After years of racing from place to place on missions, trying to keep up with the torturous pace that their teacher demanded of them, team Gai had become known as the fastest team in Konoha, able to overcome a distance in two days that would have taken most three. So the team was often put together for matters that required stealth and speed, carrying documents or objects back and forth.

Tenten thought of these missions as a vacation of a sort. They were rarely attacked, she got to go to interesting new towns and cities, she got to sight see (though it was a bit blurred), and was even paid to spend time with her favorite people.

Though right now her hand was twitching towards her scroll so that she could murder two of them.

They hadn't stopped their break-neck pace for nearly seven hours without pause, racing through the trees to get to their destination in half the time, the limit being decided by her teammate Lee.

Stupid, stupid Lee.

And just as she was unsnapping the straps to one of her scrolls Gai suddenly stopped, dropping down to the ground with a broad smile. "We will stop here to regain some of our youthfulness and eat." He declared, looking around the little clearing grandly.

Lee immediately started shouting about how great that plan was while Neji silently moved past them all and began setting up his bed roll. Tenten sighed and tossed her bag against a nearby tree, already knowing which task she would be given, she being the only one who really knew how to do anything with food.

"What does everyone want to eat?" Gai turned to her with his signature bleached grin, giving her a thumbs up. "Whatever your heart desires, young Tenten! I will eat anything you cook for us since it will be filled with your feelings of love towards your precious team!" Tenten waved them away, not even bothering to try and follow his words.

"Yeah, sure, just go get cleaned up."

Which was how Tenten ended up alone with Neji.

The nervous energy between them jumped and buzzed, causing Tenten's pulse to beat erratically and making her face flush from more than just the heat of the fire. Deciding it would be easier to cut through this increasingly familiar feeling rather than tiptoe around it, Tenten flopped down beside Neji and tipped her head back on a tired sigh.

"God, I think I must be crazy to accept missions with those two." Neji, her solid shelter in the storm that was Lee and Gai, allowed his lips to twitch slightly; and though it was slight, it was just enough for Tenten to feel the light of accomplishment.

"Nothing spicy, as per usual."

"Thank you."

"How's Hinata doing?" He turned to her, his eyebrow rising slightly.

"Why are you asking me?"

"Because you're one of the people who care about her the most and because I've been too busy to check up with her myself. How's it going between her and Naruto?" Tenten watched a muscle in his cheek twitch at the mention of the relationship his cousin was now in.

"She is fine, and so is the relationship between the two of them." Tenten playfully bumped shoulders with Neji, not really noticing how close they were gradually becoming.

"Come on, you have to give her up sometime. Let your little bird fly from the nest."

Neji glared at her for a moment, but there was no force behind it. "Naruto is a good man, and I trust him to be good to Hinata-sama."

"But..."

"But he could have waited until after the war to ask for her, and he should have approached her family for permission."

Tenten snorted at his ancient ideals and rolled her eyes. "It was sweet how it happened, and if he had asked her father he would have killed them both for even thinking about the relationship."

"He could have asked me." Tenten laughed at this, shaking her head at him.

"No, because you would have killed him."

"I would not. " He declared indignantly, and Tenten turned to him, smiling.

"Oh, yes you w-" She stopped, cut off by the sudden and soft brushing of Neji's lips against hers. They both froze; staring wide eyed at each other before jerking apart, hands quickly going to their mouths as if to check that such an impossible thing had actually happened.

Then they were looking at each other again and everything in that moment seemed to click, both of them leaning in to meet in another kiss, this one intentional.

It was sweet and dry like a spring afternoon, a soothing experience that still managed to fan the flames that were growing in the both of them. Tenten wrapped her arms around his neck and he wrapped his around her hips, both pulling the other closer, body brushing against body and sending an electrical shock through the both of them that they felt down into their toes.

Then the kiss changed.

They began panting, tilting their heads to get a better angle, bringing each other closer as their holds tightened. Someone slipped in a tongue and then it was a sweet and heavy dance, one that was getting hotter, harder, and fiercer by the moment. One that quickly was broken when they heard a familiar voice spouting the wonders of youth as he got closer.

Tenten jumped up from Neji's lap -how had she gotten there?- and quickly began messing with the cooking food, tilting her head down to hide her flushed face and swollen lips.

Good God, she had just kissed Neji.She had kissed Neji. And more importantly she had liked it. A lot.

But they were on a mission; they were teammates. All of that couldn't have happened. It hadn't happened.

But, as she felt Neji's eyes boring holes into her back, Tenten had to admit that it had happened. It had happened and they'd have to face the fact that they were now more than teammates and friends. But they'd have to do it later, when Gai wasn't screaming about the youthfulness of her cooking and Lee wasn't attempting to see if he could eat while balancing on two fingers.

Neji was ignoring her.

She'd go up to him to say hello or to see if they could just talk, and he would dash off as soon as he saw her, pretending like he couldn't hear her calling his name and couldn't see that she was the one who had thrown the kunai at his head. He always left a room as soon as she stepped in, always asked to be left out of any missions the two of them could have been on together and had taken to training at the other end of the training ground from her.

Not only was he ignoring her but he was doing it so blatantly in public that people were noticing.

She was determined to make all of this come to an end though when one day she was at the market and he was trying to leave. Again. With a furious growl she dropped her basket of food, reaching back for her kunai and taking off after him. "You bastard, get back here! Stop running away!" She screamed out, not really caring that people stared or were witnessing what she was determined would be the death of Hyuuga Neji.

They ran over the rooftops so fast that only the sharpest eyes would have caught them. Tenten tossed one of her kunai at him but he was quick to dodge, that damned 360 degree vision working perfectly. Tenten knew she only had one chance to go for his blind spot, and that that one chance couldn't be wasted. So she grabbed six of her kunai and threw them, leaving a seventh for when he dodged and moved to the perfect position for a hit.

He sensed it just before it hit the base of his spine and so he twisted, letting it tear through his side instead. He stopped, holding onto his side and leaning against one of the trees in the training ground they had ended up in, glaring at her.

"What?" He growled, glaring at the girl he had been successfully avoiding for the past two months. Tenten glared right back and put her hands on her hips as she remained ready for him to try and escape, to try and continue running.

She wasn't going to allow it.

"What do you mean, what?"

"What do you want, Tenten?"

Tenten widened her eyes at him as if surprised. "Oh, so I see you do remember who I am. That's a relief, we can certainly rule out amnesia now, though you being a dick is still certainly in the running."

"Tenten-"

"Oh no," She said politely, her glare becoming harder and brighter, her voice dripping with venom filled honey. "You don't get to talk. See, that was an option before, when you hadn't decided to make it your life's ambition to avoid me, but you don't get that choice now. Now you just get to stand there and listen to me scream at you before I kick your ass."

"Tenten, really, you need to be-"

"Be. Quiet." Neji, wary of how harsh her tone had become, complied.

"What happened... neither of us saw it coming, and it was weird. I get that. But you didn't have to spend all of this time avoiding me, pretending that I didn't exist or that I had some terrible disease that you didn't want to catch. I deserve better than that from you. I deserve to be treated with respect as your teammate, with respect as your friend, and respect as the girl you kissed that night." Tenten watched Neji wince, as if experiencing pain from the words she threw at him like barbed spears.

And that was all it took for Tenten to steel her heart against her next words. "So it didn't happen." His head jerked up and if Hyuuga Neji had been one to show actual emotions, Tenten would have said that he looked shocked.

"What? Tenten-"

Tenten cut him off again, her voice frigid. "It didn't happen. We never kissed, you never avoided me and it'll be just like it always was. We'll train, we'll go on missions, we'll act appropriately and we'll forget."

"Tenten-"

"You owe me at least this much." She waited until his head lowered slightly in acknowledgment before nodding to his bleeding side, slipping out of her defensive posture. "You should probably get that checked out." With that she turned and walked away, not wanting to let him see her run.

Tenten gritted her teeth and pulled her cloak closer to her, glaring into the darkness around her as she prayed for whoever had given her this damned mission would drop dead. Not only was it deep in what seemed to be the frozen depths of hell but it was also a mission that required optimum stealth, so there were no fires. And no fires meant no heat, which translated to Tenten sitting in a snow covered tree, freezing off every conceivable part of her body.

Lee, of course, was fine, believing this to be a type of training, and so he was only wearing a thin cloak and a bright smile. Neji was just sitting beside her, staring out stoically as they tried to stay silent and ignore the tension vibrating between them.

Tenten had found that it had become easier to pretend as time passed. She only had to look into those white eyes of his to remember how everything had fell apart and she was suddenly strong where she had been weak, suddenly able to smile and joke as if nothing was going wrong.

It was a defense mechanism she had become fond of.

Her watch over with, Tenten nodded off, curling up as tightly as possible while keeping her body in a position that was ready to spring into action at the moment even the slightest sign of danger.

She only had three hours of sleep before her internal clock woke her up, and only had five minutes after that to eat the dried food she had packed before they were darting off, the run quickly warming their chilled blood.

The package was easily delivered and then they stood in the front room of a warm and welcoming inn, arguing over what to do.

"We could make it back to Konoha in four days!" Tenten glared at Lee and his happy grin, hating it all with every fiber of her being. "Lee. There is a blizzard going on outside. A blizzard. We are not stepping a foot outside until it clears up. We have time, we have no important missions, and more importantly, here we have heat."

"But-"

"No. We're staying."

Tenten turned to Neji, who was the leader of the mission, and tilted her head. "Any objections?" His eyes held hers as he shook his head no and she nodded back at him, ignoring the tiny flips her stomach was doing. She walked up to the front desk and requested some rooms, but the kindly faced lady told her that they only had one room available.

They had shared a single room before, even smaller rooms that had had them nearly ripping off each other's heads due to the proximity. But with how she and Neji seemed to be getting along, could she take it? Could she remain so close to him and not go crazy?

She'd just have to chance it, because the more important choice was between the cold and a room. Obviously, it was no contest.

The room was small and quaint, a cozy quilt covered bed sitting in front of a charming and crackling fireplace, the drapes pulled against the unforgiving white wall of the world outside. Tenten trudged over and fell face down on the bed, not even bothering to slip off her shoes. The bed was warm and soft, and Tenten was exhausted. Neji murmured something to Lee and then left the room; not that Tenten cared, of course.

And because of just how little she cared she made sure not to ask Lee where he had gone, not wanting anyone to see how little she cared. With a sigh she pushed herself up and took off her shoes, agitated by how little she cared, only to see Lee setting up his bedroll, obviously leaving the bed to her.

"Lee, you don't have to sleep on the floor, there's plenty of room up here."

"Oh, Tenten I couldn't-"

"Just shut up and sleep in the bed. I'm tired." Lee complied quickly, not bothered by the prospect of the floor but grateful all the same. Tenten had to wonder at the hesitation; after all, they had all shared beds before, even with Gai. It hadn't been such a big deal then, so why now?

She shook her head as she took off a few of her layers, snuggling down underneath the covers before turning out the light, thankful for this little bit of warmth.

That was, however, until she was awakened by a harsh voice coming from cross the room, telling her to wake up. Tenten blinked around the room, awake instantly and taking in her surroundings, and also the fact that she seemed to be plastered to Lee's back.

It didn't really bother her since it had happened before with each her teammates and her friends. Whenever she slept she always gravitated to the closest and greatest source of heat near her, and when she slept with someone it always ended up being the other person. So she didn't care and Lee -who had been put in the same position before- didn't either.

But Neji, who watched them from the chair in the corner of the room with his icy gaze, seemed to be bothered by something. "Is it time for breakfast?" Tenten asked, stretching out the kinks in her back and pretending that the frigidness of Neji's stare hadn't given her pause and didn't bother her in the least.

"No." Was his short and sharp reply.

Lee jumped out of the bed with his usual exuberance, declaring that he would allow Tenten into the bath first, which she accepted gratefully, willing to do anything to escape the severity of Neji's mood.

Of course, never one to wallow in the shower, Tenten was out in ten minutes, ringing the excess water out of her hair before tying it up in her signature style. She tried to linger over the little lotions the inn had provided but there really wasn't much to do with it other than rub it into her skin, and Lee still needed to get in the bathroom and go through his daily routine.

But once alone in the room with Neji she simply ignored him and his bad mood, staring out of the window and at the rapidly swirling snow.

Ignoring a situation wasn't what she usually did though, so this only lasted a few minutes before she turned to Neji, sighing in annoyance at his still icy stare. "What's the matter with you?"

His eyes remained level and his face blank as he blatantly lied. "There's nothing wrong with me."

Tenten snorted. "Please, I know you better than that, Neji."

He pressed his lips together so that they formed a fine line, turning his head away from her and towards the door. But Tenten was able to see what others wouldn't have, and was able to deduce everything from the way his eyes flickered as they quickly glanced over the bed. She had to blink at him incredulously.

"You're upset that I cuddled with Lee?" She didn't add anything about how she couldn't exactly control it, wanting to watch the way his face flinched back when presented the truth. Tenten shoved off off the wall, walking to the door and opening it, though she didn't leave. Not yet.

"You know," She said, keeping her voice low and clam, not adding a bit of emotion to her voice. "You had a chance. Don't get annoyed with me over things that have nothing to do with you." Not that anything -ever- would happen with Lee, but looking at Neji, seeing him acting like such a prick after everything, it just made her so mad. And so what if she was using Lee as an example? She could cuddle with anyone she wanted, and Neji knew that she and Lee would never and could never get together like that.

Though from the way he treated the both of them during breakfast, Tenten was surprised he didn't try and brave the still ongoing blizzard and leave them.

They decided to stay throughout the day to see if the blizzard would end by night, so the hours passed slowly as they and the other patrons of the inn tried to pass the time. Neji had went up to the room to meditate and Lee was telling stories of their adventures, thrilling the small crowd that sat around him, while Tenten sat at a table and played poker with some of the male patrons.

She was also winning.

The man across from her -a plump red haired and freckle faced fur trader- groaned and watched as Tenten took the pot again. He glanced dismally down at his dwindling pile of money and then over at the teenager who sat in front of him. "You mind giving me some of that luck? My wife will kill me if I lose any more."

Tenten smiled at the man, and then turned as the elderly man next to her pulled heavily on his pipe, a sure sign he was about to tell another one of the stories he had been giving out as they played. He was a retired musician, his eyes still alight with the youth his body had lost long ago, his dominant feature the large white mustache that wiggled funnily when he talked.

"I knew a girl that had a winning streak like you do, back nearly thirty years ago. She wrung the house dry and then gave all but five dollars away to charity. She had the same hair as you."

The man on her right slammed a large, work hardened hand on the table. "So it's the hair!" He boomed out. Tenten's smile turned into a grin as the burly woodcutter studied her hair with interest, puffing on his fat cigar.

"Maybe it is. I could put the hairstyle on you, if you want, though it would take away from your handsome face and make you look absolutely ridiculous."

He stayed silent for a short beat of time before he threw his head back, roaring with laughter. "Damn it girl, you might not be good for my wallet but you're certainly doing something for my ego." He said, slapping her on the back in a way that would have sent a lesser man through the wall. And then he delighted her by pulling a cigar from his pocket and passing it to her.

This was how Neji found her an hour later, him walking up in his usual calm manner, pale eyes taking in the sheer debauchery of the moment. Tenten had kicked off her shoes and had her feet up in the lap of the redheaded man, payment for the last round he had lost. She was smoking a cigar and had a glass of the inn's finest whiskey at her elbow, a pile of her winnings in front of her.

Neji stopped a few feet away from the scene, waiting for Tenten to notice him. She grinned when she did, taking her feet away from the man across from her and gesturing Neji over. "Hey, you want to join in for a game?" She asked, deciding to forget about everything that had happened earlier in light of how happy her new group of friends had made her.

Neji glared at the gathered group, making the men pause and watch him warily. "Tenten, what are you doing?"

"Passing time by playing poker." Tenten's happy glow faded a bit, and for what seemed to be the thousandth time that day she cursed Neji. "What's wrong with that?"

"You're underage, for one, and you're acting far too familiar with these men. Not to mention the fact that you're smoking, which is very unbecoming."

Tenten glared at him and took a long drag of her cigar, filling her mouth with the bitter smoke and then blowing it out in a steady stream into Neji's face. "Screw. You."

The whole room went silent, watching the exchange of the two strangers, the silence stretching out eternally as the two glared at each other murderously. But even though the crowd watched them as if their lives depended on it, they were unable to see the way Neji reached out and grabbed Tenten's wrist, jerking her out of her chair.

But they all saw the way she jerked away and went to round house kick him. "What the hell?!" She shouted, even more annoyed by the way he so easily jumped out of the way.

"You shouldn't be acting like that, doing things like that."

"Why do you care? It's not like you have any reason to get upset by anything I do, be it gambling or cuddling!"

"I have a right."

"Oh," She hissed, her glare becoming as bright as it had ever been. "No, you don't. You gave up that right months ago, or don't you remember?"

"I-" But he was interrupted by the woodcutter. "Hey, are you two dating?"

Tenten snorted and ignored the jab of pain that arrowed through her gut and into her heart. "No, we're not."

"But what if I want to?"

Tenten turned slowly, not really sure if she had heard right. "What?" She asked, her anger leaving her so suddenly that it left her dizzy, her throat going dry and her palms growing damp. He couldn't really be saying what she thought he was saying could he? That boat had already sailed and was so far off on the horizon, it was only a little black speck.

"I said that I want to." His eyes flickered for a moment, a slight blush overtaking his cheeks and making Tenten gape at him. He hadn't even blushed when they had made out.

"I... ah... but, before..." He shrugged.

"I wasn't really all that sure what to do."

That was the worst excuse. Ever. Really, she should be yelling at him, denying him any chance of forgiveness, forcing him to pay for everything.

But she didn't do that. Instead she launched herself at Neji, the cigar falling forgotten to the ground as she pressed her lips against his. A cheer went up in the room, causing the two to jerk apart and go up to the room, ignoring that the loudest and proudest cheering came from their friend, who seemed to be crying from his joy.

They stared at each other once in the room, not really sure about what to do. Finally, Neji was the first to speak. "Are you going to keep smoking?" Tenten thought about how awful that kiss must have tasted, her lips twitching as she shook her head. "Are you going to spoon with Lee again?" She grinned this time, coming up to Neji and wrapping her arms around his neck playfully.

"Not if you sleep with me instead."

Okay, I know this deviated from the little excerpt about this in "Feelings" (I think she said about four lines about the kiss), and I was going to keep it with what "Feelings" said, having Tenten bother Neji until he finally confessed his feelings. But the muse that resides in my head (let's call her Kathy) said, "Bitch, please." And came up with this instead.

So we're seeing an already slightly jealous Neji and a Tenten who is nothing like I had her before Kathy intervened.

But it came out pretty good and ended with them together, so it's fine.

Oh, and the going towards the warmth thing during sleep? I have a friend who does this and whenever she stays over with me I always find her right up against me when we wake up. It's pretty funny, really.

Love you!