A/N: Hmm….nothing to put up here except the title and disclaimer.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Naruto. Otherwise there would have been an episode where Shikamaru and Ino lip lock on accident but secretly love it. Unless there is an episode like that and I just haven't seen it….
Cold Weather That Warms A Cold Heart?
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It was a cold, early winter day. Leaves fell from the trees into piles at the roots. Gai and Lee had run off to do laps around the village, while Neji and Tenten stayed in a clearing. An ongoing training battle had been taking place for quite a while, and as it got darker, it got colder. By this time it was cold enough that your lips could gain the slightest tinge of blue.
Spandex-wearing Gai-sensei and his mini-me were off running laps, having donned only a silly-looking green Santa hat with jingling bells. Neji had taken to wearing a white jacket over his traditional outfit. However, something told Tenten it was not Neji that made this choice. He never seemed bothered by the weather. She herself hadn't bothered to change her ninja attire to something warmer, and the consequences had taken their toll. She shivered slightly as she let the senbon rain down on her teammate, only to have him block them with few deft movements. She watched them fall to the earth with honey-brown eyes.
Neji had watched her reactions to the cold wordlessly for quite some time. But now he said, "Go home, you'll get a cold." His voice was hard an expressionless, but Tenten knew him better than to take that for no concern.
"But surely you want to finish the match?" Tenten asked. But again Neji was right, a sneeze shook her slim figure and dizzying fatigue swirled her mind. She stumbled on the tree and put her hand against the trunk to steady herself. Blinking, she cleared her mind, but she recognized the strange feeling she got at the beginnings of a cold. She looked down to see Neji smirking. She read his face as 'I told you so. Now come down here.' Sighing she jumped to the ground, feeling stupid and embarrassed as she stumbled again when her feet met ground.
Neji's smirk dissolved into a frown. However Tenten saw something in his eyes she had never seen before. A sly look, she had seen that before, but also a mischievous, interested, even slightly nervous and embarrassed look danced across the white windows to his soul. She waited for him to speak.
"You clearly cannot make it home alone." And with a yelp from Tenten, he scooped her up so that he held her in his arms bridal-style. However, past his mischievous face she saw that his face was slightly pinker than usual.
"I can make it by myself!" Tenten squeaked out, forgetting to argue that she had never agreed to go home.
"No, you cannot." Neji replied firmly, and Tenten knew that was it. Discussion closed. She was going home, and Neji was bringing-to be specific, carrying-her home. She swallowed, knowing her face was tomato red. "What about my weapons?" Her voice was still high-pitched. "Lee and Gai-sensei will get them." He answered, daring her to argue. Tenten stayed quiet.
And he dared anyone on the streets to snicker, stare, whisper, or any other sort of thing that attracted attention to him and his…..for lack of better word, teammate.¹ When he reached Tenten's house, he looked down at her expectantly. She fished around in her pocket and nervously held up her key. He unlocked the door and placed her down on the simple blue couch in the small living room. She began to get up but he pushed her down with a firm yet gentle hand. He went to her kitchen, another small room in her small house, and began opening the pantries. A sparse amount of food was placed in them, but there was a can of chicken noodle soup. He heated it up and came into the living room. He handed the bowl to Tenten and she began to eat.
When she was finished he took the bowl and placed it in the sink. He sat on a kitchen chair for a while, thinking about things the world may never know. When he returned to his teammate she was sleeping softly. He examined her face. It was so blissful. He couldn't help himself. He lean forward and pressed his lips against hers, waiting for the consequences. And then….
He felt her soft, rosy lips pressing back, though her eyes did not flutter open. She sat up while he sat down. Her arms reached for his neck, and hooked themselves around. His rough, calloused left hand settled gently on her shoulder, his matching right caressing the back of her head. The kiss was passionate, and though it lasted for only a minute, it felt like an eternity before they pulled apart.
At last, Tenten's eyes opened. A smirk played on her lips. "You're going to catch my cold if you do that."
"The bright side to that is it'll be your cold. I don't want anyone else's if I must have one." Neji's face mirrored hers.
Tenten smirk melted into a true smile and she leaned in again.
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A/N: ¹Seriously, for lack of better word. I couldn't think of any really good name for Tenten at the moment and I'm too lazy to fix it.
Well, I didn't really know where this one would take me when I started it, but I like it. As always comments and criticism are luffed, and you will automatically get a m00fin of your choice if you do. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important stuffs to do. That means I need to go get a frappuchino and spinning around in my computer chair while doing it.