"Hey what's up with you? You see very out of it today." Temari asked. Ever since she had moved to the village and in with Shikamaru, they had been close friends. After the death of his father, he not only has taken over clan duties but as well as working within the ranks and battle strategies for missions, even though the time is peaceful, he is still very busy which leaves Temari bored when she is not on her own missions.

So one day Temari asked her out to lunch to apparently clear anything up that might be lingering between the two. They had worked together a few times since their battle at the first chūnin exams and Temari herself had even administered the second exam she took, and thankfully passed. Which in Temari's eyes thought Tenten would have had some conflict with her, but it wasn't the case at all.

At their first lunch meeting, which would have been well over a year ago now, the silence was awkward. Neither knowing really what to say, which was strange because she always knew Temari as a very talkative and outgoing individual. But she seemed lonely in the village. She was away from home, especially missing her brothers. But then the girls each ordered something stronger than the tea they were sipping away on, and before they knew it they were talking like they were best friends. Giggling and holding back happy tears as they told each other stories of their childhood.

She decided then and there, she really liked this other blonde headed kunoichi, opposed to the Leaf's. It wasn't that she didn't like Ino,m but the girl couldn't keep any gossip out of her mouth, and more honestly was just too girly for her taste. Temari was a bit more relaxed on the girly scale, but she also had this sense of pride and self-worth she carried around her, at times it could be intimidating.

"Hello is anyone in there?"

Tenten head snapped up from her tea, "Yeah sorry, I'm just thinking about my mission."

"Oh, that's right," Temari responded. "You leave in the morning, don't you? How long are you going to be gone again? I need help with preparations girl!"

Oh yes, Shikamaru had recently proposed to her, finally, the blonde had been waiting for ages for him to get over his laziness and just do it. Temari and the Nara boy had been seeing each other for quite a long time now, much longer than usual for shinobi to date and tie the knot, no matter the age

"It should take no more than a week or two, it's a simple reconnaissance mission. Just checking in on some suspicious activity around the border." She stated. "The wedding isn't for 2 months, as soon as I'm back I will get the other girls and we will all help you go shopping for a kimono for you."

The blonde smiled, "Thank you." Then she trailed off, "Anyway who will be accompanying you on the mission? Team Gai?"

Tenten stuttered, ".. Sort of."

"What do you mean? It's a yes or no question Tenten."

"Well you see, Team Gai is going just not all of us… Just Neji and I." Her heart began to beat faster at the sound of his name, what was happening to her?

A huge smile lit up Temari's face. "Ohhh I see what you mean now." She was quiet for a moment then with much excitement exclaimed, "Girl this is the opportunity you've been waiting for!"

Tenten deadpanned and just about fell out of her chair when she heard that. "Are you crazy? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play coy with me" the blonde huffed out "I see the way you two look at each other, you're lying to yourself if you don't feel anything. Even Shikamaru said Neji's let you in more than anyone else, and it's not just because of the fact your teammates."

"Oh so you and Shikamaru talk about my affairs?" she questioned

Surprised at her reaction, she responded, "No not really. I just assumed you two were something, Shika told me as I was mistaken, but possibly on to something, after what had happened, you know…" She began to shudder thinking about the war, no one liked to think about those days.

The brunette cut her off sharply "The day he almost died in my arms?"

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Tenten did not like to think about that day, that horrid day. The Fourth Shinobi World War had taken so many lives, and just about took Neji's. She recalled watching the wooden nails impale his body as he shielded Naruto and Hinata from the attack. She watched as Naruto held him screaming for a medical ninja, but they were all preoccupied with other patients. Without another second of hesitation, Tenten had leaped from her crouched position and rushed to his side. She convinced, screaming at him through the tears, Naruto to hand him to her and she would take him to safety and would do what she could.

After she had used the rest her strength to get him away from the scene and into some shelter near the forest's edge, she wanted to drop dead from exhaustion from the previous hours of battle and carrying his much larger body on her back. Instead, she went right to work, laying him down gently on the ground, she then placed her head on his chest, she could still hear a beat, but he was definitely unconscious. She was no medical ninja, but she did have the basics down. She started by removing the scroll that was positioned on her back and yanked it open. She summoned any and everything she thought she would need. Her attention went back to his broken and blood-spattered body, tears started welling in her eyes again, but she pushed them away with the corner of her sleeve.

She could sense a presence coming behind her, it was part of Lady Tsunade's or Sakura's summoning, Katsuyu. Katsuyu had told her she was here to help until one of the medical-nin could make it to her. Katsuyu positioned herself on the shoulder of the unconscious Hyuga and began instructing her on what to do, while at the same time forcing healing chakra into his body.

With sweat covering her brow, she focused harder than she ever had before, not breaking concentration for a second. She began with the piece embedded into his upper thigh, knowing the others would be in direct contact with an organ, she decided to leave those till last and hopefully a medic-nin would be there by then since they would be better at handling it.

Just as she was closing up the leg wound with the help of Katsuyu, the pink haired kunoichi arrived and took over the scene. "Tenten, I'm here," Sakara said as she gave her a soft squeeze on the shoulder. She started checking his vitals, all while complementing her on how well she had done before she got there, stabilizing him.

Sakura began to pull the large one embedded in his chest out when his eyes shot open. Tenten could see the pain in his eyes as he started to scream bloody murder. A sound she had never heard the Hyuga muster, he'd never been injured this bad. Even when he had broken bones and endured pain other shinobi would pass out from, he was always completely silent. Tenten grabbed his hand and he squeezed so hard her hand began to go numb. Then just as quick as that had happened, his hand with limp in her grip. She scanned Sakura's face looking for answers, she quickly let her know that with a light tap of fingers to his head she had placed him in a genjutsu coma so to say, to ease his pain.

When the Pink haired medical-nin had finished removing all posts and got him to a point where he was at least safe for now, she turned and told her to stay with him and she was off to other patients, but Katsuyu will stay and help monitor his status. "Tell Katsuyu if there are any life threating changes, I will be back as soon as I can. Tenten be strong, he needs you."

The rest of that day seemed like a blur. The war was over, we had one. Gai Sensei and Lee had finally arrived at their side with beaten looks on their faces as if they had fought the rest of the battle expecting the worst. At closer inspection, they realized that he was still breathing and the fire and youthfulness in their eyes returned once more. The three of them carried him back to the village in turns. Each being very careful not to disrupt any of the wounds that littered his body. When they arrived back at the village in record time, the three noticed that the hospital was already overflowing with others arriving back from the war. Not wanting to leave his side, since he didn't have any immediate family, besides an uncle and a cousin to take him to, and a bunch of other distantly related Hyguas, she insisted that he be taken to her apartment and she would take care of him until everything had settled.

Hearing the reluctance in his voice, Gai suggested they all go to his home, for fear of the elders knowing Neji was in a woman's apartment that was not family, even in his condition. The elders could be so harsh, she had hesitantly agreed.

The next few weeks seemed to go so slowly. Sakura had stopped by and hooked up IV bags to him so he would not become dehydrated and taught them how to change them. She also informed team Gai that when his body was done healing, the coma genjutsu would break and he would wake up, but because of the extensive damage was done to his organs and nervous system, that could take a month.

The Hyuga elders had stopped to see him and since he was being so well taken care of by his old team, and they had many other issues with wounded in the compound, they let him be. Though they didn't know that it was mostly Tenten doing the work.

Twice a day Tenten would change his IV bags, his wound dressings and take a wet cloth to clean his skin. She noted just how fragile her teammate was at this moment, and would do anything to protect him. Most nights she didn't sleep and when she did she found herself raising her head from the bed he was laying on with her hand intertwined with his. Sleeping on a chair learning on to his bed was not the most comfortable positions, but she wouldn't be anywhere else.

Other members of the Konoha 11 would stop by to see him, especially Naruto and Hinata, after the war they seemed miserable and couldn't fathom what possessed Neji to jump in and save both of them. Each time they entered the room, their heads hung low, dark and puffy eyes decorated their faces just as it did hers. She recalled never really seeing Naruto as un-Naruto as that month following the war.

Three weeks had passed since that fateful night and she was running a cool cloth over his forehead, she felt so bad that she was seeing his curse mark, which he always kept hidden like it was shameful for others to see. She felt like she was invading his privacy. For his sake when she was done she would wrap a simple black bandanna around his forehead, but today a hand caught hers when she went to rewrap the headwear.

Her back stiffened and the hair on her neck stood up. That's when she caught his eyes, wide and awake like he had been staring at her for minutes rather than seconds. Sobbing, she threw her hands around his chest and pulled him closer. With a confused look on his face, he glanced up to the doorway where his other two teammates had rushed in when they heard her start to cry.

XXXXXXXXX

After a moment of thought, the blonde began to speak again," I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories, I was just trying to make a point that you care for him and he cares for you for what you did for him."

Tenten looked back at her but didn't say a word.

To finally break the silence, Temari stood and said, "Today is my treat." She threw money down on the table, "Now go prepare for your mission, and I will see you when you get back." She gave her a wink and the blonde was gone.