Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

"MARRY ME"

"Marry me."

A stunned Tenten stood motionless before the love of her life. She wanted this more than anything in the world. Yet… here was Neji asking her to be his wife, and all she could do was stare.

As Neji stood there patiently waiting for his beloved's reply, he allowed his thoughts to wander. He knew that he loved Tenten, and that Tenten loved him. In his heart he knew that this was what he wanted. It wasn't because of the baby; that just made him more certain it was the right thing to do, because finally, he would have the family he too, always longed for.

But more than anything, he wanted to marry Tenten because he needed her. Over the years he had grown closer to Hinata, and even Hashi and Hanabi. And though he no longer held a grudge against the main house, he still felt like an outsider in the Hyuga home; it wasn't the warmest place to be. But when he was with Tenten, he felt… happy… He felt loved. And more than anything, he wanted to be with her.

"NO!" yelled a visibly shaken Tenten, jarring Neji out of his thoughts.

If it had been anybody but Neji, there would have been a shocked and distraught expression on his pale face. But no, this was Hyuga Neji; he stood there calm and collected. But on the inside, he felt like his heart had been gripped by a cold hand and crushed until it shattered into a million pieces. He could scarcely breath.

"Hn." That was his pride speaking. Neji was very tempted to leave right there, lest he should break down for the very first time and weep like a lonely child. But instead he decided that he needed to know why. He would suffer the blow to his pride and confront the woman who had just broken his heart.

"Why?" was the only word Neji felt comfortable enough to ask. Anything more, and his voice might break, revealing the pain within him.

Tenten just stood there, playing with her hands, like Hinata used to do when she was nervous. She couldn't bring herself to face Neji, because if she did, she was sure she'd break down.

An awkward silence fell between the two lovers. Finally Tenten couldn't take it anymore and turned away to leave. But before she could take one step, Neji grabbed hold of her left wrist.

"Tenten." The stoic Hyuga called her. Though the name came out of his lips in his usual even tone, there was a pleading in his voice that only Tenten could have caught. It made her heart stop, and she finally turned around toward him, but still she couldn't look into his face.

"Neji." the name hung loosely in midair as the Weapons Mistress attempted to collect herself.

"Tell me what you are thinking Tenten." It wasn't a request, it was a demand. Still Tenten could hear the pleading in his voice.

"I can't marry you, Neji." she replied solemnly.

"Why?" asked a distraught Neji; though none would know it to look upon him.

"Because you don't really want to marry me, Neji. And a baby is a terrible reason for two people to get married. It can only lead to misery and resentment, and I won't put a child through that!" she firmly replied; though there was sorrow evident in her tone.

Neji was stunned by the words that left Tenten's lips. Relief swept over him; she wasn't rejecting him. She was afraid that he only wanted to marry her because of the baby.

"You're wrong Tenten." Neji replied.

Tenten looked up, to face the prodigy, a questioning look on her face.

"I love you." Though they had been together for years now, it was the first time that Neji had ever uttered those three words.

She'd gotten used to his cold distance, assuming that he just wasn't the type to share his emotions. He never held her hand, never told her he loved her, never complimented her, except to say that she had improved in her fighting. It just wasn't Neji to say those kinds of things, and she had learned to accept that.

It wasn't that Neji didn't show her that he cared. He was always there when she needed him. Whenever she was sick, he would be there to help her get better. He protected her when they were in battle; just as she guarded his blind spot. He held her in his arms when she was cold. He kissed her passionately when they made love. And from time to time, he even smiled; but only ever with her.

He did love her; maybe almost as much as she loved him, but to hear him actually say those words made Tenten's heart soar.

"Neji…" Tenten began.

"Tenten. I love you, and I want to marry you." Neji interrupted. "I could never resent you. I want to be with you." With that, he pulled her towards him and embraced her with all his strength. He never wanted to let go of her.

"Oh.My.Gawd. I can't believe Tenten is pregnant." said a stunned Kiba.

"I can't believe Neji's the father!" said an even more shocked Ino.

"They were always close, but he never seemed to be interested in her as more than a training partner." added a confused Sakura.

"That's not true." Hinata disagreed, " Neji-nii-san has always been very warm and caring towards Tenten-san."

"That's true," agreed Shikamaru, "and he's always been very overprotective of her as well."

"Yeah, remember the time that civilian asked Tenten out on a date, and Neji nearly beat the guy to a bloody pulp the next time he saw him?" said Choji, as he munched on a freshly opened bag of chips.

"Exactly." Shikamaru stated, "Neji's been jealous of any guy who came up to Tenten, the seven of us are really the only guys that Neji lets anywhere near Tenten. Well except for Kiba, but nobody lets Kiba anywhere near their girl, considering he'll flirt with every girl in Konoha, regardless of how stupid it may be to flirt with a girl whose 'very jealous, much-more-powerful-than-him boyfriend' is standing right next to her."

"Hey!" protested Kiba "I'm not scared of Neji!"

"So you knew that Tenten and Neji were dating?!" Ino asked, ignoring Kiba's protest.

"Of course. They don't call me a genius for nothing." Shikamaru stated matter-of-factly.

"I wonder what they're going to do." Sakura pondered.

"He'll marry her." The quiet Shino stated.

"It's the honorable thing to do" added Sasuke.

The rest of the group looked upon the two with saucer sized eyes. (except for Shikamaru who was lazily looking up at the moon, silently agree with his two normally silent friends.)

"But their so young!" Ino exclaimed.

"They're old enough to be having a child together." Shino pointed out.

"That's true but…" Sakura began.

"Hyuga would never allow his child to be born out of wedlock, it would tarnish the reputation of his clan." Sasuke interrupted; understanding the intricate politics of belong to an elite clan.

"Won't that happen anyway?" asked Choji, as he finished the last chip in his bag.

"Probably, but it shouldn't be so bad for the child, if it's protected by the Hyuga name." said Shikamaru.

"Hey, Shikamaru." Naruto finally spoke up, once Sakura was finished healing the few wounds that Tenten had inflicted on him in the forest. "What did you mean when you said that Neji already knew that Tenten was pregnant?"

TBC...