"You shouldn't be out the rain. Didn't you learn that lesson the last time?" said a voice that sent shivers cascading down Tenten's back. Strong, secure arms enveloped her as Tenten looked up into the pearl eyes of Hyuga Neji. He set her down and they both began walking to the village. The rain slowed as they walked, and the wind blew less.
"How long were you there, Neji?" Neji looked at the kunoichi.
"Long enough" was his stoic answer. The rain slowed to a stop, and the moon became visible from behind the clouds, sending slivery patches of moonlight gleaming onto the ground marred, every once in a while, by a stray cloud making its way across the star- crossed sky. The two walked in silence for a few moments.
"Tenten," Neji said, breaking the silence, "why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?" Tenten glared at him.
"You know how much I hate it when you use your Byakugan to find these things out." Neji smirked.
"Well, you weren't telling anyone, so I thought it wouldn't hurt if I decided to find out what was wrong on my own. Your lack of sleep is interfering with training." This last remark earned him another sharp glare from Tenten. "But," he continued, "if you had told me, I would have trained with Lee once in a while so you could have gotten some rest."
"yeah… maybe…" Tenten answered wearily.
"What's wrong, Tenten?" she shook her head slightly. "Nothing, Neji- kun. I guess I'm just tired is all." She realized just then that she was beginning to feel very warm, yet she was shivering slightly in the night air. Her eyelids suddenly felt heavy, and her feet dragged more as they walked. The next thing she knew was the sensation of falling through a dark tunnel, and being caught by her waist, hearing someone call her name, but it was fading… her senses dissapeared, and it felt like only a matter of time until she did too…