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Disclaimer: Disclaimer: Naruto doesn't belong to me, otherwise the NejiTen would be canon.

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Enjoy.


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Chapter 5. Perennial moon

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Neji didn't know about the new moon because it wasn't mentioned in any book and nobody peeked into the stable at night so he had never noticed that the puppies took human form at that moment, it was a miracle that no accident had happened and they were still alive after so many months, his guilt when he found out that fact only increased. After that full moon they began the task of trying to awaken their consciousness, he raised one by one the little ones that were crying and pawing hard to be released, she taught him to grab them by the neck to keep them quiet and keep trying to make eye contact, aquamarine orbs appeared on all the faces while she in a calm voice told them that they should become human.

He told her that Hinata had the same eyes color as him, so what they saw was their father's eyes. Usually, but not always, in the mornings he accompanied her but retired at noon to attend to his business. The woman in charge of the feed and cleaning had screamed the first time she entered the stable and met her in panther form, so she just stood still in a corner out of the way while the food was served, the water changed and swept as the little ones chased the broom.

It was a slow process but after several months she managed to keep them in infant form for at least 5 days, counting that one of them was the new moon. And to the joy of Neji and she, it was noticeable that they were gaining weight rapidly, soon they would level off to the right one.

There was a problem with keeping so much in panther mode, and in those months she was keeping more time than she should. What was the problem? Her consciousness was intermingling and her second instinct was awakening. After all that time in which she was fully dedicated to educate what was now her litter and without being able to hunt properly speaking, beyond the rabbits or chickens that ran among all of them in full moon, the beast began to demand at least to satiate the other instinct, and for such purpose there was close enough a man who had demonstrated very well to be able to fulfill the task.

She mumbled where she lay as her tail wagged from side to side trying to make up her mind, until finally she got up taking care not to wake the little ones and after being on two feet she put on the dress she always had on hand for when she had to go to the mansion or any other eventuality and slowly opened the creaky door, walking barefoot and hurried across the huge pasture the distance to the dwelling. The main entrance was unlocked so she entered and let her sense of smell guide her to the room she was looking for.

Inside the place Neji slept naked and uncovered, all because of -or thanks to - the infernal heat. She licked at what a wonderful sight he was, and after removing the garment she had put on a short time before she climbed onto the bed above him. Waking him by running her tongue along his chest, ascending to his lips.

There was surprise to see her there, but not a drop of displeasure or rejection and there was no need to say anything to each other, they just started kissing and touching each other urgently, she wasn't certain, but apparently he had gone the same amount of time as she had without such contact. So it didn't take him long to turn her on the bed leaving her face down, and without her asking, considering they had done it before, Neji proceeded to bite her on the neck as he thrust into her and moved roughly.

It was what they required at that moment, to satiate that almost primary need of their bodies, maybe later they would have a second round a little more focused on sensations that would gradually increase, or maybe not, it didn't matter. The only thing that mattered at that moment was to let themselves be carried away by the heat that enveloped them.

"Tenten?" at the end she had curled into a ball with her back to him as he looked at the ceiling. She purred, not just because she was pleased but to let him know she was still awake and listening to him. "It was not just hanging out for me."

"You don't need to justify yourself for this, or try to make me believe that when you left the village after the hunt you were going to bring me with you, or anything like that."

"I still do not even know what I was planning to do, despite the urgency of my situation a part of me did not want to catch the panther too fast so I could at least stay a little longer," he was silent for a moment. "That day I was completely angry about the traps, I knew the creature was hurt but I could not go around the village asking all the women to roll up their left sleeve but I was trying to look at that even if it was fruitless. That is why I had not come to see you, and then I heard about your departure without you even letting me know. The first thing I thought was that you had planned it a long time ago and you had played with me by not telling me," he breathed heavily. "I went to your home furious about it, only to discover that what I had been looking for so much was right under my nose since the day I arrived at Konoha, it was the clumsy girl who crashed me and that although she heard me tell her all the stories about my quest and the importance of it, she purposely hid from me that it was her. It was the ultimate mockery."

"I can't trust humans."

"I know, it is obvious that you do not, and I understand that now... but at that time it was simply more than I could bear."

"My survival has always come first at all, since my parents were hunted and skinned by those who a few months ago we considered our neighbors I knew that being alone was the only viable option," it was her turn to explain. "All the attacks we made on that village only served to decimate the pack, some wanted to stay together and make new attacks, I chose to find my own way. All the time living in the village helped me to know a little more about their customs and how to behave in order to go unnoticed," she smiled at nothing, "for example, always adding the 'sir' when answering, that shows obedience and made them not to notice me much. Besides, I have always been easy with puppies, so it wasn't very difficult for me to make a kind of career taking care of human offspring."

"I told you that you were too submissive to be real."

"Few people detail that, the important thing was to survive and guarantee that I wouldn't end up as a rug next to a fireplace or exhibited in some traveling carnival. It is impossible not to transform me in full moon and hunting is something like breathing in that state, sooner or later people started to notice me, or well, the panther that razes sheep and scares the flock." Damn sheep! "Few believe in the stories of supernatural creatures so they never suspected me directly, but the more time I spend in a place the more I am surrounded in those nights until I simply have to go to another place. I had thought about leaving a few weeks before the trap, I knew that my time in Konoha was over but I postponed it..." she bit her lip. "I told myself that it was because little Miku was sick and if I left at that time her parents wouldn't give me the letter to be received in the next village, but the truth is... I also wanted to stay a little longer."

"I did not want to leave and neither did you, I think it was something more than just hanging out."

"Maybe..."

"So, what is next?

"I still have a litter to raise, eventually I will have to go out hunting, both alone and with them to teach them."

"The property is big and the area I pointed out to you is naturally fenced by a rocky mountain, as long as you do not get out of here no one will notice you" a quiet laugh sounded, "and I do not care about the sheep," she started laughing too. "You cannot leave with the puppies, you alone had some chance of surviving, but with them it would be suicide. Besides, they are still my family and I will not let you take them away from me."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to leave and I won't leave them alone to go back to the conditions they were in."

"I already apologized for that, I really did not know..."

"It was a joke," she clarified, "many others would have sacrificed them as soon as they were born, what you did for them was admirable."

"Not as much as what you have done, we would all be lost if I had not found you. I would never have forgiven myself for not being able to save them... I do not know how to thank you for what you are doing."

"No need," she turned around and they stood looking at each other, he reached out and brushed away the hair that had gotten in her face and then caressed her cheek.

"During all these years I could never understand that my cousin noticed that guy, that she was still with him even after discovering what he was," the caress stopped. "I never thought that after criticizing her so much I would share that with her."

"What?"

"That here I am in the same situation," he mumbled between his teeth.

Her mind was trying to understand if she had really heard what she thought, although it was absurd, her hearing was almost perfect. But just in case to solve the question mark Neji kissed her, pulling her close by the waist. No, she couldn't trust humans.

But at least that human specifically she could, so she reciprocated the kiss.

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She crouched behind a rock, she had been running for a long distance and could feel her pursuers close, too close. A branch creaked and her ear turned in that direction, she had to keep running. She looked at the panorama in front of her, it was an open field that hardly offered her any kind of camouflage but at the end of it there was a grove of trees, she had to take the risk. She was about to jump into one of the trees to hide at the top of it when she felt that she was being caught and growled in frustration, 2 young panthers appeared in front of her and pounced on her. They were doing cartwheels on the ground when a man entered the scene and all of them stopped.

"You have class, you should be in the house," in his hands he brought clothes that he left separated in 3 piles, reluctantly the young ones approached and took in the muzzle what corresponded to them before hiding and then coming out again already in their human form and dressed. "Do not make that face to me, your teacher has been waiting for you for a while," they started to leave and when they thought he was no longer listening to them, Isamu turned and hissed in Neji's direction before continuing to walk with his sisters, "every day he is more and more like his father even in attitude. Are you going to stay like that?"

At a slow pace without transforming she approached him and began to rub herself on his legs, getting him to caress her under her jowls. He sat leaning back against the tree and she immediately rested her head in his lap, enjoying being like this, purring and accompanied by her beloved. The time progressed slowly until the sky darkened, warning that at any moment it would start to rain, so they had to go inside.

"Didn't you bring clothes for me?" Neji denied.

"I would rather you did not wear anything," she smiled.

"Do you want everyone to see me naked?" his brow furrowed and only then did he pull out a dress he hadn't shown before. "They are getting faster and faster,'' she commented as they walked hand in hand to the house.

"Yes, and also every day they find new ways to get out of their classes. You should not have taken them out for a run today."

"We needed it, they've been sitting in front of that blackboard all week."

"Did you need the physical activity too?" She loved that lopsided grin when Neji made those comments.

"Maybe..."

"Later we will sort it out," before she could answer the downpour started so they had to run for cover.

The puppies were not so puppyish anymore, Hanae, Kyomi and Isamu were about to turn 14 years old, and like any teenager at times they showed hints of rebellion, especially to boring human activities like classes or using cutlery. They used to look for her to complain as they found it much more fun if they were all out running around. The beast in them wasn't as wild because of their human half, so in those years they had gotten them to control the beast well and Neji made up a believable story justifying that the children were adopted from a distant village so they were legally recognized as his children.

The progress in their panther form was also undeniable, not only did they manage to catch her, but they knew how to coordinate on full moon nights and were successful in the hunt. All three had aquamarine eyes, but the girls had their mother's dark hair color and only the boy had inherited his father's fiery reddish color.

For their part they were married a year after that night she snuck into his room. Without the constant worry of her survival or the fear of being discovered she had been able for the first time to allow herself to open up about her true feelings, and she really wanted to be with him, not just hang out.

Besides with him she was safe, she was absolutely sure about it. She had agreed to marry him without that certainty and it was a couple of years later while she was browsing in the library looking for something to entertain herself that she found a box hidden behind several books, she was curious so without thinking she opened it and inside was an exchange of correspondence. The first of the letters was from Ame and the date corresponded to the trip in which she arrived at the property, and the last one was from a few months after that, for the words in them it was clear that Neji had paid an experienced hunter to kill some deer and sheep on full moon nights around Konoha.

Her eyes filled with tears, in Ame she still hadn't agreed to help him and yet he had taken it upon himself to remove any possible suspicion about her departure and the absence of the panther. She left everything as she had found it again and hadn't told him that she knew the information, but from that moment on any possible remnants of mistrust or plans to disappear if it became necessary vanished.

Before they were married, they had talked about children, she had enough work to do with the puppies that were still small and he said they would talk about it later calmly. At that time she was still sure she didn't want any of her own, but as the years progressed, and the more independent the little ones became with the human activities - because Neji was making sure they were taught so they would know how to pass unnoticed in high society without having to resort to being submissive - the more she began to feel that she would like to have a litter with him. She told him about it when the puppies had 9 years old, and that sparked an argument.

The vehemence with which he rejected her when she proposed have a child together hurt her. Did he not consider her worthy to carry his offspring? Why had Neji married her then? Did he think that if he didn't marry her, she would leave him with the care of the puppies? She was about to hiss at him, but in the end, she just opted to go hunting to calm down. After a few days she returned and could see his despair for the short time she was absent, she had overreacted to his rejection but nothing was wrong, she still loved him and that would have to be enough.

"I love you, Tenten... but I cannot lose you," Neji whispered in her ear as he hugged her on the bed that night. "I would rather never have children than risk losing you," and then it made sense to her.

Neji was afraid because of his cousin's difficult pregnancy, and the catastrophic outcome, but the situation was different. She explained to him that it wouldn't happen to her as her body was designed to carry such creatures. Neji hesitated and even after finally saying yes, she could see the doubt and fear in his eyes as her belly grew, and although she didn't have any complications, even on full moon nights, there was always a human doctor constantly checking on her.

She began to form what would be her birth-nest in the 7th month. The servant several times commented to her or Neji that some blankets and cushions had disappeared, as well as some food from the kitchen, they only nodded and heard them say that any of the servants weren't stealing anything. No, it wasn't the servant who did such thing, it was the panther who had used one of the many empty rooms and was arranging everything for the day of giving birth that was approaching little by little.

It took several grunts for her husband to understand that it was something she had to do alone and transformed, so the doctor was unnecessary that day, but he didn't desist from being present. So the agreement was that he would be in the same room but from a place where he couldn't see her directly.

The birth was simple, she only had one puppy and with her tongue she was in charge of cleaning perfectly the tiny being that was the fruit of the two of them, after letting him feed for the first time, she took him in her mouth and with slow steps she approached to present him to Neji, he received the puppy and held him with one hand while with the other he caressed her trying to make sure that she was well.

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That night while water was falling non-stop from the sky everyone was around the chimney, the two of them cuddled on one side, all their children were transformed as they liked to rest more that way. Yori, barely 4 years old was curled up in his father's legs purring softly and the three older ones were lying next to each other enjoying the warmth of the fire. Neji lightly caressed her back and she began to purr as well, she loved being able to be herself next to him.

Her little pack was complete and safe, she had long ago considered that she wasn't someone to live in a group, and then Neji appeared and completely changed her lifestyle and way of thinking.

And now she wouldn't change them for anything in the world.

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Sometimes I would like to extend this story and explain a lot of things I left out (it was going to be for a Halloween challenge, but I ended up extending it and wrote it all in 4 days), although at the same time I love it as it is.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did when I wrote it.

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All corrections and comments are always well received, they help me improve a lot.

Thanks for reading!

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Att: Sally K