Goodbye Forever:

Hey, Neji. It's me. Jeeze, I can't even recall if you know my name anymore. I doubt you remember me. Well, I'm writing this letter to you to tell you some important things you should've known long ago. I guess you were too dense to figure them out.

I'm going to start about a month ago, when you began to date Haruno Sakura. Yeah, she was pretty, smart, and very strong. Everything I'm not. I'm not very pretty, I'm not too smart, and I'm pretty weak for a ninja. That day you didn't come to training I knew something was up. Finally, after waiting four hours for you to show, I decided I would walk around Konoha to see what you were up to, and if everyone was okay.

I was strolling down the street when I passed a café, your favorite one. You used to take me to eat a there after training sometimes. It really was a lot of fun. I entered the café, thinking maybe you were there enjoying a milkshake. You like vanilla with extra whipped cream, sprinkles, and no cherry. You never liked the cherries, and if there was one on your milkshake, you had to order a whole new one. I remember making a name for your 'disease'. I called it cherryphobia. You laughed so hard at that. I thought that I had finally melted the ice-cold heart of Hyuga Neji. Boy was I wrong.

In a corner in the back of the room you sat with Sakura at our table, laughing at her jokes and everything she said, stirring the very same milkshake you always got with me. I heard Sakura say something about cherryphobia, and I had had enough. I ran out of the restaurant with tears in my eyes. The event that had taken place was obvious; I had been replaced.

Some days you skipped training, but never gave me any notice. I trained by myself most days. The skipped training became more and more frequent until it was quite scarce, and soon I decided to follow you from when you got up in the morning. From the time you left the Hyuga compound I was following you, making sure not to be seen or heard. At last you came to a stop. Soon enough Sakura, Naruto, and Kakashi joined you. So you didn't just replace me; you replaced your entire team.

I swear after that I demolished over a hundred trees. Breathing heavily, I continued home to my lonely apartment. Without my sister, I have no one to go home to. At one time, you may have walked me home and spent the night in the extra bedroom, which used to be Kyou's. It just shows how much I trust…no, trusted…you.

You blamed it on trying to get away from your family, but secretly I knew you knew I knew that that wasn't the reason, was it? I really appreciated that, Neji. It helped me get over my loss.

You never paid any attention to me anymore, not that I needed much. But you completely ignored me, and didn't even seem to notice me when we bumped into each other on the streets. One day, I was training when I heard voices in a forest clearing a little ways away. You know, the secret clearing we found one day. The one with the waterfall and the nice, clear water of a small stream? The very same one we would always eat lunch by after an exhausting session of training. Our secret garden, we called it. Not even Lee or Gai-sensei knew about it. You hung up a swing, and you would sometimes push me. Remember that? I loved feeling so free; flying through the air, wishing I could fly higher and higher until I disappeared among the stars. But you always brought me back; you said you didn't want to lose me that one time. The next day, you acted like nothing had happened, but I could tell that you were becoming more and more outgoing and friendly every day.

Well now in our secret clearing, you sat pushing Sakura in the swing. She laughed happily as you swung her higher and higher. And then you brought her back down. I could barely hear the words you whispered in her ear from the tree I was hiding behind. 'I don't want to lose you among the stars, my hime…'. My words; the words you once said to me. What happened? As you kissed Sakura lovingly tears ran freely down my face. What happened? What happened? I asked myself this over and over again as I ran through the forest. At last I came to our old training ground. I began to train. What happened? Why wasn't I the one whose jokes you laughed at, whose company you enjoyed, who you swung so high and brought back down? Why wasn't I the one you kissed…

All these questions, now answers. That's the truth. I realized then that I had fallen in love with you. I had fallen in love with Hyuga Neji, the cold heartless jerk whose heart had been almost melted by me and completely melted by Haruno Sakura. What did she have that I didn't? Everything.

Lee found me a few days later; I had trained for four days straight. I was exhausted, and I woke up a few more days later in the hospital. When I was completely well again, I walked home. Now here I am, writing this letter to you, so that you will always know why, even if you don't care.

Why? Because I only came to Konoha for you. Why? Because when I was only six, a boy found me. A boy comforted me. A boy took away all of my fears, enabled me to dream, and to hope. He allowed me to find happiness once again. Yes, that little boy with white eyes. That little Hyuga boy. Where had he gone? Why? I tried; I really did. Too bad I wasn't strong enough for you. So, Neji. I guess this is goodbye…forever.

My love always,

Tenten