Disclaimer: I do not own Narutoor any of these characters.
She could never understand him. He was just so… complicated. But then again, everyone is. As far as she was concerned, he was unique. Others might say she knew him best, she did spend the most time with him, but that doesn't mean she knew him. Hyuuga Neji was someone she thought she could never quite understand. No other girl seemed to be able to come close to him, with the possible exception of Hinata, and yet she might as well have been just like the rest of them.
"Come along, we should move on," Gai Sensei interrupted their break, and Tenten's thoughts. She didn't feel like continuing, she would rather have stayed and sorted out her thoughts. Lee had already obediently jumped up to follow their Sensei, and Neji was even rising to go. Tenten only sat there, waiting to get up once the other two had turned to follow Gai Sensei.
"Tenten, aren't you coming?" Neji had turned back to look at her with those impossible to read white eyes. She glared up at him from where she sat, and then finally rose to stride past him in a huff.
Neji sensed her bad mood and caught her arm as she tried to walk by. She glared down at his hand on her arm and raised her eyes to meet his while pulling her arm free of his grasp. "What?" She said with a note of irritation in her voice.
"What's wrong? You've been in a bad mood for the last few days," He wanted to know. His directness caught her off guard, and the almost concerned look in his eyes made her even more frustrated. Now that she was in a bad mood he cared and would speak to her, but not any other time. It had always been like this, if she was upset Neji would sit down and listen to her so that he could try and help her fix her problems. This time it wasn't something he could fix.
"It's nothing," She studied the ground, wishing he would go ahead and leave her to sulk. But he wouldn't go.
"'Nothing' doesn't make someone's eyes red," Neji said calmly. She looked up at him in surprise and blinked. "If something's wrong then tell me."
"I just don't get you," She blurted. There, she'd finally said it. Even if it wasn't the whole problem it was a good start. He looked confused by this but made no reply, so she went on. "We've been on the same team for a long time, we've done many missions together, and I still can never know what to expect from you?"
"This is what has been bothering you?" He sounded disbelieving, and Tenten knew he expected there to be more to the story. "I know who I am, I understand myself even if others don't. Why does it matter to you so much?"
"Because I…" She couldn't finish the thought. It just wasn't something she could bring herself to say. She used to be able to confide in him, but this she couldn't bring herself to say.
"Tenten," He started and looked her right in the eyes. "I am your teammate, and I'm your friend. If there is something is wrong, please let me help you. Tell me."
She scowled at him. He knew how effective that argument was against her, he used it anytime she was having trouble opening up about a problem. Much like this time. Neji just watched her patiently, waiting for her to respond. She sighed, it had to come out sooner or later.
"It's just that. We're friends, I know that. But seriously Neji," She looked into his eyes and then back down to the ground. "Friends know each other, and talk about…things."
"We do talk, when you were having that fight with your parents we talked. And remember when-"
"Now that's just it," Tenten cut him off. "I talk, and you listen. I tell you my problems, and you try and help me fix them. Friendship is not supposed to be one-sided. I want to hear what you have to say, too, so that maybe one day I might understand you."
Neji had no response for this. The truth was, he had always wanted to talk to her but it just wasn't in his personality. He did what he had always done: listened. When she was upset, he listened. If she had a story to tell, he listened. And if she needed it, he would always help her. And now she was upset because he couldn't open up. What was he supposed to say? She was the one with the funny stories to tell, not him. And his problems were way beyond her, he knew this for sure.
"I…..Can't," It was Neji's turn to look away, feeling ashamed.
"Why not?" Tenten wanted to know, something in her tone finally broke him down and he finally spilled it all out.
"I just can't. It's you I want to listen to, it's your problems I want to fix, it's you I want to help. I don't want to bore you with stories about how I have to train every day so that I can protect Hinata-sama, and I don't want you to try to fix my problems because they're mine. Do you understand now?" He almost instantly felt bad for having snapped at her like this, but deep down he didn't. She had wanted him to open up, and this was as open as he could get.
"Why should you be allowed to fix my problems if I can't help you?" She said timidly after getting over the surprise of his outburst.
"Because… I…." Now it was his turn to look at the ground.
"Do you know why I want to understand you better now?" Tenten asked. He looked up into her eyes, seeing her in a new light. He wanted to hear her stories because it was the best way for him to connect with her, and she only wanted the same. Both of them knew why, but neither was willing to voice it just yet.
"I know now," He looked into her brown eyes. She was gazing back at him intently, the dark cloud no longer hanging over her.
Neji carefully reached out for her, and when she didn't back away he cupped the side of her face. Tenten's eyes fluttered at the warmth of his hand, finally starting to understand him. She moved closer to him and whispered into his ear:
"I just want to help you as you help me..."
"…Because you love me as I love you," He finished for her and they kissed softly. In that moment, all confusion left them both because now it all made sense.
"Oi, Neji! Tenten!" They heard Lee's voice calling and immediately broke the embrace. When he came running, they were standing far apart and appeared preoccupied with other things. "What are you two doing? We've been waiting for you." Lee started looking back and forth between the two, looking more suspicious with each glance.
"Neji, I found it!" Tenten held up one of her earrings. "I told you it had to be over here!" She smiled at him, and Neji understood.
"I thought you were sitting over here, how'd it get over there?"
"Honestly, Neji, I don't know where you got that idea," Tenten laughed and slipped her earring back in. She and Neji started towards where Gai Sensei would be waiting, both seeming surprisingly happy about something. Lee was watching them leave, seeming very confused.
"Lee! Aren't you coming?" The two shouted and he sprang forward to follow them, deciding it would be better to figure this out at another time.