Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Nor do I own this plot-line. But I think I'm doing both fairly decent justice, in any case!

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He could still smell her.

Even now, hours later, the ginger and spice scent of her perfume still drugged his senses. As he lay on his back, staring sightlessly at the ceiling overhead, he could swear that the haunting fragrance hung about him like a cloud of sunshine. He shifted uncomfortably on his bed, flipping over in order to bury his face into his pillow. It was a last, futile attempt to remove her scent from his lungs. All he succeeded in accomplishing was acquiring a nose-full of the scent of his own unwashed body.

He cursed and rolled over, taking a breath of the stiflingly stale air that permeated his room. Neji's sense of smell had only become more acute in the weeks since his accent, almost a compensation for the complete destruction of his life. Dark velvet curtains shrouded the windows, throwing the room into total darkness, destroying any hope of a breath of fresh air entering the room. Not that it mattered to him any longer. He couldn't distinguish light from darkness any more than he could do anything else that required his sight.

His hand lifted to languidly tug at the cravat that he had looped around his throat sometime that morning. It was rumpled and loose. Having attempted several times to knot it that morning, he had finally given up in abject despair. Stockings covered his feet, but no boots, as he had been unable to find them that morning. He was just barely decently attired, in a rumbled shirt and tight-fitting pantaloons, but the state (and smell) of his clothing surely left something to be desired.

His room was no better. This was the one place he refused to allow the servants to venture. It was here he retired to soothe his aches and bruises from the numerous falls and upsets he suffered while attempting to acclimate himself to his new, darkened, life. He had dismissed his valet almost immediately after the accident, hence his abominable state of dress. He simply couldn't bear to have anyone looking on him with pity while he was treated as a child.

The delicate scent of ginger wafted over him and he cursed viciously, jerking his head to the side as though that might serve to clear the soft tang of freshness from his senses. His new caretaker (ex-caretaker, he reminded himself), certainly didn't smell like a nurse. All of the other women his well-meaning, but rapidly-becoming-tiresome, staff had hired had been older women. They smelled of moth-balls, tobacco, and grave dust, not sun-warmed spices.

Neji groaned through gritted teeth. Ms. Tenten didn't smell like a nurse, she smelled like a woman, and that was precisely his problem. He hadn't felt a pang of desire so acutely since his accident, and not for some time before that. It would simply be the feather in his cap to have found such a delightful creature now, when he was entirely unable to enjoy her. With a hiss of displeasure, Neji shoved himself upright and off the bed.

Damn the woman! She had no right to taunt him so bitterly, and smell as delicious as she did. It was fortunate he had dismissed her directly, as far as he was concerned, she need not ever trouble him again.

O.oo.O.oo.O.oo.O.oo.O.oo.O.oo.O.oo.O

As Tenten descended the stairs for breakfast the next morning, she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed at the destruction she viewed in every room. However, it was hardly surprising given that Master Hyuuga seemed content to go charging throughout the household, completely disregarding his lack of sight.

Determined to locate her charge and begin her duties as soon as possible, she stopped all movement, tilting her head to the side and listened intently. The musical clink of dishes sounded from the dining room, though she was surprised to note that the sounds of crashing and shouting, that had occurred with increasing frequency the previous day, seemed to have ceased.

As she lifted her skirts to step over a shattered vase, an explosion of shattering glass disturbed the relative silence, followed by a savage oath. Tenten winced, a slight smile flirting with the corners of her mouth. Allowing her skirts to touch the floor once again, she followed the noise into the breakfast room.

A pair of liveried footman, one dark and serious, the other blond and obviously concerned, stood guarding the table. Neither seemed to notice, or to care, when Tenten entered the room. They were busy scrutinizing every move made by their master. As his elbow unwittingly nudged a goblet closer to the edge of the table, both rushed toward it, catching the teetering glass and righting it before moving back to their positions on either side of the table. Shards of glass, food, and china dishes littered the area about the table, evidence of their earlier failures.

Tenten took the moment to study her new employer. Despite her meeting with him the previous morning (though one could hardly call that a meeting) she had not taken the opportunity to examine him in much detail. His hair gleamed with the light coming in the window, it's wild tangle combed by little more than impatient fingers. His shirt sleeves (the same shirt he had been wearing the day before; she was certain) had been shoved to his elbows, sparing them from being dragged through the remains of his meal.

She watched in pitying fascination as he speared a bit of egg with his fork, only to have it slide off onto the floor before completing the journey to his mouth. Unaware of the mishap, he continued to lift the utensil to his lips, only to discover it carried nothing. Only the slightest tightening of his lips and the jerkiness of his movements betrayed his frustration as he attempted once again to stab a bit of sausage. This time, the food completed the journey to his lips, but during the sojourn, the salt-cellar near his left hand was upended, spilling it's contents across the tabletop and liberally sprinkling his remaining food.

Master Hyuuga suddenly paused, nostrils flaring as he turned his head to glare directly at her position, frozen in the doorway. Tenten curiously lifted her head, sniffing delicately. However, all she could sense was the eggs, sausage and toast adorning his plate. "Sasuke! Naruto!" His voice was little more than a growl as he barked the names. Instantly, his footman straightened.

"Yes, Master Hyuuga?" It was the dark-haired one (Sasuke, she assumed), that responded.

"Please tell me that someone has brought me some ginger for my tea."

Both boys looked at each other, then over at Tenten, who now stood with a look of amusement wreathing her face. "No, Master Hyuuga." Both boys, sensing trouble, began to back away from the table. "But we would be happy to fetch some for you." Naruto added hastily. With that, they both turned and bolted for the kitchen, leaving Neji growling in discontent.

"Good morning, Master Hyuuga." Tenten interjected smoothly, taking a seat at the table beside him, but well out of reach. He looked as though he would gladly strangle her, if given half a chance.

"Perhaps I was not clear earlier." Neji set his fork beside his plate with deadly precision, though the effect was somewhat ruined as it clanked loudly against the side of his plate. He stood, towering over the table, his sightless eyes focused with eerie accuracy on her seated figure. Tenten had to visibly force herself not to squirm. "Your services are not needed."

Ignoring his lethal tone, Tenten smoothed the wrinkles in her skirt that their stay in her trunks had caused. "I spent last night getting settled into my rooms. I hoped that you wouldn't mind if I waited until morning to begin my duties."

"You do not have any duties!" His patience clearly at an end, he rounded the table, keeping one hand out to steady himself as he moved toward her scent and the sound of her voice. "You are dismissed." In that moment, Tenten was sincerely glad that the selection of foods he had been consuming did not require the use of a knife.

"I provided Mistress Hinata with several letters of reference." Tenten insisted, refusing to be baited by his increasingly annoyed tone. "I'm sure that you will find them all in order. I assure you, Master Hyuuga, that I am beyond a doubt the most experienced person for this job."

"In case you hadn't noticed," Neji bit off, continuing his relentless movement towards her (he was only three chairs away, by this time), "I was unable to read them. Perhaps you would care to share their contents with me?" The sarcasm in his tone was unmistakable.

"I have worked with many other people with your affliction, as well as soldiers injured in the war. I can assure you that I have both the talent and the perseverance to help you return your life to normalcy. But only if you allow me to aid your recovery."

As Neji's powerful hands curved around the carved finials of her chair, Tenten refused to bolt. Instead, she stared straight ahead, her low, shallow breaths as audible to his ears as they were to her own. He leaned downwards, so closely that his lips came dangerously close to the top of her head. "I'm sure that your intentions are not without merit, Ms. Tenten. However, until you come to your senses and resign your post, you have only one duty." His soft, precise voice was more affective than a bellow. "Stay out of my way."

He left without warning, brushing past the footmen who moved forward to offer their arms. It didn't truly surprise her that he would chose to blunder along rather than accept another's help, but she still flinched when a loud crash resounded somewhere in the house.

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Author's Notes:

And so, we learn that Neji is a silent, deadly (sad, lonely) irate, blind man. But still devilishly handsome and oh, so adorable.

We can only hope Tenten convinces him to change his mind in the near future. It wouldn't be a story without her!

Love to all, and thanks for the reviews! Keep it up!

MM7