Author's Notes: I'm sorry this fic has been so long in coming, although this honestly is a back-burner project for Berry and I. October has not really been a great month for either of us but we're still here and we hope you all are too.

This particular story goes along with a prompt Berry gave me quite awhile ago: "On the subject of Hinata." I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: We do not own Naruto and are making no profit from this fan story.

Protecting The Guardian

"The High Priestess"

By Nessie

The smell of medicines and antibiotics filled the air, the scent offending the enhanced sense of smell possessed by any competent Konoha ninja who might have been present in the hospital's waiting room. Colorless walls surrounded the six visitors who sat speechless in uncomfortable plastic chairs that dotted the minimal space.

Team Kurenai was there, a solid unit of silence. Kurenai herself sat with her back straight and her legs crossed, the very image of reserved patience with a magazine in one hand and a paper cup of now-cold tea in the other. Beside her, Shino had his arms folded and his head bent at a downward angle that caused his face to be even more obscured than usual by the high neck of his jacket collar. Slumped beside him was Kiba, who stared glazed-eyed out the window, his newly-bandaged hand running absently through Akamaru's fur. The shinobi's dog sat at his feet, sorrowfully whimpering…for the absence of the female member of their team who just happened to be the reason for why they were all at the hospital.

The one Chuunin-level kunoichi who was present watched them all with a serious, observant eye. Tenten did not know Shino or Kiba very well, and at most they had been sent on missions with her own teammates, not herself. Sitting this close to them while they were so deep in thought of their infirmed partner was awkward at best, and she felt out of place.

But only with them. Lee was on her left and beside him she felt as though she perfectly belonged. The Beautiful Green Beast had insisted upon coming "to be moral support for their fellow generation ninjas" although after so many hours of sitting and waiting, he was starting to look anything but beautiful. Tenten occasionally felt him give her hand a small pat when she began to unconsciously clench it on the armrest. And as for her other teammate…

Neji had been here since dawn when Team Kurenai had first returned from the A-class mission to the Land of Thunder, where they had apparently been ambushed by a group of rogue Grass-nin. Kurenai had speculated that there was political unrest in the Land of Grass and that factions were being formed within the Hidden Village of Cloud. Most of the team had escaped with little to no injury, except for—

Without warning, Kiba shot out of his seat. Akamaru jumped to his four feet and let out a sharp bark as the young shinobi exhaled a curse. "Why the hell are we just sitting here?" he demanded. "It's our problem…our fault that Hinata got hurt!"

Tenten held her breath as her soft brown eyes went from the irate dog-master to her introverted teammate. Neji stood near the same window Kiba had been staring out of, his back turned to the room's other occupants. It was noticeable only to Tenten when his shoulders tightened; otherwise he went without reaction to Kiba's sudden outburst.

With his distinctive eyebrows narrowed, Lee said in a calm voice, "Kiba-san, this is a hospital. Please, if you could perhaps quiet yourself—"

"You shut up!" Akamaru emphasized Kiba's order with a growl. Kurenai set her magazine to the side and uncrossed her legs. Shino glanced up, his eyes invisible from behind his dark sunglasses as he watched his teammate explode.

Tenten noted that Lee's facial response was not the one of someone who had been offended, just sad.

"This isn't your business, and you're not in my shoes! Your kunoichi isn't hurt on the one day Tsunade-sama isn't in town." Tenten's lips thinned. It was true; the Godaime had gone to the Land of Grass herself the day before and word hadn't been able to reach her inside the secretive country's borders. "Hinata has nothing to do with you guys anyway! I don't even know why the hell you're here!"

In a move that seemed delayed, Kurenai stood up and placed a long-fingered hand on her student's shoulder. "That's enough. You're not in perfect condition either, Kiba." Kiba answered her by shrugging out of her reach, but she grabbed him by his shirtsleeve and gave him a fast, hard shake. "You need rest!" she told him forcefully, expressing in three words that she was both in charge and just as concerned as Kiba.

Shino opted to remain silent, but he got up obediently and followed his teacher and reluctant partner to the door. He paused only once, calling without looking back. "Thank you for coming, Neji." He didn't wait to see if any reply was forthcoming, and when the door clicked behind him, the two seated members of Team Gai turned to study the one by the window.

Tenten hunted through her memories for things she might have said in the past when the genius needed consoling, but she couldn't find any words that would decently follow up Shino's softly-spoken gratitude. She needn't have worried. As proven time and time again, Lee was there to save them all from a particularly suffocating silence.

"Neji, listen." A smile, though it was in want of his usual boundless energy, crossed Lee's uncharacteristically reserved face. "Even though Tsunade-sama isn't here, Sakura-san is. She's Tsunade-sama's student, so I'm sure that Hinata-san will be just fine in her care."

Neji did not say anything or direct his pale eyes at them. They continued to have only a fall of night-black hair and a rigid spine to look at. Lee turned to Tenten, and she opened her mouth as if to say something…but found once again that she had no words, not a single syllable. Her brown eyes were wide on Lee's black ones, and Tenten had the sudden sensation of drowning, submerged beneath a wave of worry that threatened to swamp her.

But then there was the warmth of her friend's hand on hers again, and she recalled how to breathe. She shot Lee a grateful smile – that, sadly, was more of a grimace – before the taijutsu master went to his feet.

"I'm going to go find some tea. And I'll taste it first," Lee promised while looking at Tenten even though it was apparent that he was speaking to Neji. "If it's very bad, I will go purchase a better kind."

Tenten watched him go, simultaneously warmed by his kind gesture and chilled by the thought of remaining in this room that seemed so plain and heartless with the person who had stayed detached from everyone around him for the last four hours, when Hinata had first entered surgery.

In the next instant, she grew angry with herself. What was wrong with her, acting all nervous and insecure just because Neji was brooding in the corner? It was Neji – he was the king of brooding. She could remember a time when they had been forced to stall a mission due to a snowstorm. He had done this very thing, standing by a window all night until the sky had cleared and they could continue on.

Tenten paused in her swift thought process. No matter what she remembered, there was a difference this time. There was no snowstorm, and this was no mission. This was Hinata, and she was hurt and lying in an operating room with a girl who was still a pupil. That Sakura was being taught by a master of medical ninjutsu meant little to Neji, she was sure.

But she had never seen him in such a state, and that was what unsettled her. Time lost and obstacles didn't make Neji unresponsive and so pensive that he didn't even notice the world outside his mind. A hospitalized Hinata evidently did.

She rose from the discomforting chair and found with some self-disgust that her knees were lightly trembling. Come on, Tenten, she scolded herself. You're a kunoichi, not a housewife. She stared at Neji's back with eyes that she knew without seeing were burning. She was the one who knew Neji, perhaps better than anyone. He had confided in her before, told her things that most would never dream the Hyuuga even thought of. She could tell when Neji was upset and she could tell when he was perfectly fine. And this…this was neither of those, but something in between, and understanding that made her feeling a little more confident. That at least caused her to stop shaking.

Straightening her shoulders, Tenten took a step toward him. Sunlight glided in through the window, making the walls that much paler. The day was beautiful and that seemed to only make her feel worse. "Neji," she finally murmured once she was standing directly behind him.

She felt him hear her although he did not react with any physical motion. "Neji," she repeated, "I know she's important to you." An image of Hinata entered her mind, and then there were flashes of memories where Neji had made clear his feeling of responsibility toward his cousin. He wanted to protect her, knowing that they shared more than white eyes and talented blood. And Tenten comprehended that more than the branch house son would ever know. Because she, too, wanted…had always wanted…

Slowly, Neji pivoted. Sun flooded the window behind him and made him glow at the edges of his form. Her breath caught when he had faced her, and she thought her heart stopped when he met her eyes.

Despite the light that gave him an ethereal appearance, the set of his jaw was hard and revealed his current lack of tenderness. And even though his eyes were completely ashen, they still seemed to be somehow dark. Tenten reacted the way he had to everyone else; unnoticeably, except that her hand rose, seemingly unbidden. Her fingers brushed against the smooth, slanted plane of his cheek, feeling the softness…and the terrible coldness of it. Her hand snapped back, then settled against his neck. "Oh, Neji," she breathed, stepping closer.

He grasped her wrist, his hands as equally heatless. The action, like hers, was meant as that of a friend, but it was just another question asked below the surface. Just another wonder not dared to dream. "When my father died, it was an unspoken expectation for me to watch over her as he had done." He trained his gaze on his female teammate's as he spoke in low, soft tones. "Hinata-sama – the leader of my future."

"But it isn't just a family obligation, is it?" Tenten gently withdrew from him so that he would speak to her seriously. "I mean…your uncle isn't even here."

"Hiashi-sama has faith in his daughter, whether or not he chooses to reveal it." Neji's lips had pressed so tightly together that she briefly feared he would sprain them with the pressure. "He believes she will survive this. And if she does not, he would prefer to not be present."

Tenten decided this was not the time to voice her opinion of Hinata's father. "This isn't your fault, Neji. You weren't there." She felt him draw away before he ever moved, so she stepped closer to him, backing him up against the window sill so he couldn't get away easily. "And you know that Hinata is ready to take care of herself and trust her life with her teammates."

"I am…" His curse-sealed brow furrowed with thought. "In the eyes of my family, I am her guardian," he finished with as solemn a look as Tenten had ever seen him give her.

"I know," she whispered, reaching up to brush her fingers through the ends of his ebony hair. "But that shouldn't be all you are." She made to lower her hand again, but Neji surprised her by grabbing it and holding it closer to his chest.

"You don't understand," protested Neji, voice rising in volume and causing Tenten's eyes to narrow. "You aren't the son of a branch house, Tenten. I know you've been with me all these years – don't think I forget that," he added when she started to pull away. "But Hinata-sama has been with me all of my life. She is my charge, and I am her servant. If something happens…if she dies," he corrected courageously, "it's more than likely I'll be exiled for failing…for—"

"Neji," she interrupted, eyes widening. "You…" Her hand tightened beneath his.

And she remembered what her purpose had turned into over the years. Not only had she developed into a powerful kunoichi, but she had morphed from a lonely girl to a precious part of Team Gai, and from there…she had been not only Neji's closest friend, but a protector for him as well. Even if he constantly outmatched her in combat technique, she had him forever beat in matters of self.

So it was Tenten who realized what Neji did – that even if Hinata were to die and he was disgraced, it would still mean freedom for him. Such a secret he wouldn't even risk sharing with her. Neji was horrified by even thinking upon such a notion, just as Tenten was. And if he thought about it too much, Neji would give into his bad habit of creating ideas about his own personality that frankly were not true. Such as—

"Neji, you are not a bad person," she assured him with a strong grip on his hand. "You're concerned for Hinata. We all are. You aren't worse than anyone else just because she's hurt right now."

He looked so lost even with so much light right there to shove all darkness away. But he was also looking at her now, and for once Tenten couldn't ignore the way her pulse sped against his fingertips. The corners of his mouth visibly relaxed, and Neji looked down at her with an expression she wasn't so familiar with.

He finally released her hand to pull his fingers up the length of her arm to her temple. "Tenten," he murmured. "I think we—"

"Neji! Tenten!" Lee's voice echoed in the corridor he had gone into before, and then he appeared in the doorway. "Sakura-san just came out of performing Hinata-san's surgery!"

Tenten felt Neji again tense up against her. "And?"

Lee broke out his customary, sparkling smile. "She's tired and needs bed rest, but Sakura promises she'll be just fine."

Tenten turned to the Hyuuga and clutched him in a tight hug before she could remember herself. It wasn't to relieve her own joy, but to awaken his. She was rewarded with Neji's strict but grateful embrace.

"I'm going to go tell Kurenai-sensei's team!" Lee called, rushing out the main exit.

Neji pushed her away just enough to look down. "Tenten," he started, then paused. After a few seconds, his usual, arrogant smirk arranged itself on his lips. For a moment, his hands on her back felt like fire. "I think we should—"

"Visit Hinata?" Tenten stepped backward and out of his reach, though she made sure to keep her smile on. "I agree." She turned around, knowing he would follow her.

She could feel the way his eyes warmed the back of her neck and breathed deeply as she led the way to the patient ward of the hospital. Just reaffirming her responsibility towards him and knowing that Hinata was going to be alright was enough for Tenten today.

It was enough to remember that even guardians needed protecting sometimes.

The End