has to say," the medic replied before walking away.

Walking slowly into the room, he found Tenten sleeping peacefully on the bed. She looked so vulnerable like this, especially when he noticed the change of tone in her skin colour. It was paler that her usual and her facial expressions were all tight, indicating she was in pain. He brushed away the strands of hair revealing a beautiful face.

Beautiful? I'm not allowed to use that word, he mentally cursed himself.

No matter how much he was trying to defy, he too knew that deep down he was falling in love with his female team-mate. It was a feeling he was too afraid to admit and if he did, he would definitely lose her. She was someone who deserved better. Someone who could make her happy in a way, he couldn't. If he lost her, he would lose their years of friendship and trust.

The door of the room opened, revealing the Hokage and the medic.

"Hokage-sama," he addressed her.

"Let me have a look at her," she replied.

Neji moved away from the bed, allowing the Hokage space to examine his training partner. After what seemed like an hour from all the suspense, she finally spoke up, "I'm afraid this is different from what I've ever seen before."

"But you can fix it right?" the prodigy asked?

"I don't know, I'll be doing so research on it but for now she'll be in coma for sometime. It is unsure, how long," she replied, before leaving to do a search for a cure for the weapon mistress.

"Thank you," he muttered.

The medic spoke up, "You should inform her parents of her situation."

"She has no parents,"

"Oh…then maybe you would like to keep her company for the time?"

"Hn"

"I guess I'll take that as a yes," the medic replied then turning around, leaving him alone.

It was almost midnight and he too was starting to get tired. Pulling a chair to her bedside, he sat down holding her hand in his. To his relief, he saw her expressions slowly relax allowing him to think peacefully without having to worry as much.

Next morning, Neji woke feeling the smoothness of her hand against his. Opening his eyes, the light shone through the window reflecting off her face. Taking one last look at her, he left to meet u with Lee and Gai.

Upon arriving, he found that he was the only one there, so he took the time to meditate. It wasn't long until he heard a loud vice erupting from the silence.

"YOSH1 GAI-SENSEI, LET'S DO OUR BEST TODAY. NEJI, MY GREATEST RIVAL! I SHALL DEFEAT YOU TODAY!" Lee shouted and even in the heat, he was still as energetic.

"MY YOUTHFUL STUDENTS! LET'S DO OUR BEST TODAY!" came a voice after a 'poof' was heard.

"Ah! Neji our beautiful flower seems to be la-," Lee started but stopped when he noticed Neji sending him a death glare along with a dangerous aura coming from him.

"I won't be coming for some time; family issues," Neji announced. He turned to leave and the two in the green spandex didn't even try stopping him.

He headed home but at a forked street he turned and headed for the hospital instead. Remembering something Lee had told him three years ago.

Flashback

"Neji, you should thank Tenten," Lee told him.

"Why?" he asked turning around to face the taijutsu master.

"While you were in hospital recovering from your fight with Kidomaru, Tenten was always by your side, she even skipped meals just to see how you were doing."

"Hn," Neji replied turning away, not wanting to hear more.

End of Flashback

Now he could do the same for her as a good and loyal friend.

Two weeks later

Tenten was still the same, no improvement only getting worse as each day passed. Neji spent day and night with her and even though her didn't show it, everyone knew how much he cared for her. He was a family member to her and ever since her parents died, he had taken up their positions.

The Hokage came often but always left with a negative answer. Even as time passed, she hadn't found a cure to heal this sickness. Tsunade was often found looking at different sorts of medical books and dark rings were starting to form around her eyes. She didn't want to lose the weapon mistress of Konoha. Her loss could greatly affect the village in time of combat and wars.

While the Hokage was hiding behind books everyday, Neji hid behind another layer of ice. He no longer could find happiness, many tried helping but none prevailed. All knew that the only person capable was Tenten.

A week later

Neji was resting on a chair besides her when he saw what happened. Tenten started coughing and very slowly, her eyes lifted. They were dull but none less, she had woken. Walking out to the doorway, he called for any medic to get the Hokage. One was nearby, hearing him and obliged.

Within a few minutes, the Godaime arrived taking a look at the weapon expert. Tenten was very weak and trying to talk was a difficult task. She looked up seeing Neji looking at her with concern.

"Ne…ji," she muttered softly.

He nodded and turned away while the Hokage gave her a check up. Then the fifth Hokage motioned for him to follow her outside.

"I hope you'll understand this but I'm afraid there's nothing I can do. I can fix her up only for a while but she'll be going in and out of coma. This is something I'm never come across before. I'll let you know, she'll die eventually, and she hasn't long left. She has about twenty minutes at the maximum," she said to him.

Neji stood there shocked and his anger came pouring out, "You are the best medical ninja and even you can't cure this. What are you! How can you not try! At least do something!"

"I know how you feel but I really sorry, there's nothing I can do," she replied calmly before walking away.

The news pained him deeply and he never felt this hurt. It was just like the death of his father but it felt worst. The pain felt like kunais piercing his heart. He took a deep breath trying to remind himself to keep calm. Stepping back into the room he saw Tenten trying to sit herself up but she failed every time she tried. Neji walked over to her and helped which brought a surprised expression to her face.

"Thanks," she whispered then a flood of tears came rushing down her face. It made Neji slowly wonder why she was crying. "I'm sorry (sob) for being weak….I don't know what's wrong with me."

She cried softly and felt much better when she felt a pair of strong arms embrace her. Neji hugged her which made both feel much better; he slowly stroked her hair which was removed from its usual buns.

If I don't tell her now, I might never have a chance, he thought.

Removing his hands from around her waist, he looked at straight into her eyes, which seemed to bring life back into her.

"Neji…?" she asked him softly.

Then very slowly, he bent forward and gave her a gentle yet passionate kiss. Though it was like a few seconds, the pair felt as if it was longer. When they finally withdrew, both were breathing in hardly.

"Tenten, I love you," he spoke after sometime.

She looked at him, confused but a hint of delight showed on her face. She pulled him closer to her and she rested her head on his shoulder. "I love you, too"

Outside in the corridor stood all her friends, who had been informed by the Hokage. A pink headed ninja knocked on the door. Then after a few seconds, Neji appeared at the door and was surprised at what he saw in front of him. He let them in when he saw the face of the Godaime behind the group. One by one, they entered the room all with grief expressions.

Tenten looked up when she saw them, trying her hardest to flash them a smile but it didn't work. She was the only one that didn't know what was wrong; everyone tried their best to look happy but failed.

The Hokage stepped forward and started short conversation with her, which ended with tears running down her face. "Can't you fix the problem?"

The Hokage looked sadly at the Weapon Mistress, "I'm afraid not. I have no cure to this."

"This can't be happening to me, it must be a dream!" she cried out and everyone else was on a verge of tears.

"Why me? My goals aren't even achieved yet."

"It's true, so you would be better off believing it," Tsunade spoke up from her cries.

"I…I…don't know…what to do..," she stuttered between sobs.

"We all want to help but there is nothing we can do, we're all here to remind you of happiness," Tsunade told her in a calming way.

Tenten looked up at her idol, she was pained inside but she knew now, that this was no longer a dream. Very slowly, she nodded. Tsunade stepped back and allowed her friends to say their final goodbyes.

"Tenten-san, your excellence will never be forgotten…I'll miss you but I'll never for…get you," Hinata spoke in between sobs.

"I'll never forget your help for me," Kiba muttered miserably.

"TENTEN, MY BEAUTIFUL FLOWER! I"LL miss you terribly and your kindness will never be forgotten!" shouted Lee with streaks of tears running down his face.

"Tenten-san, we'll never forget you," Sakura and Ino said aloud before leaning on each other for comfort and support. Both felt pains in their heart.

After all the farewells were given, the only one that remained was Neji's. Everyone moved back allowing the two to have a bit of privacy. Though he was a master at emotions, today that was different. His eyes were filled with concern and sadness with small drops of tears running down his face.

"I'll never forget you, Tenten. Your goals and dreams will be mine as well. I'll accomplish them for you. No one will ever steal my heart away from you."

He bent forward and gave her a long kiss. By now, Tenten was starting to feel really weak, she couldn't even speak. Only tears showed how she felt. She mouthed the words 'I love you and always will' to him and the prodigy caught every word.

As time passed, her hands started to drop and her heartbeats were becoming faint. Her eyelids gradually started closing and the last thing she saw was Neji holding her hand I his. Then they closed fully never to open again here, but in another world.

Far away, a voice was heard, "I will too,"

Two years later

Everything by now had returned mostly to normal and Neji kept his promise. Not once, was his heart taken away from the weapon mistress. Her dream was to become one of the strongest Kunoichis and he fulfilled that for her. Every mission he went on, would be recorded on his profile. But with the help of the Hokage, those were also copied into a profile under the name of Tenten. Rumors started spreading of this wonderful kunoichi who stayed in the shadows. But she didn't stay in the shadow; she was with Neji on every mission, watching over him.

As the years passed, he hoped to see her again; whether it was in this world or another. But their bond with each other believed that they would surely meet again.

The end

A/N: Hope you liked it! Thanks for reading! Please review.