A/N: No, I have no time. Really, I mean it. Grin As always, thanks to everyone who has been saying all those way-too-nice things about this fic. You all are so supportive! Except for Berry-sensei, who, while you are the reason MY HEART IS BURSTING WITH YOUTHFUL ENERGY, is just insane. :-P And double points to those who wondered about Neji's curse seal…

Note: About how much I suck, I have not read a whole lot of the manga, mainly I have not read any of Naruto II. Soooo I did not know until a Wikipedia excursion that Neji is now a Jounin. Sorry! For the sake the fic, let's go with him being a Chuunin and thus in Tenten's rank.

Warning: This is where the "mature" rating really kicks in.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Le sigh.

Mature Intentions

Part Three: Emptying The World

By Nessie

Seven-fifteen came quickly. After helping Baa-chan to wash some of the towels used in the hot springs, which must have totaled at least three-hundred, Tenten had worked up quite an appetite. She had just enough time to retreat back to her room to redo her hair for the third time that day before she took off for Urume Hidegaya's room on the other side of the inn. This time she secured the buns on her head with a pair of jade ornament sticks that Sakura had given Tenten for her last birthday.

The sun was setting, and orange light poured in shafts through each of the windows in the halls. The place was strangely quiet, making the inn feel like a church instead of a tourist trap for hot spring lovers. Every other couple or minutes or so, Tenten would pass another servant girl, and they would all look at her strangely. She understood that her abrupt addition to the staff would cause some questions to sprout up, but she honestly didn't have any clue as to why these shy women, not much older than herself, would stare at her so. It seemed she was the object of some quiet discussions as well, because there were also a few girls that were bolder than the others who would see her and instantly erupt with cruel-sounding snickering.

Tenten shook her head fervently and did not allow her mind to dwell on it. She was here for a mission. She was here to perform a duty that would protect a home she loved. She just wished that she didn't have to remind herself of that fact so many times, because each time she did the words sounded more and more hollow.

Upon arriving outside Urume's guest room, she saw that tonight Ryo stood next to the door like a sentry, and she grinned inwardly. He was so tall and broad that he dwarfed the whole inn; she even though he might be bending at the knees a bit so that he didn't hit his head on the fairly low ceiling.

She went up to him and bowed low. Even though she was hardly a fifth of his size, she was able to determine what pressure points she could attack that would send him falling harder than a boulder to the floor (just in case). "Good evening, Ryo-sama."

Not prone to conversation, the giant of a man gave a curt nod. She smiled up at him. It was too bad, Tenten thought. He would make a very fearful ninja, but the way he moved – even nodding – told her that he hadn't been trained in the ways of shinobi. Perhaps he knew kendo and had a sword stashed on him somewhere.

While she was considering the bodyguard's possible battle knowledge, the sliding door to Urume's room snapped open, and an impatient Urume appeared. He barked out at Ryo, "Isn't she here ye—" The angry question was swallowed as his eyes landed on her. "Ah, Amaya-chan," he greeted, and this time his voice was full of its usual friendliness. Tenten felt herself from the tension his negative entrance had created. "Right on time. I knew you would be."

Had she been any other girl, she probably would have sweat with exasperation. What a liar! As it was, she simply bowed to him in the same way she had bowed to Ryo. "Urume-sama is very kind to invite me to eat in his presence."

"My dear, you must stop speaking of me as though I am some deity." But every syllable belied his outward show of being pleased. "I'm nothing more than a man who wishes for the company of a good-looking woman."

Everyone who had ever known Tenten would tell others that she was certainly not one to be swept away by compliments toward her own beauty – a beauty she had never truly thought about before. Everyone would say that Tenten had no care for being lavished with praise.

In this respect, everyone would normally be utterly correct. However, it was probable that none of those people would take into account that Tenten had never been lavished with praise for anything outside of her skill as a kunoichi. She had never even been approached romantically; not because young men did not find her attractive, but rather because she was often thought to be "watched over" by Hyuuga Neji since they had been on the same team for so long. That thought alone was enough to scare off any hopeful person seeking to catch Tenten's eye.

So when Tenten was thoroughly embarrassed by Urume's words, it was only to be expected. "Thank you, Urume-sama…" She hunted for a change of topic. "Is there anything I can—"

"You're not in my service tonight," he interjected. Taking her hand (Tenten had one of her urges to draw away, but this time it was not so strong), Urume led her into his room. Ryo slid the door shut after they had entered, and Tenten realized there was nothing she could do now if she wanted to get out of her present situation.

The final rays of sundown had nearly faded now, and she saw that the room had been prepared with tall wax candles instead of normal lanterns. Something about the atmosphere appealed to Tenten as light flickered and danced over the colored tatamis on the floor and the painted wall scrolls. She saw his low table laden with plates of food – squid and soba and udon, things not served at the inn – and a pot of steaming tea. A sake bottle and a glass container of a liquid she didn't recognize were there as well and Tenten stared at them as she lowered herself onto one of the embroidered floor cushions. She had deliberately sat on the side of the table that faced the door so that if something happened, she would see it before Urume did – although she had no clue what she thought could possibly happen.

Interested, she picked up a pair of glistening chopsticks that appeared to be made of silver. Looking up at Urume, she said, "You seem to have an expensive taste for dining." That would explain a bit of why he had eaten so little of the plain meal the previous night.

"Actually," Urume smiled as he sat down across from her, "this is a special evening. I rented many of these things. But I did buy the teapot." He motioned to the delicate teapot that boasted a hand-painted mountain range.

"It's nice," Tenten assured him. She was not so taken in by extravagance. Reaching for the object in question, she held it toward his cup, which was undoubtedly of great value by itself. "Tea?"

"No. I wanted you to try something with me." He gently placed his hand over hers that gripped the teapot's handle and guided it back down to the table. He instead took up the glass container. The liquid inside was amber and gleamed like gold in the candlelight.

"What is it?"

"I obtained this from an associate of mine from the Hidden Cloud." He took a moment to study the beverage himself before meeting her eyes again. "He tells me they make it there, but I have reason to believe he got it from America. Why don't you sample it for me?"

Tenten was a good ninja, and like any good ninja, she knew better than to eat or drink of another's offer before that person had done so first. "Oh, please," she replied, putting on a shy face. "I have a…slight problem with trying something I've never had before. Why don't you taste it first, Urume-sama? Then you can tell me if it's good or not."

"Amaya-chan, you are adorable." Happy with how she put him before her, Urume unscrewed the lid of the bottle and poured some of the amber liquid into his cup. "Very well. Here goes." He quickly tossed back the drink. His eyes widened for a moment, but he recovered in little time and gave her a grin. "It packs a punch," he said, laughing a little. Tenten could see his upper lip gleaming with slight perspiration, but he didn't look at all uncomfortable.

Taking her cup, he poured for her. "I now have an idea as to why they call this 'whisky.' But here, it's your turn, Amaya-chan. It's quite unusual. You should try something new every once in a while."

"Of…of course," she said, feeling a little skeptical even though Urume obviously wasn't poisoning her. Lifting the cup close to her chin, she smelled the beverage and though its scent was something odd, it had nothing in it that Tenten thought would hurt her. She put the cup to her lips, intending to take a small sip.

"No, no, Amaya-chan. You mustn't drink it so nervously. You have to down it as though it would save your life, like medicine." So saying, he demonstrated his point by again throwing the whisky into his mouth and swallowing hard.

Tenten found it ironic that he would mention medicine as being something for positive use. "I understand." Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, she ignored her hesitation and quickly swallowed the whisky, treating it as though it was medicine, one she didn't want to take.

The beverage was horribly bitter, and it seemed to crawl down her throat like fire to her gut, leaving a burning trail. She winced and had to swallow again before she felt at all easy. "I…I'm sorry, Urume-sama," she managed. "I can't abide this at all."

He nodded sympathetically. "You're right. I shouldn't have expected such a delicate creature to enjoy strong alcohol. I apologize." Taking back her cup with a deliberate brush over her knuckles, he went to the window and dumped the despicable drink onto the grass.

Tenten poured herself tea and drank it eagerly to get the other taste out of her mouth. She began to relax after that and tried to comfort him where her rejection of his present had possibly hurt him by taking up her chopsticks. "Shall we eat?"

Urume lifted his own chopsticks. "Itkadakimasu, Amaya-chan."

The food was good. Tenten especially liked the gyooza oranges in her udon noodles and smiled because she thought Naruto would have devoured the meal like mad.

"You enjoy it?"

"Yes," she told him honestly. "It's some of the best food I ever had."

"I ordered it from a village called Konoha. I assume you've heard of it?"

Tenten felt something inside of her still, as though remembering her mission had quieted a part of her that had grown rowdy with the food. "I think so. Isn't it south of here?" she asked, playing ignorant.

"North," he corrected. "It's a very quaint little village. The people there, I must say, are rather naïve."

At that, Tenten felt something inside her flare, but it was more spirit than temper. "Oh?" She did well, sounding curious and not annoyed. "How so, Urume-sama?"

"The whole village treats each other like family. But not everyone can love each other so much. I hear their Hokage would rather gamble than attend to the people. How wise of a decision can that be in a leader?" He widened his smile and gave her unoccupied hand a pat. "But I won't bore you with talk of such foolish people."

It was then that Tsunade's voice came to Tenten's head, probably since he had mentioned her: "You must seduce him into believe that you're interested in him. There's nothing that pleases a man more than thinking a beautiful lady wants him of her own will."

"No, please tell me," she said hurriedly. "I mean…I have never left this area. I wish to know what other places are like. Tell me of Konoha."

Here was a chance, Tenten thought, to get him to reveal something of his plan. But she would have to be careful, since it was possible that Ryo was listening to them from outside. He might be more immune to Tenten's charm and stop Urume from saying anything of importance.

Urume, having finished his meal, set down his chopsticks and stared at her. He leaned forward and balanced his chin on his overlapped hands. "I suppose I could tell you of their carving. They do have an enormous sculpture of their Hokages that is rather impressive. So far, there's only four, but I imagine that Fifth will be added soon enough. I'll say one thing about that Hokage, she's got a lot of talent as a doctor. Her medicines are worth quite a price."

"Do they sell them?" she inquired, knowing fully well that Konoha did not market though cures but rather trained people to make them.

"No, the fools," Urume answered harshly. "It would be an amazing profit to them if they did, but they're such idiots that they sometimes give them away when need is reported."

Tenten took a risk by saying, "Isn't that a noble thing to do?"

Urume chuckled and shook his head. "Such a kind person would say that. No, Amaya-chan, not in the world of business it isn't. I bet your friend Hiraya could tell you that."

Thinking of Neji, she tried using him as an angle. "Did you and Hiraya-sama make a business arrangement this morning?"

"We did, in fact. He surprised me. I wouldn't expect such a young, stern person to heckle so well." That pleased Tenten; at least Neji had gotten something out of poring over those old Hyuuga records all night. "He is unusual. He must have some very interesting genes with those eyes. And that mark on his forehead!"

"Oh," Tenten forced a chuckle, "I'm afraid that is a tattoo. Hiraya-sama had a year of rebellion when we were younger. His parents did not like the tattoo at all."

"You two must be close," commented Urume, a note of interest entering his voice. "How long have you known each other?"

"My…" Tenten had trouble thinking fast enough, and she played up the slowness as bashfulness. "My family sold most of our rice to the Hirayas. They paid the best for it."

Though he looked hardly impressed, he said, "That's nothing to be ashamed of. We meet people through many ways. Look at us." He rose and Tenten did the same. "I am very happy to know you, even if I am paying you for your services." Urume took a step around the table, coming closer to her.

"I…" Tenten stood her ground until he had rounded the table to her side. "I agree."

"And you see, I consider myself so lucky to know you. I don't think I would ever find a lovelier woman elsewhere." When he invaded her personal space, Tenten took a step backward. "Do you believe in fate, Amaya-chan?"

Hearing that word, Tenten thought of Neji, but Urume's bright green eyes filled her vision and pushed images of her childhood teammate from her mind. "I suppose so, Urume-sama."

He had backed her up nearly to the wall now. When Tenten's spine hit wood, she felt her entire body grow warm. His chest was little more than a scant three inches away from hers.

"I am working on a project, Amaya-chan." Slowly, Urume's right hand came up near her neck and took the left side of her kimono's collar between his thumb and forefinger. Sliding his fingers over the silk, he didn't actually touch her flesh, but Tenten felt a nerve jingle in response. She just couldn't name why. "I'll soon be making a deal with some people that will really strengthen my position in the world. And I've always hoped to have someone who would appreciate it…"

Tenten was trying her hardest to focus on his words, but Urume was now lifting his free left hand up to her head. He tenderly removed the ornament stick from the right bun, and lush brown hair cascaded down in a wavy waterfall nearly to her elbow.

"You are a gracious woman, Amaya-chan," continued Urume. "I don't expect you know that."

Tenten kept her eyes on his, her gaze half-lidded. It distracted him as she discreetly brought one hand behind her to the small of her back, where it wrapped around the handle of a kunai she had concealed in her obi. "Urume-sama is so kind," she murmured softly. "But what kind of people could possibly make you so strong?"

It was the moment of truth. Something unfamiliar suddenly glazed over Urume's eyes, and without warning, he pulled Tenten against his chest and turned his face into the recently-freed hair. When he inhaled deeply, Tenten's grip tightened on the kunai. She shut her eyes and bore it with far less difficulty than she suspected. The shudder that broke over her surprised her, but she felt him smile against her ear.

"Strong people," he whispered. The hand at her collar now brushed over her throat, and she swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. "They're from—"

The sliding door opened with a snap, following closely by a voice Tenten knew about as well as her own. "But I'm sure he'll be pleased by my—"

Urume and Tenten looked over in time to see Neji, a ready-to-negotiate smile on his face. Ryo was standing behind him, appearing as though he had been trying to keep the Hyuuga from entering the room. The smile hung on Neji's lips for a second even as his eyes filled with something unidentifiable. It felt to Tenten as though her heart had gone from being a heated, beating, life-giving organ to something ice-cold and hard. She could only wonder what he saw as he stood there, tension winding through him so tightly that it almost looked like he was performing the Byakugan. What did he think of her in that moment, with an enemy's hands on her?

"I…" There was no smile now; in fact, it looked like Neji was barely leashing hostility. But the worst thing was his voice, positively deadly in its quiet. "I seem to be interrupting. Excuse me."

"Ne…" Tenten checked herself just in time. "Hiraya-sama! Please, I have to go." She looked at Urume, who appeared somewhat shocked himself. Letting the kunai drop back into her obi, she began extracting herself from his grip. She didn't even have the presence of mind to take her jade hair ornament back from the syndicate leader before hurrying to the door.

"Amaya-chan!"

"I have to go!" she called again, leaving him alone with candlelight and the remnants of their meal.


Tenten half-chased, half stumbled after Neji. The floor-length hem of her kimono made it difficult for her to properly run, and she seriously began to miss the comfortable, durable clothes she was used to wearing in Konoha, silk and moons be damned.

His guest room door was shut to her – this one was a regular swinging wood panel, not a traditional sliding door – and Tenten gave several hard, loud knocks. "Kana-sama!" she called. When no answer came forth, she became desperate. With a frustrated pound to the wood with the heel of her hand, she changed tactics. "Neji!"

The door opened. Tenten didn't know if it was because he wanted her to come in or because he feared that she would blow their cover, but she didn't miss her chance and barreled inside as best she could. As she was turning to look at him, Neji was shutting the door so that his back was facing her.

She talked anyway. "Why the hell did you go and do that, Neji! You ruined everything!"

"I can see that," came the soft murmur. All she could see was part of a hakama. The dark blue gi he wore was covered by the thick fall of his coal-dark hair.

Tenten wished she could see his face but went on with her accusations. "Neji, this mission has been put in serious jeopardy thanks to you! I won't get a chance like that again. Oh, he was just about to tell me who he was planning on dealing with! What on earth is your problem!"

"My problem—!" In a passionate fit the likes of which Tenten didn't even know he was capable of having, Neji swiveled around and stalked toward her with threat in his gaze. "My problem is that you are in over your head! My problem is that this mission is not for you!"

On any other occasion, the depth of emotion in both Neji's voice and expression may have captivated Tenten. But tonight she was so infuriated that she could hardly see him or even hear him. What she saw was the arrogant number-one rookie, and what she heard was that "genius" telling her that she was unfit to protect Konoha. It was personal.

"Yes, it is!" she hissed, her voice rising. Needing something physical to do, she reached up and tore out the second ornament from the remaining bun on her head. The rest of her hair rushed down, falling over her shoulders. Unsatisfied, she threw the stick across the room and glared at him. "This assignment was given to me! I'm just as good as Ino or Sakura or Hinata! I can do this better than they can, or Tsunade-sama wouldn't have chosen me! What makes you think that—"

"Shut up."

She did, but it wasn't because he had ordered her to. It was because Neji had stopped looking at her again and had his eyes aimed at the floor. Both hands were clenched into fists. His whole body shook, and the tension was rolling off of him in waves. Part of Tenten went into shock from seeing him in such a state, something that wasn't helped when he looked up at her again with eyes that practically glowed with rage.

"He was all over you," Neji growled.

The shock died an instant death, and the anger swelled up tenfold. "Do you really believe," she asked, her voice sounding hollow, "for an instant that I was going to let him really touch me?" Reaching back, she jerked the kunai out from her obi. Though she had at least five more in there, she only needed one to prove her point. "This was in my hand when you walked in! Walked in like a stupid—"

"Guest," he supplied, "who had been waiting all night for Takane Amaya to bring him tea."

She remembered her words from the hot spring that morning. "I told him that to get out of there."

"You had been in there for three hours. What was I supposed to think?"

"You were spying on me?" Thrown off by the thought, she gaped at him. It felt like a shuriken had been lodged into her heart, and the blood was running down, down… "I didn't even tell you that I was going to see him!"

"I was watching you," he corrected her. "That's what partners do."

"Because you've been acting like a real partner," she snapped. "You don't have the right to—"

"He told me about it!"

Tenten's tongue went as still as though it had fallen off. It took her almost a full minute to process Neji's words and even then she was still confused. "He..."

"He described it to me," Neji clarified, his voice returning to normal volume. He didn't meet her eyes as he spoke but rather looked at the blank wall behind her. "In the hot spring. I got him to tell me about his plan to steal the medicine – three nights from now – but then he switched the topic back to you. He kept…" He paused, appearing to debate something with himself, but then decided that she could hear what he was thinking after all. "He kept talking about your body, about things that he could do to you. But what else could I do except play the rich man who liked the same things he did and smile and laugh while listening to him say things about you that no one should ever…"

Tenten was thankful that he trailed off because she was sure that she didn't want to hear any more. Her insides seemed to roll, and the unwell feeling that had managed to go away after she first met Urume Hidegaya now returned full-force, but she fortunately didn't become ill. Her strength, however, left her in a rush, and she fell, her knees hitting the floor. She stared unseeing up at Neji.

Neji stared back, but his vision was in total focus, and the girl he had grown up with became a normal woman right before his eyes. Finding his voice again was a struggle, but he managed it. "He's sick, Tenten. And Tsunade-sama was right. He is a bastard."

"He wanted to…" After a moment, alertness seemed to snap back into Tenten, but the result was a bad one. Sitting down on the floor, she brought her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms. "I was stupid…stupid, stupid!"

She had… Tenten felt her nose burn, a sign that she was about to break down and cry. She had almost started to like him!

She hated crying. She had only shed tears a total of three times since she was thirteen, and this was the first time she actually wanted to cry. But not in front of Neji, not for anything, and Tenten's entire body quaked with the effort of holding back sobs. Tenten felt his presence grow closer, and then she heard him kneel by her side.

"Tenten."

She didn't respond, but she bit her lip, hidden by her forearm. Maybe he would be like the animal he fought like; if she just stayed still and quiet, he would leave her alone…

"Tenten."

She never figured out what made her raise her head; she only knew that it had to do with the way he said her name. When she did look up, she didn't have time to focus on Neji. She didn't have time to focus on anything, because in a moment there was a hand buried deep in her thick hair, and it was as though she was locked in a vice, he was holding her so tightly. She felt her head being drawn back – gently, but urgently.

In the same way, he kissed her, fusing his lips to hers like it was the secret to breathing, the reason for life. And then Tenten was simply unable to focus on anything. In surprise, she reared back. A hand meant to brace her accidentally knocked over the only lantern in the room, and they were plunged into darkness as the flame shivered out.

By then her eyes had closed of an accord not her own…or perhaps it was simply an accord she wasn't yet familiar with. However, Tenten was fairly certain that it was her choice when he arms went around him.

That simple motion seemed to be all the encouragement Neji needed, but his hand left her hair to start roaming over her back, over her neck, while his other hand took a turn in her hair. An instant later, he was pulling her to her knees, and Tenten moaned when he took his lips away from hers. Her fingers dug into the back of his gi and dove into his hair.

It was when he pressed his lips to the side of her neck that she started losing understanding of what was going on. She felt herself pulling at something and felt herself getting pulled at until the room got several hundreds degrees warmer.

It was in that moment that she began to feel like an adult. She felt the cool mattress of a futon against her now-bare back. She could smell the green tea scent of her own hair as it fanned out around a pillow. She felt Neji's hands anchoring her, but she still drifted away in his eyes.

Eyes like silver in the moonlight that had managed to creep into the room. Eyes that went right into her, through her.

It felt like the rest of the world had emptied itself, leaving only Neji and Tenten behind.

She didn't miss any of it.


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