Awaiting Sunrise

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

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Tenten looked out through her window, feeling the sun's warmth spreading through her body. She looked at the sunrise and sighed calmly. She remembered him all too well, and she could not let him go...

Flashback
Tenten stared into the prodigy's eyes, unable to hold back her streams of tears forming in her eyes. She began to sob and grabbed the prodigy's wrist, unable to let him depart from her. The prodigy had a face of concern and sadness, hidden behind an unwanted mask of hidden emotions. He lightly lifted her hand from his, and held it gently.

"Tenten..." He said.

Tenten was unable to speak through her sobbing, and felt his thumbs wiping away her tears. She forced a weak smile to spread on her face, and looked at his face. He was so handsome - there was something about his features that soothed her. He was the only one that she could get to smile, and he was the only one that understood her.

"I will come back for you, Tenten. Await the sunrise...because when I look at it, I'm reminded of your beauty and your warmth. I promise I will come back to you after I finish my mission. I promise I will come back," He said.

He let off one of his rare smiles, hoping to soothe the one he held dear. She was the only one that could make him smile, the only one that could bring him warmth and a feeling of safety. Tenten nodded, still unable to speak, still looking into his pale, lavender eyes. She held back her newly forming tears, and was able to smile at him once more.

"Yes, Neji. I will look off into the sunrise and wait for you...always."

Neji's face showed deep sorrow, unable to let go of her. Yet he knew he must, for it was his duty to serve Konoha, and he stood up, still holding Tenten's hand. He leaned down and kissed Tenten's forehead, and smiled. He then turned around and slowly began walking away from her, unable to turn around and hold her in his embrace. Their hands slowly parted, and soon, they were separated. But they both knew that they would always be together in their souls, for their love for each other dove deep beneath their skin.

End flashback

Tenten snapped back into reality, and let of a deep sigh. Her chocolate brown eyes sparkled as sunlight filtered through them. She thought of Neji returning back to Konoha, bringing back the good news of his completed mission. But years had passed, and many had labelled the ninja on that mission dead due to their absence. Tenten could not bring herself to believe that Neji died - there was just this feeling inside her heart that told her his heart was beating with hers. She smiled as the sun found its way around the clouds, bringing around the new day.

"It's just another day of waiting, right Neji?" She told herself.

-
CRACK!
Tenten looked pleased with herself as she walked over to her target. Her kunai had hit the bullseye as usual, and was thrown with so much force that it nearly broke through the strong trunk.

"Oops, I guess I overdid myself...But then again, I AM the weapons mistress around here! Ahaha!" Tenten said with great joy in her statement.

She smiled at her target. She always remembered her teammates and her memories never ceased to amuse her. Tenten was known around Konoha for her deadly accuracy with weapons - not to mention her humongous supply of them! Name any sharp weapon, and it was bound to be part of some sort of trap set in her house. With great difficulty, she began to pry the kunai out of the trunk.

"Ah! The flames of youth give you strength, Tenten!" A voice behind her said.

Tenten sweatdropped. Only two people in her whole life talked about "the flames of youth", and those two people were her sensei, Gai, and her old teammate, Rock Lee. After few moments of silence and hard work, Tenten was able to free her kunai. She then turned to her teammate, and grinned.

"Er...Tenten? Why are you grinning so...evilly?" A nervous Rock Lee asked, slowly backing away from her.

She laughed as she twirled the kunai in her fingers.

"Oh, relax Lee! I wouldn't actually kill you with my kunai. That is, unless you ventured into my house and set off all my traps. MUWAHAHA!"

Lee sweatdropped and sat down on the grassy hill, overlooking part of Konoha. He smiled.

"Do you still think of Neji, Tenten?" He asked out of the blue.

Tenten's heart stopped beating for a moment, and she unconsciously smiled. She knew that Lee had known her feelings for Neji from the start, and knew that he was the reason why Neji had become so close to her. She thought for a moment, still twirling her kunai. And then, another smile spread across her face, this one full of sorrow, as she looked up at the afternoon sky.

"Yes...I still think of him...and I always will."

Lee chuckled. He knew Tenten was deeply in love with Neji, and he secretly knew that Neji returned her feelings. Even though he saw the incident on Neji's departure, he still had a feeling that Tenten had not understood that Neji truly was in love with her, and was not saying those words to soothe her. Lee knew that Tenten just thought it was out of pity for her that Neji would act so kindly.

"You know, Neji truly does love you. No matter what you think."

Tenten found herself blushing, and shook it off herself.

"He just did that out of pity. He wouldn't love a person like me," Tenten quietly said, angrily throwing her kunai into the trunk of a very unfortunate tree.

"If that's your conclusion, then who am I to tell you you are wrong?"

Tenten remained silent as her teammate's face remained emotionless, unable to bring herself to say anything to him.

"You are the only one who can judge his feelings for you, Tenten. And besides," he said, slowy getting up, "You were the only one that saw through him."

Lee smiled and stood up, knowing that he had hit her soft spot. She could not argue to his statement, because it was true. Many had only known him as the "Hyuuga prodigy", he himself having many fangirls like the "Uchiha prodigy", Uchiha Sasuke. Tenten was the only one that knew him from the inside out - the only one that could make him smile, and the only one that could tell when there was something troubling him.

"And with that, I'll be training with Gai-sensei."

Without awaiting his teammate's reply, he disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving her sitting on the hilltop, thinking of her memories. Thinking of him.

I am the only one that knew him from the inside out...

She smiled and lifted her face up to the sun.

And I feel him living to this day...

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Sorry if the first chapter was too short and it sucked. It's been a while since I've written fanfiction. xD Later chapters will be longer and better, promise!